Come From Away has a deep history in Seattle; I have very fond memories of seeing the world premiere right here in this exact theater 10 years ago, and it has since come through twice on its National Tour. So, when I started thinking about how I might approach a new production of this show for the current Seattle Rep community, I asked: 

                     Why tell this story now? 

                                 What have we learned in the last 10 years? 

                                            In what new ways do we need to hear or see this story told? 

As I contemplated these questions, I thought about the core of Come From Away: a community throwing its arms open to strangers, welcoming them in with kindness and compassion showing we are stronger unified than divided. It illustrates how the best of humanity can be found by connecting across cultures, identities, and beliefs to acknowledge our collective responsibility to each other. I tried to find ways to further expand upon these themes of openhearted community and generous acts of humanity which led me to the question: how do we tell stories as a community? 

I have been developing actor-musician musicals for over a decade, an interest first cultivated when I directed Justin Huertas’ Lizard Boy at Seattle Rep in 2015. Through this work, I’ve come to believe that as soon as you put an instrument in someone’s hands, it immediately breaks through the conventions of formal storytelling; it extends a metaphorical hand to the listeners and builds a communal experience, as if we are around a campfire and telling stories together rather than separated as actors and audience. Embracing the core theme of community in Come From Away, the actor-musician form felt like a compelling lens through which to freshly examine this story. 

As I started researching the northern Canadian setting of our story, I stumbled upon the Newfoundland tradition of the “kitchen party,” a traditional home gathering, often quite literally centered in the kitchen, where musicians, friends, and neighbors gather to share songs and tunes (and food and drink!), creating a lively and intimate atmosphere. I was thrilled to find this culturally-specific tradition that blended directly into my instincts to tell this story with actor-musicians—I knew it was fate!

We have set our Come From Away at the largest kitchen party you could imagine: the town of Gander is holding a 10th Anniversary Reunion for all the Come From Aways who were stranded there on September 11, 2001 to commemorate what was lost and celebrate what they found. A kitchen is a bit too small, so they’ve moved it into the community center gym. The town is gathering, they’ve brought their families, their instruments, their casseroles, and their Screech to reunite and tell the story of the events that brought them together in the first place. The bonds the people of Gander found with the Come From Aways are palpable and lasting—many people from these events are still in touch today. 

And this bleeds perfectly into why you are here, also 10 years later, reuniting to celebrate this beautiful story of the best of humanity. I hope in our production you can find new ways to connect to this story, are able to see your neighbors with warmer eyes, and go out into the world with your arms and hearts more open. Please grab a beer, say hello to your neighbor, kiss the cod, and enjoy Come From Away! 

Brandon Ivie 
Director of Come From Away

Hear Director Brandon Ivie on Come From Away kitchen party inspiration and get a sneak peek at cast rehearsal.

Part 1:

Part 2: