TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO the world stopped. Many of us remember the smoke, and the silence. But in a small corner of Newfoundland called Gander, the world didn’t actually stop, it doubled. When 38 planes were diverted to this tiny Canadian outpost on September 11, 2001, 7,000 ‘come-from-aways’ landed on the doorsteps of a people who didn’t ask questions, they just ‘put the kettle on.’

As we approach the 25th anniversary of that day, 4th Wall Productions is bringing this story of community kindness to the Prescott community. Recently released for local performance after a long global tour, Come from Away is landing on our local stage, and the timing makes it even more relevant.

Directed by Don Langford with musical direction by Gina Steverson, the production is a showcase for ‘less is more.’ There are no sweeping mechanical barricades or falling chandeliers. Instead, twelve local actors take on playing both the stoic, salt-of-the-earth Newfoundlanders and the terrified, exhausted passengers from around the globe.

“The set is incredibly simple, but that’s the magic of it,” Langford explains. “It’s innovative and clever because it doesn’t confine the imagination. With a shift of a chair or a change in lighting, you’re on the plane, then off the plane, then suddenly in the heart of the town.”

The music really drives the show. The overall energy is high, with foot-stomping Celtic energy, fiddles and whistles evoking the spirit of the island. The music demands that you feel something, pulling you in and reminding you that the gap between the ‘us’ and ‘them’ that we see in the headlines isn’t nearly as wide as it can feel.

“I feel strongly that at a time where we are so divided and opinionated in such distant ways, it feels difficult to come together,” says Langford, “but community theatre is community. This show honors our differences and our similarities, and shows us how they can actually bring us closer.”

Why now?

As we look toward the quarter-century mark since 9/11, Come from Away serves as a real emotional reset, a reminder that while we witnessed some the worst acts of humankind, what followed became a testament to some of the best as well.

This production invites us to stop scrolling, stop shouting, just sit down, and maybe for just a few hours restore our faith in the person sitting next to us.

Come From Away will play in the Hazeltine Theatre, 208 N, Marina St in Prescott, May 28–31, June 4–7 and 11–14; the-hazeltine.com.