The Stories of Come From Away
Come From Away is based on a true story of selflessness and compassion after the 9/11 attacks. The show opens in the small Canadian town of Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001.
Gander has an airport that was once a major transatlantic refueling stop, but no longer gets much air traffic — until 38 planes are rerouted there when American airspace closed. In the week after 9/11, the town’s population doubled as its residents banded together to house, clothe, and feed nearly 7,000 plane passengers from all over the world.
On day one we had 7,000 strangers, on day three we had 7,000 friends, and on day five we lost 7,000 family members.”
Claude Elliott Mayor of Gander
Meet the Cast
Among the characters in Come From Away are the first-ever female captain of an American Airlines plane, the mayor of Gander, multiple schoolteachers, a couple both named Kevin, and a couple who meet on their displaced flight and bonds during their time in Gander.
Beverly Bass played by Addison Garner
Captain Beverly Bass was one of the pilots on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Dallas when the plane was instructed to land in Gander. Bass was hired by American Airlines in 1976 as their third female pilot and in 1986, she became the first female captain for the airline.
Her career started with difficulty after she was told women couldn’t be commercial pilots. Obviously, she persevered and had a long successful career. She and another pilot founded the International Society for Women Airline Pilots which provides career support and mentors aspiring pilots.
Bonnie Harris played by Kathleen Cameron
Bonnie Harris was the manager of Gander’s SPCA shelter in 2001. Once it was known there were animals on some of the grounded planes, Bonnie and two colleagues bravely ventured into the cargo holds to find them. To be exact, there were 19 animals, including 12 dogs, five cats, and a pair of endangered bonobo apes. The team cared for the animals including feeding and walking them for five days until the planes were able to leave.
Kevin T. played by Shawn W. Smith
One of the two “Kevins” was Kevin Tuerff who was on his way home from Paris when his plane was diverted. He was one of the passengers on the plane piloted by Captain Beverly Bass.
Known as Kevin T. in the show, he founded the Pay It Forward 9.11 organization. Their mission is to promote good deeds every year on September 11. Their goal is to record at least 24,000 good deeds this year. You can register your act of kindness on their site as a pledge to spread kindness.
Nick and Diane played by Stanton Morales and Molly Samson
Amidst the tragedy and heartbreak, there were many uplifting stories. For Diane Gray and Nick Mason, theirs was a love story. They began chatting as passengers on a flight from London to Dallas which extended to the prolonged wait on the runway (some planes waited up to 28 hours!).
Once they were able to deplane, the two ended up staying at the same location in the area. They spent their days sightseeing and ended up falling in love.
Claude Elliott played by Andrew Hendrick
Claude Elliott was the mayor of Gander in 2001. His part in the story, and in 2001, was incredibly important. He helped coordinate everything the “plane people” needed from busses and housing to phones and food.
When talking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Elliott said: “Most people I talk to in Gander say they wished we could have kept them here because if we kept them, we would know they were safe.
“The hardest thing was seeing them leave. On day one we had 7,000 strangers, on day three we had 7,000 friends, and on day five we lost 7,000 family members.”
See Come From Away
Get tickets to Come From Away August 6-11 at Starlight.