Broadway musical keeps Gander’s 9/11 welcome alive

Twenty-five years after commercial flights were diverted on September 11, 2001, a Broadway-born musical is keeping alive the story of how a remote town in Newfoundland welcomed nearly 7,000 unexpected guests when United States airspace suddenly closed.

The real small town behind the global stage hit

The musical Come From Away is based on the true events that unfolded in and around Gander, a small community in Newfoundland and Labrador with a population of roughly 10,000 at the time of the 9/11 attacks. When U.S. skies were abruptly shut, 38 wide-body aircraft crossing the Atlantic were ordered to land at Gander’s airport, a former military refueling stop with one of the longest runways in North America.

Public accounts of the period describe how, almost overnight, the town’s population nearly doubled as thousands of passengers and crew members from around the world disembarked into an unfamiliar place. With hotels quickly filled, schools, churches, lodges, and private homes became makeshift shelters. Local organizations mobilized on the fly to provide beds, clothing, medication, hot meals, and phone access so stranded travelers could contact family.

The hospitality quickly became known as an example of “Operation Yellow Ribbon,” the Canadian response that diverted flights away from U.S. cities. Books and documentaries later chronicled how residents cooked around the clock, organized recreation and cultural exchanges, and forged friendships that have endured for decades. It is this combination of logistical improvisation and quiet generosity that Come From Away adapts for the stage.

The title itself reflects a phrase long used in Newfoundland for anyone not originally from the island. In the context of the musical, it captures how suddenly arriving strangers were folded into the fabric of a town that had never expected to host the world.

From development workshops to a record Broadway run

Created by Canadian husband-and-wife writing team Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away began life in regional workshops and early productions in the mid‑2010s. The show draws on extensive interviews with residents of Gander and nearby communities, as well as with passengers who found themselves unexpectedly grounded there after departing Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere.

The musical made its Broadway debut at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in 2017. According to publicly available box office and theater-industry records, it went on to become the longest running Canadian musical in Broadway history, earning seven Tony Award nominations and winning for best direction of a musical.

Over the course of its New York run, the production became known for its compact, ensemble-driven staging. A cast of a dozen performers plays dozens of roles, shifting rapidly from townspeople to passengers with the help of simple costume pieces and a rotating set of chairs and tables. Songs such as “Welcome to the Rock” and “Me and the Sky” highlight both the communal experience in Gander and individual stories, including that of trailblazing airline captain Beverley Bass.

The Broadway production concluded in October 2022, but by that point Come From Away had already expanded into a broader theatrical ecosystem, with a filmed version released for streaming and multiple international stagings underway.

A global journey for a story rooted in Gander

Since leaving its original New York home, Come From Away has continued to circulate widely. West End and UK tour engagements, a long-running Canadian staging, and national tours in the United States have introduced the narrative to audiences far from the North Atlantic flight corridors that made Gander strategically important on 9/11.

Regional and community theaters across North America are increasingly adding the show to their seasons. Recent and upcoming productions at companies in Massachusetts, Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, and other U.S. states highlight the work’s growing presence outside major commercial hubs. Season announcements often describe the musical as both a commemoration of 9/11’s aftermath and a timely story about neighborliness during crisis.

The story has also reached viewers who may never set foot in a theater district. A live stage capture released in 2021 made the production available on streaming, using the original Broadway cast to recreate the atmosphere of the Schoenfeld Theatre. Educators and arts organizations have since incorporated the film and related study guides into programs exploring community response to disaster, contemporary musical theater, and Canadian history.

Even with this broad reach, the narrative remains tightly tied to the specific geography and culture of Newfoundland and Labrador, from the distinctive accent and humor reproduced on stage to details about local weather, wildlife, and traditions that surface in songs and dialogue.

Returning to the town where the planes once landed

In recent seasons, producers have made a point of bringing Come From Away back to the place that inspired it. A made‑in‑Newfoundland staging at Gander’s Joseph R. Smallwood Arts & Culture Centre has already enjoyed three sold‑out summer runs, drawing visitors from Canada, the United States, and overseas who are interested in seeing the story in situ.

Government and tourism updates from Newfoundland and Labrador indicate that the production is scheduled to return to Gander in 2026 for a fourth summer season, aligning with the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Performances are set to run from late June to mid‑September, once again turning the town into both a theatrical destination and a site of remembrance.

Local travel promotion now regularly pairs tickets to Come From Away in Gander with visits to locations that played a role in the original events, such as schools that became temporary shelters and community halls that served as dining rooms. Travelers are encouraged to explore beyond Gander itself, visiting coastal communities that also took in diverted passengers, as well as nearby hiking trails and viewpoints overlooking the North Atlantic.

The staging in Gander foregrounds the connection between the performers and the real events. Casting frequently draws on artists with ties to Newfoundland, and marketing materials emphasize that the audiences are sitting just a short distance from where the aircraft once parked and passengers disembarked.

Why the story resonates with travelers today

As the world marks a quarter century since 9/11, Come From Away has become part of a broader conversation about how travel connects people during moments of upheaval. The musical focuses less on the attacks themselves and more on what happened when borders and flight paths suddenly shifted, stranding thousands in a town many had never heard of before their planes were diverted.

For travelers, the show highlights the unpredictability of global journeys and the reliance on local communities when infrastructure falters. The passengers in Gander arrived with limited information, unable to retrieve luggage or contact family easily, and dependent on volunteers for basic needs. The response they encountered has come to symbolize a form of “radical hospitality” that many audiences find especially compelling after years of pandemic disruption and geopolitical tension.

The continuing wave of productions in cities and towns across North America and beyond suggests enduring appetite for stories that frame travel as a catalyst for empathy rather than division. Season brochures and theater reviews frequently describe packed houses and emotional responses, with particular attention to how the musical’s final scenes depict ongoing bonds between locals and former “come from aways.”

For destinations like Gander, the show’s popularity has created a distinct form of remembrance tourism. Visitors arrive not only to see a musical but to step into the landscape where the real events occurred, reflecting on how one small town’s response to unexpected guests continues to ripple across stages and borders worldwide.