Show History

History

Inspiration

Come From Away is the brainchild of Michael Rubinoff, a dean of visual and performing arts at Sheridan College near Toronto, Canada. He approached the composer/lyricist team of Irene Sankoff and David Hein to further develop the musical about a small Newfoundland town and the days immediately following the September 11 attacks. Real residents of Gander, Newfoundland inspire many of the characters in Come From Away.

Productions

The initial show was presented as a 45 minute workshop as part of the Canadian Music Theatre Project at Sheridan College in 2012. In 2013, a full production at Sheridan College was presented as part of the regular season. The show was included in the 2013 National Alliance for Musical Theatre in New York and presented in a full production where it attracted the attention of Junkyard Dog Productions.

The musical debuted in 2015 as a collaboration between La Jolla Playhouse and the Seattle Repertory Theatre. It then had full productions in Washington, DC and Toronto, Ontario where it broke box-office records.

Come From Away officially opened on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 12, 2017 starring many original cast members from the La Jolla Playhouse/Seattle Repertory co-production, including Chad Kimball and Jenn Colella.