Come From Away

The show opens on the morning of September 11th, 2001, in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, as the town residents wake up to a new day. They introduce themselves and their small town but are interrupted by news of terrorist attacks in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania (“Welcome to the Rock”). With this news comes information that the US airspace has closed, rerouting 38 planes to their now empty international airport (“38 Planes”). With over 7000 passengers and 19 animals on their way, doubling Gander’s population, the Newfoundlanders prepare to welcome them in. They work overtime to source blankets, food, beds, clothes, toiletries, and anything else the “plane people” might need (“Blankets and Bedding”).

Meanwhile, the travelers and employees on the planes have been told to stay onboard. Though they know something is wrong, they have been given no information and start to grow restless in such a confined space (“28 Hours / Wherever We Are”). Only when they are finally led to