Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. – Romans 12:13
Few mediums can tell a story like music theatre. It combines strong dialogue, great acting, and powerful music to help the audience experience the story. Many of the stories we experience at the theatre are fiction. Few of them are based in real life. When music theatre takes on history, it often conveys it in an exciting way.
The show Come from Away is a brilliant Broadway Musical that tells the story of what happens in the small community of Gander. Gander is in Newfoundland, Canada. It is the true story of 7,000 stranded passengers on 9/11. That day, in 2001, all air traffic in the United States was grounded. International flights had no choice but to find a place to land and many of them landed in Gander. Although Gander had an extremely large runway and airport, the community of 11,000 had not seen that many people since World War II. While the world watched the devastation of the terror attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania, the people of Gander opened their businesses, schools, homes, and churches to host the 38 international flights that had come from away.
In 2013, Come from Away, a musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, was first performed. This show highlights the unprecedented hospitality shown by the people of Gander. The people on those flights were frightened, stranded, and had no clue when they would be allowed to leave the isolated community of Gander. There were language barriers to overcome, supply issues, and so much more. It was all complicated by the fact that the United States had just experienced the worst terrorist attack in its history. Worry and fear dominated the minds of all the people in Gander.
The one thing that overcame the fear and anxiety of those days, was the extraordinary kindness of the people of Gander. Their hospitality is highlighted in the opening song “Welcome to the Rock”
To the ones who’ve left
You’re never truly gone
A candle’s in the window
And the kettle’s always on
When the sun is coming up
And the world has come ashore
If you’re hoping for a harbor
Then you’ll find an open door
In the winter, from the water
Thorough whatever’s in the way
To the ones who have come from away
Welcome to the Rock!
The story of Come from Away is one of the more emotionally powerful stories I have ever seen on stage. It reminds me that there are few greater gifts one can offer than to care for our neighbors when they are in need. A warm cup of coffee, a meal, a bed, a listening ear made all the difference for the strangers who were forced to land in Gander. The hospitality they experienced brought light and peace to one of the darkest moments in recent history. When we are willing to be hospitable, to care for one another, we too can help to transform times of trouble into moments of peace.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
