Hit Broadway musical strikes a chord with locals

GANDER may be more than 17,000 kilometres from Byron Bay, in the Canadian province of Newfoundland, but Kate Foster sees plenty of parallels between the two small towns.

It’s one of the reasons the Bangalow Theatre Company director believes locals will embrace their upcoming production of Come from Away.

The Tony Award-winning musical tells the true story of Gander in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when 38 planes carrying thousands of stranded passengers were unexpectedly diverted there.

“It’s a beautiful story of community, resilience, acceptance and love – all the best things about humanity, against the backdrop of some of the worst parts of humanity,” Foster said.

“It’s about how the town of Gander rose to the occasion to welcome those 7000 people who arrived on their doorstep from all around the world. All of the characters are real or a mishmash of real people.

“We think it will resonate with a local audience. It highlights some of the best things about a small town coming together and helping each other.”

The cast of 12 each take on multiple roles, portraying everyone from American Airlines’ first female captain Beverly Bass, to the local mayor, a police constable, a schoolteacher and a news reporter.

The “Come From Aways” – a Newfoundlander nickname for people not from the island – include a gay couple from LA, and a woman from Texas and a man from London who fall in love.

“There’s no razzle dazzle with fancy gold costumes or big sets,” Foster said. “It really is an authentic, heartfelt performance, with 14 chairs, three tables and 12 actors.”

A live band adds to the atmosphere, with musicians playing violin, guitar, keyboard, flute and drums.

“Newfoundland has a strong Irish history so the accents are a mixture of Canadian and Irish and the songs are wonderful Irish folk songs,” Foster said. “It really helps create a sense of place.”

Come from Away became available to Australian musical societies and community theatre groups in 2024, when Music Theatre International – the global rights holder – began licensing the production locally.

Bangalow Theatre Company is among the first in Australia to bring it to the stage.

This year also marks the company’s 10th anniversary, with past productions including Chicago, RENT and Hair.

Come from Away is at Byron Theatre from August 21 to 30 at 7.30pm, with matinees on Saturday 23 and 30 August at 2pm.

For more information and tickets visit www.byroncentre.com.au .