New Black Box production of “Come From Away” honors 9/11’s 25th anniversary
The heartfelt musical “Come From Away” is special for many, many reasons.
The Tony Award-winning show (premiered in 2017) is beautiful, boisterous, heartbreaking, dramatic, poignant, joyous and inspiring in equal measure. It also grabs audiences by the soul in sharing the true, chaotic and extraordinary story of thousands of stranded airline passengers on the fateful, tragic day of Sept. 11, 2001, who were welcomed to Gander, Newfoundland — a town of only 7,000 who pulled together as 38 planes were diverted to their small town.
Less than a year after a mesmerizing professional production of “Come From Away” was done (in September-October 2025) at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse in Rock Island, with pre-recorded accompaniment, I have the thrill of a lifetime in returning to play keyboard at Moline’s Black Box Theatre, for a new version timed to the 25th anniversary of 9/11, opening Friday, Aug. 28.
The September 11 attacks were the deadliest terrorist attacks in human history, causing the deaths of 2,996 people, including 19 hijackers who committed murder–suicide in four flights, and 2,977 victims.
The logo for the original “Come From Away” show, which will have dozens of community theater productions across the country in 2026 and 2027.
“I first saw Come from Away in London and ever since I have wanted to put it on the Black Box stage,” said Lora Adams, artistic director at Moline’s BBT, and director of the new production. “As the 25th anniversary approached, I just felt we were the right venue at the right time to honor those we lost and to celebrate the gift of human goodness in the worst of times.”
Written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein (after exhaustive research), Come From Away weaves together true stories with music inspired by Celtic and English rhythms of Atlantic Canada, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador.
It opened on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 12, 2017, and became a critical and box office success. The Broadway production closed on October 2, 2022, after playing 25 previews and 1,669 regular performances. It has had successful runs in several countries, touring companies as well as playing 1,048 performances in the West End in London.
Joe Urbaitis and Becca Johnson in the Black Box “Come From Away,” opening Aug. 28. (credit: Capturing Fireflies Photography).
The musical was nominated for seven Tony awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Jenn Colella, winning for Best Direction of a Musical for Christopher Ashley (“Dear Evan Hansen” won Best Musical that year.).
At the 2019 Laurence Olivier Awards, “Come From Away” was nominated for nine awards and won three, including Best New Musical.
The story chronicles the true experiences of the people of Gander, Newfoundland, and the nearly 7,000 airline passengers who were forced to land there (from 38 flights) when U.S. air space was closed after the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
At Circa, 12 actors told the story of both the Islanders and what become known as the Plane People (totaling 40-plus characters), revealing the fear and uncertainty that came with the attacks (the result of four hijacked airplanes) – as well as the profound generosity and compassion of strangers.
While some characters and stories are an amalgamation of several people and experiences, others are grounded in real-life individuals, such as Captain Beverly Bass, the first female captain for American Airlines; Kevin Tuerff and Kevin Jung; a couple from Los Angeles and Nick and Diane, who first met in Gander and went on to fall in love.
A scene from the Circa ’21 production of “Come From Away” in fall 2025.
Along with acting out the events of the narrative’s four days, the show’s characters step out from the story to narrate the events, and the staging is intentionally minimalist, making innovative use of only a few tables and many chairs to represent airplanes, buses, and various locations within Gander.
A 2019 review in The Guardian called the show “a celebration of the power of community.”
Kirsten Myers and Shana Kulhavy in “Come From Away” (credit: Capturing Fireflies Photography).
“Canadian husband-and-wife team David Hein and Irene Sankoff (who co-wrote the book, music and lyrics) turn this premise into a hugely entertaining musical by giving the ancient notion of the chorus – a group of ordinary people commenting on events – a contemporary spin,” the review said. “The cast of 12 don’t simply represent a community: as they enact the stories of the island and its unexpected visitors, they are a community.”
One of the first of dozens of community theater productions planned in 2026-27 nationwide (QC Music Guild in Moline is scheduled to stage it in April 2027), the new BBT production is directed and designed by Lora Adams, music direction by Amy Trimble, choreography by Madeleine Rhode and light design by Alexander Richardson.
Thayne Lamb and Tommy Ratkiewicz play a gay couple of Kevins in “Come From Away.” (credit: Capturing Fireflies Photography).
The incomparable, committed cast of 16 (each plays more than one role) features Doug Kutzli, Shana Kulhavy, Morris Nunn, Joe Urbaitis, Abby Bastian, Noah Hill, Becca Johnson, Karen LeFebvre, Abigail Trabue, Morris Nunn, Thayne Lamb, Tommy Ratkiewicz, Emily Schwartz, Krystle Gascoigne, Kirsten Myers, and Paul Holland.
There is a tight live band, conducted with ferocious attention to detail and affection by Trimble, and below I have collected some thoughts from several of our cast members on where they were on the actual day and what “Come From Away” means to them.
** Abigail Trabue:
“I arrived in Chicago in 2001, and just weeks before I was set to start school at Columbia College Chicago as a musical theater major, 9/11 happened. The silence that fell over the city in the following days is something I’ve never forgotten. The world changed that day; we changed that day.
“I haven’t been on stage in 14 years. Stepping away in 2012 to care for my growing family; returning to theater wasn’t really on my radar. But life isn’t linear, and actors rarely get a chance to tell a story where most of the audience will know exactly where they were the day it happened, so when ‘Come From Away’ was presented to me, I knew I couldn’t walk away.
Abby Trabue plays Diane in the Black Box “Come From Away,” running Aug. 28 to Sept. 12 (credit: Capturing Fireflies Photography)..
“To step into the role of Diane and the people of Newfoundland daily is both joyous and intense. You feel the weight of representing this story in the most human way possible because there is nowhere to hide in a space like The Black Box Theatre — another aspect of this production I found so intriguing.
“I have always loved storefront theater, and the Black Box is a true storefront space, which allows ‘Come From Away’ to be stripped down to its bare bones—exposing the real heart and soul of this story: human kindness. Something we still desperately need 25 years later.”
** Krystle Gascoigne:
“I was 16 when 9/11 happened. I certainly remember it from my perspective as a teenager, but when I first saw ‘Come From Away,’ it really made me think of 9/11 from other perspectives. I for sure had never thought about how that day affected people from outside of the United States, and had never heard the story of Gander. CFA is such a light of positivity amongst all the darkness of 9/11.
“The moments that really struck me the first time I saw it:
“When Beverly sings the line ‘The one thing I loved more than anything was used as the bomb’ in ‘Me and the Sky.’ Wow, I had never thought of how hard it would have been to be a pilot and get people through those days and then turn around and get back on a plane.
“When Bonnie tells Unga she’s sorry she lost her baby, I cried! This terrible day had an effect on everyone, even animals. I had never considered there were animals on those planes- they were probably on the planes that crashed, too! Evil created by humans affects all creation- not just people.
“And the story of the Jewish man finally telling someone he was Jewish when he speaks to the Rabbi. This man survived what I would consider the worst event in modern history, and here he is moved by the stories of 9/11 to share his heritage. It gives me goosebumps even when I’m on stage singing ‘The Prayer.’”
“I think it is going to be SO special to tell the story of Gander on stage on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. 2001 seems like it was just yesterday, but a lifetime ago at the same time. I am honored to be one of the first casts in America to put this show on. I have invited everyone I can think of to come honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with me.
“I think it is going to be such an excellent way to honor the lives lost, and also the positivity that came out of Gander, Newfoundland. It is such an inspiring story- it challenges me to love and serve others the way the people of Gander would.
“For me personally, I haven’t been on stage for quite a few years and this show is a lot harder than the people on Broadway made it look! The timing of lines and music cues, shuffling of chairs, taking on and off a jacket as we change characters- there’s a lot that you don’t notice when you’re just watching the show! It’s been a great way for me to get back and involved with local theater. I have loved building friendships with everyone in this cast, and I hope to be in more shows with them in the future.”
** Em Schwartz:
“ ‘Come From Away’ has come to mean so much more to me than just being part of another musical. One of the things that has stayed with me throughout this experience is the idea of being diverted.
“We never really know when our lives are going to be diverted in a completely different direction than the one we had planned. Sometimes it happens in an instant, sometimes it happens slowly, and sometimes we don’t even realize we’ve changed course until we look back. The passengers in this story thought they knew exactly where they were going that day, and suddenly everything changed. While most of us will never experience anything quite like what they did, I think we can all relate to moments when the path we thought we were on suddenly changed.
“And sometimes those diversions lead us somewhere we never expected to be.
Emily Schwartz plays Hannah in “Come From Away” (credit: Capturing Fireflies Photography).
“Musical theater was actually one of those unexpected turns in my own life. I didn’t find it until later in life, and now I can’t imagine not having it as part of who I am. It has brought me friendships, experiences, challenges, and moments I never would have had if my own path hadn’t taken a few unexpected turns.
“What I’ve enjoyed most about this experience has been watching just how incredibly talented and versatile the people around me are. Come from away asks so much of its performers. We’re switching characters and accents, singing incredibly intricate music, dancing, moving chairs…and then moving chairs again…and again…and AGAIN. Watching everyone bring all of those pieces together has given me such an appreciation for how much talent goes into creating this show.
“And then there’s our pit. The music in ‘Come From Away’ is almost a character of its own, and hearing our musicians bring it to life has been one of my favorite parts of this experience. We are also incredibly lucky to have Amy Trimble as our music director. Through some seriously challenging music, she has somehow remained cool, calm, collected, and endlessly patient with us. She has put so much into making sure we understand not only what we’re singing, but how all of these complicated pieces fit together. We truly would be nowhere without her.
“Playing Hannah has also given me the opportunity to tell one of the more emotional stories in the show. Her story is a reminder that while we can’t control what happens to us or where life takes us, the people we encounter along the way can change everything.
“I think that’s what ‘Come From Away’ means to me most. Life doesn’t always take us where we thought we were going. We get diverted. Plans change. People enter our lives unexpectedly. And sometimes we end up exactly where we were supposed to be, even if it wasn’t the destination we originally had in mind.
“So when I’m on that stage and get to say, ‘I am here,’ those words mean a little more to me every time.”
** Doug Kutzli:
“On that day, I was working at Scott Community College, and I was in their master control room. I remember the master control room, and when things were happening, I had monitors on, I had TVs in the master control room on. And so I was watching it all.
“I recorded like 12 hours. I still have it. I don’t have any way to play it, but I still have the tapes.”
“The newscasters and things that that were watching it at the time, they lost their sort of professional faces because of what was happening. Much like happened to Walter Cronkite on the moon landing or whatever, where this event was so big that it was emotional.”
“I remember David Letterman coming on and saying how, he didn’t know how he was going to be funny, but then he also realized that if he wasn’t going to come on and be funny, then the terrorists won. And he didn’t want that. And so that was kind of the way. But I was working at the college, and I remember there again, there was a lot of people who were like, well, they should close the campus because the Arsenal’s right there and everything.”
Doug Kutzli as the Gander mayor, Claude (credit: Capturing Fireflies Photography).
Kutzli also saw the Circa version of “Come From Away,” plus at Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City. “I liked it. And there’s only so many really good roles for old guys like me. And I thought that this was gonna be one.”
“I think Black Box is perfect for a show like this because it’s going to be very visceral even if you’ve seen the show before or seen somewhere else. It’s going to be different.”
“From an acting point of view, Black Box for me is nice because you can’t zone out and forget. You’ve gotta be focused all the time. There’s no trees to hide behind. There’s no faking it really. And somebody’s going to be watching you at all times. But it helps you be, I think, a much more subtle actor too, because you can put little things in there. Facial expressions and little things that are a lot more easily grasped by people.”
** Joe Urbaitis:
He was living in Grand Mound at the time of 9/11, and he and his then-wife had an optometry practice in Bettendorf, and he recalls taking his five-year-old daughter to school, while listening to the Today show on the radio. (His first wife died 11 years ago from breast cancer, at 48, and now he and Amy Trimble are married.)
“I looked in the back seat and there’s my happy 5-year-old, and I drop her off at kindergarten and just all these happy children again on a beautiful day…The teacher had no idea what was happening. And so I did share that I heard a plane crashing in the building, in the towers and I’m driving home and trying to imagine okay, what would that be like, you know? Not imagining that it was a full-on jet though. And then I remember I made it home and was watching. My son was like a year old at the time. And so then I was with him. My wife had gone to work at that point. And I was watching on the news about the first tower and saw the second plane come in.”
Joe Urbaitis and Becca Johnson in the Black Box “Come From Away,” opening Aug. 28. (credit: Capturing Fireflies Photography).
“I was just watching it all day long, and you see the towers burning, and they were on the ground, and they showed all the first responders going toward the building, and then shortly after that, to see the towers collapse. And that’s what I just thought right away. I thought, all those first responders who were on their way in just died.”
Before BBT, Urbaitis had seen “Come From Away” online, and then live at the Adler Theatre and Circa.
“I think a very powerful show though. So much good human stuff, but delivered with some humor too, and just the energy, the music and all. It’s really good. The message of the show is just to have hope.”
“It was really a massive, near-death experience. And so there’s one line in a song, to know that any of us could have died last Tuesday. I think that’s just the essence of all of it, because that’s what really is very sobering when you see something like that happen or have the experience yourself, if you’re in a car accident or near drowning or choking or whatever. And it really, really changes your outlook on life.”
** Tommy Ratkiewicz:
On 9/11, “I was a 6th grader at Roosevelt Elementary School in Moline. As children you’re quite naive to bad things that happen in your community, your state, country and the world. You don’t quite understand the severity and effects that a national tragedy has on communities throughout the world. I was just that, naive to what happened on September 11th, 2001.
“I just knew what my parents explained to me in terms that I would understand. ‘Bad people crashed planes into the World Trade Center and The Pentagon.’ I heard the words but didn’t understand what they meant…until years later.
Thayne Lamb and Tommy Ratkiewicz play a gay couple of Kevins in “Come From Away.” (credit: Capturing Fireflies Photography).
“Being even a small part of The Black Box Theatre’s company has been a highlight of this year for many reasons. Working with this company of actors, musicians, Lora Adams and playing opposite a good friend of mine (Thayne Lamb) has been fulfilling for my personal life as I have tried to navigate through a new life for myself, as well as, understanding, as an adult, how tragedy can affect someone’s work, day-to-day life and personal life.
“Everyone handles grief and loss differently. I think the biggest message I have taken away from this show, cast and accounts of the real people we’re portraying is: In the most difficult of times, it’s so important to remember/remind ourselves and others that KINDNESS MATTERS. Be supportive. Be compassionate and above all else…Be Kind.”
** Paul Holland:
“To me, ‘Come From Away’ means being challenged to remind people in every performance of one of the worst days in American history. Everyone has a story of that day, and they are all traumatic to remember- but that’s what we’re challenging people to do. Remember the trauma, but also appreciate that the majority of the world on that day was actually kind, helpful, and genuinely good.
“Being part of any show is difficult when you have 3 children under 10 at home. I’ve missed sporting events, movie nights, and so many bedtimes that part of me can’t wait for closing night. But being part of THIS show has been worth it.
“Being able to tell the story of the amazing community in Gander has made it worth it to be in this show. This production also gave me the chance to work again with some of the cast and production staff that I’ve met through other shows, which has been very special to me.”
“Come From Away” will be performed at BBT (which has a 60-seat capacity), 1623 5th Ave., Moline, at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 28 and 29, Sept. 4, 5, 10, 11, and 12, and at 2 p.m. Sundays, Aug. 30 and Sept. 6.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at theblackboxtheatre.com. NOTE: So far, the performances Aug. 28, 29, 30 and Sept. 11 are sold out.
Pianist Jonathan Turner (in a show T-shirt) plays in the live pit for “Come From Away” at Moline’s Black Box Theatre.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.