Oct23

there is goodness in the world.

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wonderful  to see this very moving  true story played out onstage 
The core framework of Come From Away is 100% true: on September 11, 2001, 38 commercial aircraft carrying close to 7,000 passengers from around the world were diverted to Gander International Airport in Newfoundland,  Canada, when U.S. airspace closed. The local town of roughly 10,000 residents housed, fed, and cared for the stranded travelers for five days.
While every event in the musical is grounded is real testimony, playwrights Irene Sankoff and David Hein interviewed thousands of people and merged some stories or created composite characters rather than direct biographical replicas.
True stories and real-life inspirations in the show include:
  • Captain Beverley Bass: She was meant to be flying from Paris to Dallas  but ended up spending 28 hours on the Gander runway, awaiting information. She was the first ever female pilot to be made a captain by American Airlines. Beverly progressed up the ranks after many years and made global news again when she led the first ever all-female crew from Washington DC to Dallas.
  • Nick and Diane Marson:  Nick (an engineer from Britain) and Diane (an American) met after being stranded on the same flight and both were housed in nearby Gambo at The Society of United Fishermen. They formed a close relationship, went sightseeing and spent evenings with the locals. They fell in love, married, and have attended hundreds of performances of the show.
  •  The Kevins (Kevin Tuerff and Kevin Jung): Were a  gay couple on their way home to Texas until their flight was diverted.  Their experience of community warmth inspired  Kevin T to launch the Pay It Forward 9/11 global charity initiative. Like many other passengers, Kevin T was incredibly affected by his time in Gander. As a CEO of a marketing firm, every year on 11 September, he closes the office and gives his employees $100 each to do a good deed for a stranger. It’s his way of giving back after he’d received such kindness from others. Originally something he did internally at his own company, it has grown into the Pay-It-Forward 9/11 foundation, which encourages everyone to do three good deeds on that date each year.
  • Bonnie Harris (Animal Shelter Manager): Was a local who coordinated volunteers to care for stranded animals, household pets, an epileptic cat (with its medicine strapped to its crate), and even rare zoo animals (including pregnant bonobos and chimps) traveling in the cargo holds of the grounded planes. She teamed up with two other women (Vi and Linda), and went into the planes to check up on the animals. They spent 10 hours in cramped and dirty conditions checking on every animal. Bonnie convinced officials to let the animals off the planes and moved to a hangar where they could be properly fed and cared for.
  • Claude Elliott: The long-serving mayor of Gander helped coordinate the massive logistical and humanitarian rescue.He was very involved in the town and had a great relationship with the community. When the planes arrived, Claude was dealing with bus driver strikes and got them to agree to use the buses to transport the passengers to wherever they were staying. He played an incredibly important role, orchestrating everyone’s movements and ensuring all passengers were well looked after over those several days.
  • Oz Fudge: One of just two Gander police officers, Oz was beloved in Gander and was known for his gentle, humorous, and constant presence helping the “plane people” navigate the town. When they landed, Oz jumped into action, helping wherever he could and ensuring everyone felt safe and sound. He even arranged a birthday party after discovering that some of the passengers were sick children on a Make a Wish trip to visit Disney World.
  • Beulah Cooper and Hannah O’Rourke: Beulah, a Gander teacher, formed a deep bond with Hannah. Many special friendships started between the passengers and the people of Gander, and one of the particularly moving bonds is between Beulah and Hannah.

    Hannah was a passenger and was incredibly worried about her son, a firefighter in Brooklyn. His base wasn’t far away from the Twin Towers, so Hannah was distraught when she couldn’t get hold of him, and no one seemed to know where he was or if he was safe. Hannah spent her days in Gander calling her son’s voicemail and waiting by the phone, hoping to hear from him.

    Beulah was helping out passengers, making trays of sandwiches and taking people shopping for clothes. Her own son was a volunteer firefighter, so she empathized with Hannah’s situation. Beulah frequently checked in Hannah, comforting her and telling her bad jokes to distract her. To this day, the two women are the best of friends.

  • The “Screech-In” Tradition: A famous local pub where outsiders are inducted as honorary Newfoundlanders by kissing a cod and drinking local rum, (Screech), as happened to many of the stranded travelers.
 —

In the face of tragedy, the community gave the passengers the warmest of welcomes, opening up their homes, schools, churches and anywhere else that could be turned into temporary accommodation for the “plane people”. The small town suddenly doubled in population for several days, played a huge part in what happened, and the effect it had on passengers and the Gander community.

They provided meals, bedding, and hot showers. Schools, churches, and legion halls became makeshift dorms. Some residents even invited visitors to stay in their homes. Pharmicies filled prescriptions without cost, banks of free public telephones were installed so they could call home, and donations of toiletries, clothing, and food flowed in. Much of the food was stored at the Gander Community Centre’s ice rink, turning it into “the largest walk-in freezer in the country,” according to the mayor.

Once basic needs were met, they  organized tours of the town, bowling matches, and concerts by local bands. Visitors also were introduced to regional cuisine, including partridge berries and flipper pie. One passenger was a rabbi who created a makeshift Kosher kitchen, and allergies, vegetarians and vegans all were accommodated. When asked about their generosity, residents responded that their efforts were not out of the ordinary. “For us, it was just every day,” said Janice Goudie, a local newspaper reporter. “You don’t turn your backs on people in need.”

The play has been a huge success since its first performance (in Gander). It was nominated for seven Tony Awards, and won Best Direction of a Musical. In the Olivier Awards, it was nominated for nine categories and won Best New Musical, Outstanding Achievement In Music, Best Theatre Choreographer, and the Royal Albert Hall Awards. (The relatively small cast of 14 actors each play several parts within the show, and with simple costume changes, they transform from plane passengers to Newfoundland residents.) A live band plays throughout and join the cast on stage at times.

The “plane people” didn’t forget their time in Canada once they were home. Passengers kept in touch with one another and their Newfoundland hosts, made websites dedicated to their individual flights, and even traveled back to Gander for anniversaries of the attacks. The passengers and crew of one flight created a scholarship fund for students in the Gander area. The initial donation of $15,000 has, since 2001, grown to more than $1 million and provided scholarships to more than 200 local students.

Newfoundlanders too, remember this extraordinary moment in their history. A Peace Park was built in nearby Appleton, from $5,000 donated by stranded passengers. The park features a section of World Trade Center steel and a monument dedicated to first responders. Every year on 9/11, they hold a ceremony to remember those killed in the attacks, and to honor those who cared for the stranded passengers.

—

There have been many non-fiction books written about the true story and an official companion books for the musical itself.
 There is a documentary of the real-life story behind the hit musical Come From Away:

You Are Here: A Come From Away Story (2018)

There is a filmed live Broadway production of the play
is available to stream on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and the Roku Channel.
—
‘There is goodness in the world that floats to the top in times of disaster.’
– the mayor in a 2017 interview
  

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66 responses »

  2. It is such a moving show. I saw it when it was on PBS, and then we saw it live in Philadelphia. It’s hard not to have all the feelings seeing it. As you say, “there is goodness in the world,” and it’s something we should remember.

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  3. You dont turn your backs on people in need….

    That about sums it up. This was such a moving post, Beth. Every story was good for the soul. It’s unfortunate that most need major tragedies to show humanity. But in this town, it seems like it’s a daily vibe.

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  4. Thanks for adding all the extra personal details of some of those involved. I remember the incident very well, but only as an ‘overview’. It is one of those events that can restore faith in decent human nature and reaffirm that most people are good.
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  5. I remember when this happened, and how humbling it was to hear of the love that was showered upon these strangers, by strangers. Thank you for sharing the links to the documentary and filmed stage production. I can see what I get to do this weekend… smile from my heart!

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  15. So timely and valuable to describe this amazing event and the theatrical expressions of it in detail, beth. We need such reminders, especially as we move through our current—temporary—reality.

    We saw the Broadway production all these years ago, and it has never left me. Thank you for covering it so thoroughly.

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  25. I love this show. And the story always brings tears to my eyes. There’s not enough thanks in the world for what those people did. Thank you for the details of what happened later. I’d not heard most of that.

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  28. That must have been a powerful play. I still think about 9/11 as one of the hardest days of my teaching career because my students showed up at school with those images still fresh in their minds. All I could think was to tell them they were safe in our classroom, though I secretly wondered if that was true.

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  30. I remember reading about this event. The town was so kind and nice towards the travellers. A beautiful testimony to existence of goodness and humans and it shows what good neighbors Canadians are to Americans. Some Americans seem to have forgotten this but not most.

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