Out of terrorism and tragedy comes kindness personified in ‘Come from away’

By Florida Weekly Staff | on March 18, 2020BY NANCY STETSON

nstetson@floridaweekly.com

“Come From Away” opens at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall April 21.SOME PEOPLE CALL “COME FROM Away” a 9/11 musical, but that would be a misnomer.It’s really a 9/12 musical, a show not about terrorism, but about the power of kindness and how a small town in Newfoundland opened its collective homes and hearts to passengers on planes diverted to their small airport.As the show’s creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein say in the documentary, “Gander’s Ripple Effect: How a Small Town’s Kindness Opened on Broadway”: “When other people saw a 9/11 musical, we saw a story about community, about the way a smaller community responded to this larger event … It inspired us.”The Tony Award-winning Broadway show is about overwhelming kindness shown to strangers.When the terrorist attacks of 9/11 occurred, air traffic controllers were told to “drain the sky” and direct planes to land or return to where they originated.Thirty-eight planes, with 7,000 passengers (and 19 animals) were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, almost doubling the small town’s population. But the townspeople, known for their hospitality to those who “come from away,” welcomed the passengers with open arms. For five days, the Ganderites fed and housed everyone. They opened their homes. Lifelong friendships developed.MATTHEW MURPHY / COURTESY PHOTOSThe Newfoundlanders’ kindness had a ripple effect. The locals refused money, but passengers spontaneously took up collections, which have since purchased computers for the schools and provided scholarships for students.Ten years later, a reunion was held. Ms. Sankoff and Mr. Hein, Canadians now living New York City, went to Gander and interviewed passengers and townspeople both.Some were skeptical. After a three-hour tour, the president of the Gander Airport said to them:“Now what is it you’re doing? A musical about people making sandwiches? Good luck with that.”But they persevered with their creative vision, writing the book, music and lyrics of “Come From Away,” using the words and emotions expressed in the multiple interviews.The First North American Tour Company of “Come From Away.” MATTHEW MURPHY / COURTESY PHOTOAs the two say in the book, “Come From Away: Welcome to the Rock”:“We were just hoping that Canadian high schools would be forced to do this show because of the large number of parts and the Canada content …”But this true story spoke to people’s hearts. And it made its way to Broadway. On opening night, the real-life people from Gander stood for the final curtain bow with the actors portraying them.TimeOut called the show, “A beautifully crafted hymn to the power of community.” Entertainment Weekly said, “Not just a spark of light in a dark time — it’s a spotlight of blazingly bright proportions. I can’t imagine a musical we need more right now.”It was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won one for Best Direction.“Come From Away” comes to Florida later this month, playing at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers April 21-26. It also plays the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach March 31-April 5 and Sarasota’s Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall April 28-May 3.Francesca Donlan holds up one of the books she’s using for her “Kindness Effect” class at Florida Gulf Coast University. COURTESY PHOTOFrancesca Donlan, who’s teaching a class called The Kindness Effect at Florida Gulf Coast University this semester, is incorporating the musical into her syllabus.The class, she explains, “Is about studying the social, physical and psychological benefits of kindness for the giver and the receiver. It studies the effect of kindness on individuals and society. Right now, our country is suffering from a kindness deficit, and we need kindness more today than ever. This year, in particular, is a tough year, in many ways.”Her class is based, in part, on a kindness class taught at Stanford University and includes the books “The War for Kindness” by Jamil Zaki, who teaches the course at Stanford, and “The Day the World Came to Town” by Jim Desede, about what happened at Gander on 9/11. Ms. Donlan plans to take her students to see “Come From Away” at the Mann Hall in April, something made possible by two kindnesses, she says: The production company reduced the price for her 35 students, and FGCU provided a grant to pay for the tickets.“Come From Away”Ms. Donlan says the arts — and live theater in particular — strengthen tolerance and empathy.“Theater allows audience members to better recognize and appreciate what people think and feel,” she says. “And that helps people be kinder. The arts, in all of its forms — fiction, theater — helps people empathize, and therefore helps strengthen the kindness muscle. So the arts are a fantastic way to teach empathy and kindness.”Her class will also watch the “Gander’s Ripple Effect” documentary and read articles about the event for discussion.Ms. Donlan will also have Beverly Bass, captain of an American Airlines plane that was diverted to Gander on 9/11, speak to her class. (This will likely happen via video, as students will not be on campus through the end of March due to the coronavirus.)Ms. Bass, who grew up in Fort Myers and lives part-time in St. James City, was the third female pilot and the first female captain for American Airlines.“She’s a hero,” says Ms. Donlan. “Little girls need to know about her.“It’ll be an honor to meet her. She was incredibly gracious and kind during those very painful and stressful days while they were in Gander. Beverly Bass embodies all of the principles I’m teaching these students. She’s a hometown hero.”Ms. Bass is one of the major characters in the musical, and the actor portraying her has a solo called “Me and the Sky.” The song describes her love of flying, and how she fought against all odds to become a pilot with a commercial airline during a time when women were only seen as stewardesses, the term then used for flight attendants.Ms. Bass follows the musical and its various tours (there are five casts in four countries) and has seen it more than 140 times. She became friends with Jenn Colella, who portrayed her on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award for doing so.Ms. Bass has also written a children’s book about her experiences titled “Me and the Sky.” Going to see “Come From Away” will be The Kindness Effect’s last class in late April.“What better way to end this class than on a high note,” says Ms. Donlan.She’s sold on the necessity of kindness. “There is so much research about the benefits of kindness to help with anxiety, depression, improving relationships, corporate culture. They’re teaching it in business schools now. Its benefits are so far-reaching, everyone should be teaching this.“Kindness is not a weakness; it’s a strength. Science and research backs that up.”You don’t need to be rich or powerful to be kind or have a positive effect on others’ lives, Ms. Donlan notes. And the tiny town of Gander proves that.“I believe kindness is a superpower that anyone can have,” she says. “Anyone.” ¦“Come From Away”When: April 21-26 at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Fort Myers When: April 28-May 3 at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Info: 239-481-4849 or www.bbmannpah.com Info: 941-263-6799 or www.vanwezel.org