Photo: artsclub.com
On September 11, 2001, a small town in Newfoundland quietly doubled in size. Here’s the remarkable true story behind one of the greatest musicals ever written — and why you should catch it this summer at the Stanley BFL CANADA Stage.
Quick note before we dive in: If you searched for Come From Away and landed here expecting a review of the 2013 novel Come from Away by Genevieve Graham — that’s a different work entirely. This article is about the hit Canadian musical of the same name. Easy mix-up; glad you’re here anyway.
What Is Come From Away?
Come From Away is a Canadian musical with book, music, and lyrics by Toronto-based husband-and-wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It tells the true story of what happened in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, in the days immediately following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — when 38 international flights were grounded there, temporarily doubling the town’s population overnight.
The show is funny, gut-wrenching, and deeply human. It blends folk, Celtic, and contemporary music into a propulsive, 100-minute, no-intermission experience performed by a nimble ensemble cast who each play multiple roles. It has become one of the most celebrated musicals of the 21st century — and this summer, Vancouver gets its own homegrown production.
The Real Story: September 11 and the Town That Said “Come On In”
Gander, a remote town in northeastern Newfoundland with a population of roughly 9,000 people, received 38 wide-body aircraft carrying approximately 6,600 passengers and crew.
To understand Come From Away, you need to understand what Gander, Newfoundland did on one of the darkest days in modern history.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the United States Federal Aviation Administration shut down all American airspace. At that moment, hundreds of transatlantic flights were mid-ocean — too far along to turn back, and suddenly unable to land anywhere in the US.
Canada immediately launched Operation Yellow Ribbon, diverting those planes to airports across the country. Between 225 and 240 flights were rerouted to 17 Canadian airports. Gander, a remote town in northeastern Newfoundland with a population of roughly 9,000 people, received 38 wide-body aircraft carrying approximately 6,600 passengers and crew.
Why Gander? Its history explains it. Gander International Airport was once one of the most important aviation hubs in the world — a critical refueling stop for Allied Forces crossing the Atlantic during World War II, and for decades a key waypoint for transatlantic commercial flights. When jumbo jets capable of crossing the ocean without refueling became standard, Gander’s role faded. But the runways remained, long enough and strong enough to handle anything. On September 11, 2001, that infrastructure mattered again.
Passengers were kept on the grounded planes for more than 24 hours while security personnel conducted checks on each aircraft. When they finally disembarked, they arrived in a town that had mobilized entirely on their behalf. Community television put out a call: “Lend a hand, do what you can.” Schools closed. Businesses shut. Volunteers of all ages turned churches, schools, and legion halls into makeshift dormitories. Food poured in from surrounding communities — so much of it that the Gander Community Centre’s ice rink had to be used for storage. Local residents organized tours of the town, dinners featuring Newfoundland cuisine, bowling matches, and live entertainment. Some families simply opened their homes.
By the time the planes were cleared to leave and the “plane people” (as Gander locals called them) could continue to their destinations, something remarkable had happened. Strangers had become friends. Some stayed in touch for years. Some came back. The story of Gander became a quiet legend of kindness in a time of fear — and it remained relatively unknown outside Canada for years.
How Come From Away Was Made
The musical’s origin is almost as good a story as the show itself.
Irene Sankoff and David Hein were in Gander as stranded students during the events of 9/11. In 2011, they learned that many of the original passengers were returning to Gander for a 10th anniversary reunion. With a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, the couple went back to Newfoundland, conducted extensive interviews with both locals and former passengers, and began transcribing hours of oral histories.
That research became the backbone of the show. Dialogue, lyrics, and even specific scenes were drawn directly from what real people told them. If a story couldn’t be traced to a verified account, it didn’t make the cut. The result is a musical that feels both intimate and epic — because it is.
The show was developed at the Canadian Music Theatre Project at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, and later at Goodspeed Musicals’ Festival of New Artists. It built momentum through productions in Connecticut, San Diego, Seattle, Washington D.C., and Toronto before becoming what The New York Times called a critics’ pick when it opened on Broadway in February 2017. It went on to become the longest-running Canadian show in Broadway history, earning seven Tony Award nominations (including Best Musical), winning Best Direction of a Musical, and later claiming the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in London’s West End — the first Canadian show ever to do so.
The creators describe it as a “9/12 show” — not a show about the horror of September 11, but about what followed: how ordinary people responded to extraordinary circumstances with compassion, humour, and generosity.
The Musical: What to Expect
The storytelling in Come From Away is inventive and fast-paced. The ensemble of 12 actors plays dozens of characters — Gander locals, plane passengers from around the world, pilots, mayors, and more — often switching roles mid-scene with just a change of jacket or accent. The staging is minimal: mostly chairs, sometimes arranged into airplane rows, sometimes into a pub. The band is visible. The energy is constant.
The score pulls from Newfoundland folk and Celtic traditions — fiddles, driving rhythms, and anthemic choruses that fill a theatre and stick in your head for days. Songs like Welcome to the Rock, Me and the Sky, and I Am Here have become instant musical theatre classics.
Among the show’s most beloved characters: Beverly Bass, based on a real person who was one of American Airlines’ first female captains and found herself grounded in Gander. Her song about the arc of her career is one of the most powerful moments in the show. Also central is the story of two men, both named Kevin, who found unexpected community and acceptance in Newfoundland at a time when the world felt terrifying.
Come From Away is that rare piece of theatre that makes you laugh out loud and cry within the same two minutes. It doesn’t exploit the tragedy of 9/11 — it sidesteps the horror and instead illuminates everything that happened next.
The Vancouver Production
This summer’s production at the Stanley BFL CANADA Stage is something genuinely special. It’s the Western Canadian premiere of Come From Away — and one of the first non-replica productions ever staged, meaning this isn’t a touring carbon copy of the Broadway version. The Arts Club Theatre Company and Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre have built it fresh, with new design, a local cast, and their own creative vision.
The production is directed by Ashlie Corcoran, the Arts Club’s Artistic Director, who describes the show as “a celebration of the human spirit.” Following its Vancouver run, this co-production will travel to the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton.
The show opened to standing ovations — and has already been extended beyond its original closing date of July 26. It now runs through August 16, 2026.
📍 Stanley BFL CANADA Stage — 2750 Granville Street, Vancouver 🗓️ May 28 – August 16, 2026 🎟️ Tickets from $39 at ArtsClub.com or 604-687-1644
Review: A Theatre Critic’s Take
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 9/10
Come From Away is the rare musical that earns every tear it draws from you — and draws a fair number of laughs in the process. This Arts Club production doesn’t just deliver the show; it elevates it.
Let’s start with the cast, because they deserve it. This Vancouver ensemble is extraordinary. Every single performer brings total commitment — switching characters mid-scene, mid-song, sometimes mid-sentence — with a precision and warmth that makes the whole thing feel effortless. There are no weak links, no moments where the energy dips because someone isn’t holding their end. These actors carry the emotional weight of the show on their shoulders and make it look like joy. If you’ve seen a touring production of Come From Away before, this cast will remind you what live, locally-built theatre can do that a road show sometimes can’t: it breathes. It feels alive in the room. By the finale, you won’t be watching performers — you’ll be watching people you somehow know.
A word of honest warning though: the opening stretch takes its time finding its footing. The show intentionally floods you with characters and storylines all at once, mirroring the chaos of that September morning. It works dramatically, but it can feel slightly overwhelming if you’re not prepared for it. Stick with it.
Because the second half is where everything catches fire. The songs hit harder, the characters have taken root in your chest, and the cumulative emotional weight of everything you’ve been watching arrives all at once. By the finale, it’s hard to stay dry-eyed — and equally hard not to want to stand up and clap along. (Spoiler: the audience does.)
A few practical notes before you go:
- Recommended for 18+. The subject matter — 9/11, grief, fear, displacement — is handled with remarkable sensitivity, but the emotional stakes are real and adult. It’s not frightening for younger audiences so much as it may simply go over their heads.
- No intermission. About 100 minutes straight through. Use the washroom first.
- Do your homework. Audiences who arrive knowing the history of 9/11 and Operation Yellow Ribbon will get so much more from this show. The good news? You just read this article.
Come From Away is one of the most celebrated Canadian musicals ever written, staged right here in Vancouver with extraordinary talent and genuine craft. It closes August 16. Don’t let it close without you.
Come From Away runs at the Stanley BFL CANADA Stage (2750 Granville Street, Vancouver) through August 16, 2026. Tickets from $39 at ArtsClub.com.