Pictured: The cast of Asolo Rep's Come From Away. Provided photo.

On the island of Newfoundland lies the town of Gander. It is a small, sleepy town of approximately 12,000 people, home to harsh, snowy winters and mild, coastal summers. There is a hospital, library, community center and an airport. It is there, at Gander International Airport, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, that the lives of the townspeople were forever changed. As a part of Canada’s Operation Yellow Ribbon, 38 planes carrying around 7,000 passengers were diverted to land in Gander International Airport. The town nearly doubled in size, and with nowhere else to go, the passengers and crew were taken in by the citizens of Gander. The Tony-Award winning musical Come from Away, opening next week at Asolo Repertory Theatre, tells the remarkable true story of the events that followed.

“The town had to figure out where to house all of these passengers, how to feed them, how to get their prescriptions. Passengers weren’t allowed to take their luggage off the planes because they didn’t know if there were explosive materials in the luggage,” says Peter Rothstein, producing artistic director of Asolo Rep. “While it’s incredibly poignant—obviously 9/11 is at the center of the story—it is also incredibly joyful and very, very funny.”

Rothstein, who is also directing the production, relays that the week was not just a logistical challenge, but an emotional one as well. Many of the passengers were not allowed to deboard for 28 hours—not knowing the events of what transpired until September 12. “There’s a really moving moment where the passengers are all watching the TVs and see the footage of the planes crashing into the towers,” says Rothstein. “You felt so powerless in that moment, yet these folks were able to do something and exercise compassion. Whether or not they said it out loud, they knew that they were doing something important, something that was deeply human.”

Twelve actors will play both the passengers and the locals, adding not just to the theatricality of the production, but to the humanistic aspect as well. The title of the musical is actually a colloquial term used in Newfoundland to describe someone not from the region. Having the actors play both “come from aways” and the townspeople bridges the gap between the two parties. “The writers said that there’s a time in everyone’s life where they need to reach out for help and hopefully a time that they reach out to help someone in need,” says Rothstein. “Having one actor play both sides of that coin is quite poignant.”

Come from Away, November 12-December 28, Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 34243, 941-351-8000

Pictured: The cast of Asolo Rep's Come From Away. Provided photo.

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