History Onstage
July 1, 2026
By Faye Price, Dramaturg
How do you create a hit musical from historical events? Hamilton, Suffs and Evita are examples of recent musicals based on biographies or memoirs. While historians continue to debate the historical veracity of these productions, their popularity indicates that audiences desire to engage with historical reenactments set to music.
The Canadian musical Come From Away was developed using a different approach. Instead of using biographies or memoirs, writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein developed the piece using interviews they conducted in the town of Gander, Newfoundland, during a weeklong series of events commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Their approach was similar to the development of A Chorus Line: On a January evening in 1974, 18 performers gathered to discuss what it meant to be a Broadway dancer and were recorded on a reel-to-reel tape deck. Those discussions were the foundation for 1975’s groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line.
“We’re taking two groups of protagonists: We’re taking the people coming to a strange place, but we’re also taking the people who live in the strange place, and showing how they were both changed and they both came together. What makes us whole is realizing that it’s not us and them, it’s all of us.”
– David Hein on creating Come From Away
In 2011, Sankoff and Hein spent nearly a month interviewing residents, passengers and pilots, many of whom had returned to Gander for the commemorative events and were eager to share their strange and wonderful experiences. They collected hundreds of stories, thank you notes, letters and memorabilia and began amalgamating characters and storylines around common themes.
Structurally, Sankoff and Hein looked to The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and Tectonic Theater Project as a model of group storytelling. The 2000 play — a blend of theatricality and documentary created from over 200 interviews — centers on the small town’s response to the tragedy of the hate-crime murder of young Matthew Shepard in Wyoming in 1998.
The music of Come From Away is an essential part of the storytelling. The score is heavily inspired by a particular sound of Newfoundland music: a style brought by the Irish, Scottish, French and English settlers drawn to “The Rock” in the 16th century for fishing. Following Celtic tradition, Newfoundland sea shanties, shared ballads and songs function to tell the stories of everyday existence. Musically, Come From Away follows suit, using the rich tradition of personal narrative to transport us.
Come From Away opened on Broadway in 2017, earning a Tony Award for Best Musical Direction. It is currently the most produced show in the U.S. in the 2025–2026 Season. Based on true events, the musical is set against the backdrop of one of the darkest moments in history. Yet, true to the oral tradition of storytelling, Come From Away serves as a gathering site — one that celebrates kindness, generosity and the best of us. It is a history that we need right now.
Come From Away ran June 6 – August 9 during our 2025–2026 Season.