Last week, the nation paused to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, remembering the profound darkness of a day that changed the course of the 21st century. With that moment now behind us, Wausau Community Theatre is asking audiences to remember the light. In their upcoming production of the hit musical “Come From Away,” a cast of 13 local actors will tell the incredible true story of Gander, Newfoundland — a small town that dropped everything to house, feed and comfort 7,000 rerouted airline passengers in the days following 9/11.
The show debuts Friday, Sept. 18, and runs Sept. 19-20 and then again next weekend, Sept. 25-27, giving local audiences a look at a touching true story about finding resilience and building community during the darkest of times.
“I want it to be as true to the real story and (original) show as possible,” director Randy Hansen said. “This is my way of honoring not only the people that perished on that day, but also the people who took care of those other 38 planes that came into Gander and all the first responders that did their job on that day.”
Hansen, who directed past productions for Wausau Community Theatre (“Heathers”) and Central Wisconsin Children’s Theatre (“Les Miserables”), thought he was retired from directing community theater. But when he heard WCT was staging “Come From Away,” he was drawn back to the stage for personal reasons.
“I used to be a first responder,” Hansen said. “I used to work for the sheriff’s department down in Milwaukee and up here in Marathon. Being a first responder when that happened, it hit home because of all the other things that were happening to the first responders out there.”
With its profound personal and historical relevance, “Come From Away” quickly became Hansen’s favorite show. He is now delighted to share the show’s message, which he interprets to be the importance of fostering kindness, unity and resilience within small communities.
“They had to quickly mobilize, feed and clothe all these stranded travelers,” Hansen said about the Gander locals. “Not everybody obviously was of the same culture or got along, so when you take on and double your population basically, it’s a huge task. But by the end of it, you had friendships, romances, humanity that came out of all this. If we can all remember where we were after the attacks happened and how this country came together, that’s basically what happened up there in this small-knit community where they took care of everybody.”
With a 13-person cast that plays multiple roles, “Come From Away” is staged with a minimal set to allow for quick transitions and a greater focus on relationships over musical spectacle.
“It’s unique in that way,” Hansen said. “It’s also unique in the fact that it doesn’t have an intermission in the show. It runs for about 1 hour and 35 minutes straight, no intermission. The thought behind that is during those five days in Gander, the people in Gander had no time to rest and take a break. So I think they send that message by not taking a break in the show and it just keeps going. And it shows how those people continued to work for those five days.”
While the cast won’t get a break during the heartfelt, 95-minute performance, Hansen hopes the audience will leave energized rather than exhausted. Ultimately, he wants theatergoers to walk out carrying the same spirit that transformed a remote Canadian town into a beacon of hope 25 years ago.
“There’s a lot of people out there that are struggling with things,” Hansen said. “A kind word can do a person a ton of good.”
Tickets for “Come From Away” cost $27 for adults, $23 for seniors/students, $19 for kids and $12 for ages 10 and under. For tickets and showtimes, visit wausaucommunitytheatre.org.
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