We honour what was lost, but we also commemorate what we found
Play name
Come From Away
By Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Director
Pauline Armour
armourgg19@gmail.com or 07984722308
Playing dates
Thursday 2nd December to Saturday 11th December (first Thursday is a private Charity show; not Sunday 5th December; matinee Saturday 4th December)
Get-in and Strike
14th November; 12th December
Venue
Main House
Audition
11:00am to 5:00pm Sunday February 21st 2027 (Call backs on 2:00-6:00pm Saturday 28th February 2027) NB New dates/times
About the play
Come From Away is an exhilarating and heartwarming musical that will lift your spirits and warm your heart! Based on the true story of how the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, opened its doors to 7,000 stranded airline passengers in the wake of 9/11, this vibrant, folk-infused show is a celebration of human kindness, community and connection. With its infectious score, heartfelt performances and moments of both joy and poignancy, Come From Away reminds us that in times of adversity, the best of humanity shines through. Don’t miss this unforgettable experience and a welcome return to staging a musical at BLT
Time
September, 2001
Location
The town of Gander, Newfoundland
Style and Genre
Fast-paced, ensemble-driven musical
Characters
Come From Away features an ensemble cast of 12 (6 men, 6 women) portraying both the residents of Gander and the stranded passengers (the Plane People or “Come-From-Aways”). All roles require actors who are versatile, able to play multiple characters and skilled in both singing and movement (there is choreography and some dance, but mostly stylised movement that will need considerable rehearsal and require high levels of energy).There are no traditional leads or supporting roles; each performer plays a crucial and equal part in telling this collective story, with only 12 chairs and 2 tables to use to bring the tale to life. No-one leaves the stage area for the 100-minute duration and no scene works without everyone totally focussed and in character.
All auditionees will be considered for all roles on the assumption you just wish to be cast unless you specifically say otherwise and there is a specific role or roles you would not accept.
Suggested age ranges, ethnicity and doubling
There can be flexibility. I am more interested in bringing together a strong team of versatile performers who are able to multi –role. Traditionally the playing age ranges are as follows BUT this is only a guide and flexibility is the key – strong singing, versatile acting and high energy are essential.
Women (All women can be of any ethnicity)
DIANE – 50s/60s (Warm, natural, contemporary Soprano with strong mix up to D) A traditional divorcee from Texas, who is terrified that her son may have been flying at the time of the attacks. When she finds out that he’s safe, she’s given a new lease on life and discovers a wilder, more carefree side of herself.
HANNAH – 40s/60s (Contemporary Soprano with strong pop belt and mix up to E) The mother of a fire-fighter in Manhattan, Hannah waits for news about her son and is comforted by Beulah.
JANICE -20’s/30s (Contemporary Soprano with strong pop belt and mix up to E) An eager new local TV reporter, who is thrown into the deep end on her first day. Initially naïve about the world, she must face the pain and confusion around her.
BEULAH – 40s/60s (Mezzo with belt up to B) The head of the Gander Legion, with a fire-fighter son, who walks Hannah to her church and prays with her.
BONNIE – 30s/40s (Mezzo with belt up to B) A no-nonsense mother of 3, Bonnie is the head of the Gander area SPCA. When she discovers animals are trapped on the planes, she stops at nothing to ensure their safety.
BEVERLY – 40s/50s (Strong mezzo with an easy mixed or belted C#) The first female captain for American Airlines Pilot, Beverley Bass has always loved flying, when her world suddenly changes.
Men
OZ – 30s/50s (Strong contemporary Tenor up to G) The quirky constable in the two-person Gander police force. When the town’s population suddenly doubles, Oz helps out in unexpected ways.
KEVIN T – 30s/50s (Strong contemporary Tenor up to G) The head of an environmental energy company in Los Angeles, Kevin was on vacation with his boyfriend (and secretary, also named Kevin), when they are stranded in Gander. Inspired by the town’s generosity, Kevin creates the Pay It Forward Foundation.
KEVIN J – 30s/50s (Tenor or Baritenor) Kevin’s boyfriend and secretary. Sarcastic and unhappy, he wants to leave as soon as possible.
BOB – 20s/40s ( Baritone) A hardened New Yorker, Bob is suspicious of where he’s landed, fearing that it’s World War 3, that someone is going to shoot him and steal his wallet—but instead, he ends up losing his New York jadedness.
CLAUDE – 40s/60s (Gruff, natural sounding Baritone with a strong high G. Baritone) The gregarious and well-liked Mayor of Gander, Newfoundland, Claude loves his work, the townspeople and his daily traditions, but he’s never had to deal with a crisis of this magnitude before.
NICK – 50s/60s (Warm, natural Baritone or Baritenor with an easy E and strong pop sensibility) An English oil engineer who is focused on his work, Nick’s life is turned upside down when he falls for Diane.
In terms of ethnicity one male black performer is an essential member of the team to play the role of Bob and other roles. It would be desirable to also include one male performer of Asian or Middle Eastern origin to play Kevin J and other roles though not essential depending on how the multi-rolling is organised.
Audition pieces
Sung Auditions
Actors wanting to be considered for the following three parts MUST prepare the named songs from the show:
Hannah: “I Am Here”
Beverley: “Me and the Sky” (Note: The singing is likely to be stopped at a suitable point- this will not be a personal judgment – we just need enough to see range and ability, and don’t need to sit through the whole song every time)
Kevin T: Opening bars of “Prayer” plus the below
For all other parts (and Kevin T):
Women – pick either of the above for Hannah or Beverley or perform any song in a similar style to the show (folk, contemporary or musical theatre) but it must show us your range.
Men – perform any song in a similar style to the show (folk, contemporary or musical theatre) but it must show us your range. We may also ask you to perform the opening section of “Welcome to the Rock”.
If singing a song of your choice, please let us know if you will be providing a backing track for us to set up in advance or bringing sheet music (which we will want to practice in advance too to help you!). Backing tracks are much easier for us for auditions but please do send them in before the day!
Spoken Auditions
Play close attention to the accent required for your main character. All actors will need to use a Gander accent at some point which is tricky. Do your best in auditions but don’t worry as we will have accent coaching , so close approximations are fine for the auditions.
I have given selections of bits and pieces from the script, whole scenes where possible, most a page or so long. It is extremely episodic so hard to carve out long passages. In short, be prepared for anything as we may do multiple readings asking you to take on various characters but at least be familiar with and prepare the pieces below. You may not be asked to perform them all and you may be asked to perform bits not listed, it’s just to give us options.
Diane & Nick
Scene 14, p.49
Beverly, Kevin T, Kevin J, Diane & Nick
Scene 21, p.68
Hannah & Beulah
Scene 26, p.80/81
Bonnie & Doug
Scene 22, p.71
Janice
Single intro lines on p19, 56, 63
Beverly
Scene 35, p.110
Bob, Kevin T, Kevin J, Derm
p. 66-67
Claude
Scene 37 p.116 and p.124
Oz & Beulah
Scene 8, p.20/21
COMMITMENT NEEDED
We are running for 10 nights and will have a longer than usual rehearsal period of 10 weeks as this is a musical. Rehearsals will start the week commencing 20th September (possibly before for solo work) and will involve 3 mid-week rehearsals and all Sundays, most likely in the afternoon. Auditionees must be available for the whole rehearsal period as the nature of the show makes it impossible to rehearse with absentees. Flexibility during the early weeks of rehearsal, if absolutely essential, could be considered; however, a lack of availability late in the rehearsal process will definitely not be an option. Please be very clear about your availability when auditioning so there are no surprises further down the line.
NEXT STEPS: WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN AUDITIONING
Contact me directly (armourgg19@gmail.com or 07984722308) and log your interest and state your casting preferences. I will then give you access to the script and backing tracks provided by Production Pro via a specific App with log in references. This will be in plenty of time before the audition day. I will also provide more information about the doubling opportunities. By all means contact me for an informal discussion if you need more information about characters etc.