The Tony award-winning musical Come From Away gets its first Pittsburgh production from Front Porch Theatricals to coincide with the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

When the United States closed its airspace on September 11, 2001, thousands of planes had to land — and, in the confusion and shock of the moment, it didn’t matter much where. Hundreds of planes found the nearest available airport or made for regional hubs; about 240 were diverted into Canada.

Thirty-eight of those planes landed at Gander International Airport, outside a speck of a town in Newfoundland. The population of Gander was about 11,000; the nearly 7,000 passengers from those 38 planes almost doubled the sum total of people in town in a matter of hours.

And everyone simply rolled up their sleeves and made it work.

Front Porch Theatricals Stages the Moving 9/11 Musical Come From Away in Pittsburgh for the First Time

That’s the premise of Come From Away, the powerhouse musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein that will receive its first regional production later this month. The show, which won a Tony and played for more than 1,600 shows on Broadway, depicts the people of Gander and the folks on the planes struggling to make sense of their bizarre circumstances — and finding unity and hope.

“People used to use that expression, ‘I was on the edge of my seat’ — I never understood what that meant until I saw Come From Away,” says Nancy Zionts, producer at Front Porch Theatricals, who will open the show on August 14 at the New Hazlett Theater. “We were transported to that moment in time — and to a sense of something that could come out of something horrible that was positive and uplifting.”

Producing it now, as we approach the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, is a reminder of the resilience and hope that emerged from tragedy, Zionts says.

“What it created for all of us was this reminder that there still is the hope of community. There still is the hope of rebuilding. And there still is the hope that we can welcome each other on our best days and on our worst days.”

Why Come From Away is Important to Stage Today

Director Aaron Galligan-Stierle says those feelings are universal, even if we manage to separate the extraordinary circumstances. “We have a shared experience of what it is to give and to need great amounts of generosity. That’s something we’ve all experienced at some point in our life, and something that we all endeavour to give to each other.”

Galligan-Stierle, who has appeared onstage with Front Porch before — including in last summer’s sold-out run of Sunday in the Park with George, pictured above — adds that the relevance extends well beyond September 11, 2001.

“In times like this, when we are as a culture divided more and more every day … We are reminded by this story that we all have a common, shared experience and humanity. And the best of humanity is radical generosity.”

Fundamentally, Come From Away works as “a pretty magical piece of theater,” Galligan-Stierle adds, calling the show “relentless, effortless and utterly joyful.

“It just propels you along through the action in a way that is undeniable.”

Come From Away opens on August 14 and continues through August 23, with nine performances scheduled. Tickets are on sale now. Before you head out to the show, Nancy Zionts, producer at Front Porch Theatricals, gives you a lesson on how to enjoy a musical.

Story by Sean Collier
Photo by Deana Muro

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