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[0:01] John Schwab: Hi, John Schwab here, and welcome to the Curtain Call Theatre Podcast. Just a short intro to announce the re-release of the Welcome to the Rock series that commemorates the 25th anniversary of the terribly tragic events of 9-11. Now, I know we've released these before, but this is such a monumental time to reflect on the last quarter of a century, a period where, let's face it, sometimes life doesn't seem to have got much better. But the story of Gander is such a feel-good story. Come From Away is such a feel-good musical. And Welcome to the Rock is such a feel-good series. We're really proud of it. So hopefully, you'll leave today's episode in a good mood. Thank you and enjoy. Come From Away shares the incredible real-life story of the 7,000 airline passengers from all over the world who were grounded in Canada during the wake of 9-11, and the small Newfoundland community that invited these Come From Aways into their lives.

As uneasiness turned into trust and music swirled into the night, gratitude grew into friendships, and their stories became a celebration of hope, humanity, and unity. We've had a fantastic time bringing you the story behind Come From Away in the previous episodes of the series, from David Hine and Irene Sankoff talking about a little idea they had for a musical, all the way to the Broadway and West End openings via a launch party at the Canadian Embassy in London. And we're dedicating the final three episodes of the series to bring you closer to the real-life characters from Come From Away, and some of the people that play them on both sides of the Atlantic. As a result, the format of the last episodes is going to be slightly different in that we sit down with all the original cast members from the West End company and ask them all the same questions to give you, the listener, a deeper understanding of the journey that the company have had on their travels from audition to opening night.

But we also spent time talking with the real people that inspired the musical and heard straight from the source, the stories that ended up in Come From Away. I think you'll agree that the conversations are fascinating, and you'll get a deeper insight and understanding as to what makes this musical so special. In this episode, we're introducing you to Rachel Tucker and Captain Beverly Bass, Mary Doherty and Bonnie Harris, Nathaniel Campbell and Tom McGowan, who ends up as Bob in the musical, and lastly, Jonathan Andrew Hume and Kevin Young. We started out by asking the cast members if they had any idea about the story behind Come From Away.

[2:40] Rachel Tucker: What about this? When I listen to the soundtrack and heard these accents, I remember googling it and saying, either they're doing really bad Canadian accents, or this place actually exists. So I googled it, that was about two years before I'd had anything to do with the show, and I remember being flabbergasted that this story actually happened. And then of course, the album, cast album, made a lot more sense, and I was kind of hooked to them. And then I got a call to say I'd come in for the show, so that was my introduction to it. I was only nine. Thank you. So I sometimes, when we, when I got the job and started doing the research on it, I had to look back at what I even remembered of 9-11.

So my version of 9-11 was being in school and being sent home early. My dad worked for the US government in the UK, so all I cared about, really, was America being at war, then in my mind, in my nine-year-old brain mind, something's wrong with my dad, do you know what I mean? So I didn't, I had no idea about Gander or anything like that. And anyway, obviously it's a story you remember forever and forever, but my version of it isn't as, isn't like everyone else's, because I was a child. I had no idea whatsoever about the story of Gander and how they showed their unbelievable kindness. When 9-11 happened, I'll never forget that day, I was working, and I was on an interval break, and I was in the company office of the show I was working for, and the television was on, and just saw the planes going into the tower.

And I honestly thought, what movie are you watching? And then I saw BBC News at the bottom and realizing, okay, this is actually real, what on earth is happening? And just honestly had no idea what was going on with the world. And everybody around us was just kind of numb. No one really knew how to react, how to, how to go about the rest of the day. I had a show that same evening, and it was just the strangest feeling. And I think in relation to the show and what it tells about how Gander took everybody in and looked after them and all that sort of stuff, I kind of feel that, that would have been nice at that point in time, you know, where, where I was in London. I dealt that sense of community and just unjudgmental kindness and, and generosity.

I think it was, it's Clive that has said in the past, and I love it when he says it, it's like, at that moment, in Gander, they showed, you know, in a world, in a time of sheer chaos and evil, that tiny town showed the world how to behave. And when being a part of the show, and, and experiencing that on a day-to-day basis, it just kind of restores your faith in humanity, I think. To the point that looking back on that day, now, and with, with the, with the knowledge of how Gander treated everybody, and that was, that was stranded there, it just kind of gives you hope and allows you to continue on in any other struggle or situation that may arise, that there is hope, that life does go on, that you can continue to find goodness in people, regardless of the acts of a certain few.

[6:17] John Schwab: Safe to say that the stories of Gander and its surrounding communities weren't widely noted at all by the cast. But once the decision was made by the creative team, what did the individuals involved think about the decision to make the story into a musical? Here's Captain Beverly Bass.

[6:31] Captain Beverly Bass: Well, it was, it was actually so random, because I think Tom was down in the breakfast area and ran into him and he said, there are two playwrights here that want to interview you. And there were several other interviews that I was doing with the BBC and some other news people. And so I said, sure, of course, you know, I mean, I don't even know what playwrights are, honestly. So, you know, I go down and there's this young couple and, you know, so I talked to him for like three or four hours. I mean, the other interviews were very short and brief, three or four hours with them. And, you know, after that, I, I never even thought twice about anything developing from the interview. Learned a lot later, didn't we?

I guess I was learning a little bit about it from Facebook. And I knew that it had gone to Sheridan College, but, you know, I don't, I didn't understand how that all worked. I didn't know that students actually did the musical before the real actor. I didn't, I didn't know how any of that worked. I just knew that something was happening. And then we got a call to see if we wanted to go to the premiere in La Jolla. And, you know, I said, oh my gosh, I can't believe they've actually written a musical about that. And of course, we went to La Jolla having no idea what the play was about, other than the interviews that they had done in Gander. And that's how we learned about it. And what was it like to see herself portrayed on stage in that world premiere?

Oh my gosh. Well, we were like front and center, maybe second row back. And when Jen picks up the phone and says, I'm fine, Tom, I'm fine. That was the end for both of us. I mean, our heads are in our hands. We're bawling. It's still hard for me to get through it. And I think we missed probably 75% of the first show. I mean, I know we did. It was just unbelievable because it was real. Sorry. It was the way it really was. And honestly, I've always said, I think it might have been a little bit harder on Tom, because it brought back that day to him so vividly with our kids who were eight and nine at the time. And it was a hard day for him because the event happened around nine o'clock in the morning, and he didn't know where I was.

He knew I was flying, but he didn't know where I was till about 4:30 in the afternoon. Well, I knew where I was. I knew I was okay. I knew I was on the ground in Gander, but see, he didn't know any of that. So it was, I think, more challenging for him during that time frame. And that's what the beginning of the play brought back to him.

[7:46] John Schwab: Once the show opened in La Jolla and made its way to Broadway and eventually the West End, we got to talk to the cast members about the chance to meet their counterparts in real life before portraying them on stage. And were they worried that they would get their characters right?

[10:06] Nathaniel Campbell: Our director, Chris, was very clear to begin with that it isn't an absolute carbon copy of them. So he said to me particularly that how Bonnie's portrayed in the show is a lot more feisty and attitudey than she might come across in real life. So he said, when you do meet her before press night, he said, don't let that enforce what we've written in text too much. And apparently when Bonnie saw the show, she was like, oh my God, I'm really kick-ass. She's like, I'm a badass. And everyone was like, you totally are Bonnie. She was so sweet. She's very gentle, very softly spoken, isn't she? There's one line in the show where I say, I've got three, meaning three children. So I was like, so who are your kids?

Because I can't research that. I can't find that out online. She was like, oh, they're three girls. And they're called so, so, so, and so. And they're these ages, and they do this. So you get that back story from them that you actually couldn't get in the text, which really richened the performance for me. So now every time I say that line, I know I'm talking about three girls. And so it was amazing meeting her. It was really amazing. I loved it.

[11:18] Nathaniel Campbell: We're quite fortunate in this day and age, obviously, because we've got Facebook and we've got all the social media stuff. So when people started finding out that they've got the job, there was this WhatsApp group that started by someone started up a WhatsApp group. Because I didn't know anybody in the cast, but some people knew other people and they found out they got the job. So apparently in this WhatsApp group for ages, there was, who's playing Kevin J? Who's playing Kevin J? And then I went for a meal. Our producers were lovely enough to take us all out for a meal before we started rehearsals. And they said to me, oh, so I know you guys have been talking with the WhatsApp group. I was like, what WhatsApp group?

What's going on? So, you know, people were starting to connect before we started the rehearsals. People's counterparts were also connecting with each other. I know the real Kevin T contacted David Shannon, who plays Kevin T in the show. People in other companies as well, even with the Australian cast. I know that Janice has put on her Instagram that she's playing Janice and she's got in contact and, you know, we're talking and everybody's talking with each other. And it's just that level of community.

[13:01] Christopher Ashley: Literally, if they hadn't taken off there and then, they would have had to ground the planes until the storm passed. And they'd already been there five days, and she was like, the rain was hitting the plane sideways, you know, little things like that. So that influences how I say that line, we have to leave, we have to leave now. It's so vital to get that across how important it is that we've got to get these planes off the ground, little things like that. She's a massive, massive fan and like, real flag bearer of the show and, you know, a champion of it and, you know, being the first woman pilot working for American Airlines in the 80s, like that's so recent to hear that from a woman's point of view and what she had to... She's still flying, right?

Yeah, she's still flying. She flies VIPs across America. And just hearing her story as, you know, as a woman pilot is really, it is just, she's just a champion to me, a hero. And I love telling her story through a song.

[14:07] Christopher Ashley: Speaking of telling her story in a song, to kick off some of the Newfoundlanders and Come From Aways relating some of their own stories that made it into the show, here's Captain Beverly Bass telling the story of her career, which ends up being the song, Me and the Sky.

[14:21] Captain Beverly Bass: Well, I always wanted to be a pilot. I mean, I honestly remember at eight years old telling my parents that I wanted to fly and I would beg anybody to take me to the airport to watch the airplanes. I was just obsessed with airplanes. So when I left for college and I came home, I took my first lesson and that's when I came home and I said, I'll fly for the rest of my life. And I knew it then. I knew no matter what. I went back to college, TCU in Fort Worth, got all of my license and ratings, and then I needed to get a job. And it was very hard back then for women to get flying jobs, especially in Texas. So there was a gentleman who kept his airplane at our flight school and he was a mortician and the airplane was used to transport bodies.

And so one day all the guys were gone. So I said, I'll do it. But I didn't have enough flight time. You had to have 500 hours to qualify for his insurance. And I had 300 hours. So he called his insurance company, got a waiver for me, and I flew for him that day. And then I flew for two years after that. And it really is true. I had to climb over the body to get to my seat. Their face was right here. So yeah, but I was so proud of the job because for the first time ever, I was being paid to fly an airplane instead of me paying to fly. So it was great. I always wanted to fly the biggest airplanes. And of course the airlines had the biggest airplanes, but of course there weren't any women airline pilots back then.

So I wrestled with applying to the airlines. I thought about not checking the box that said male or female. I wasn't sure how to do that. And by the time I ended up truly being qualified to fly for the airlines, a few women had been hired. I was the third for American, but the first captain for American. It's just the way it worked out. I was the first female captain. Oh, that was a great time really. 1986 and I got what we call awarded the bid to fly captain. It was actually in Washington D.C. even though I was living in Dallas. So I was going to commute to D.C. and I went through training, which is six weeks long. Very intense. I was a little bit like a fish in a bowl because everybody is wanting to know my progress every day.

Wanting to know if I made any mistakes. They know everything about every aspect of my training. And when I would go in the simulator, there would be hordes of people swarming the simulator to see the new female captain. It was pretty daunting. But you know what? They treated me with such respect. And I feel like even as a new captain, I was very well received by the co-pilots and everything. And then two years after that, I became the first female check airman for American, which is a captain who is going to give checks to captains and co-pilots. So now I'm giving check rides to very senior captains and I'm like 34 years old. So it was a lot of fun. A lot of fun.

[17:47] Christopher Ashley: One of the show's more memorable moments comes from Derm and Bob's barbecue gathering. Basically, I mean, I know everybody in a small town of 700 people. I know everyone and I know where they are on any given day. I didn't. You know, we said we just went out to get some barbecues. Like if I ran out of propane in the evening when I was cooking for myself, I'd run across the street and I'd grab somebody's propane cylinder and I'd put it online and I'd probably bring it back the next day or the next day after. You know, that happened and it was just because everybody in the community was involved in different things. There was hardly anyone home in their houses. So when Tom was helping me with the barbecues, he said, you know, you're taking somebody's barbecue and then we're taking another barbecue.

You know, if you did this in New York, you'd probably be shot. So I think that that's where it all, that story came from. Derm is saying that, yeah, we know everybody and you can do that. Meanwhile, he was waiting at his truck and now he's sending me into people's yards to take their barbecues. And it is not something I would do at home. I would never, first of all, even though there were no fences, I wouldn't go on someone's property. And then as I'm wheeling them out, they're squeaking and pulling them out of people's yards. So even though I'm trying to sneak them out, they're making all this noise. And down two houses, there was a gentleman sitting there and saying, where are you going with the barbecue? I said, down to the community. Derm's right here. So he figured he could count on me to get him out of trouble. I wasn't about to. Truck zooming away.

[19:34] Christopher Ashley: And what was it like for Bonnie and all those animals? After all day, we realized we had only cleaned about half of the planes that had animals on them. So we knew this was going to be quite a task. I came across a cat carrier that had a pill bottle taped on the top of the kennel. We found a total of, I think it was 18, 19 animals, 11 dogs, nine cats. And I think there were the two bonobo monkeys. Once the animals got off the plane, they were housed in the same area as the dogs. And it's true, they did pick up the barking of the dogs. So when we'd walk into the hangar, the dogs would start barking and the bonobos would start barking also. So that was kind of funny. We knew that we had gotten up there 24 hours after those planes had landed.

They had probably been fasted before the travel. Our weather at that time was really warm, which was unusual. And they had been stuck in those cargo holds. And as I said, it's animals are my passion and somebody had to take care of them.

[20:48] Christopher Ashley: The reactions from audience members across the globe to Come From Away have seen them take to social media to express how the show has changed them, made them think about who they are, and how they would react under the same circumstances. To end each of these final three episodes, we wanted to find out how the show has changed those who perform in it every day. Being able to tell this story every day and seeing people who are so warm and open towards talking to me, Nathaniel, as the actor, about their experiences, I'm very humbled by. But it's almost part of the duty of the show and welcoming them in and listening to their stories and just having that little bit more kindness and warmth and openness, which I hope I have forever.

[21:39] Christopher Ashley: I think for me, it's done two things. One, I feel a bit more grateful. I've got a friend who's really zen and really good at all of this, mindfulness and gratitude. She's got a gratitude pebble. I kind of love that. But this show's like a little gratitude pebble. You don't have the pebble, you're just grateful. I don't know, grateful for the opportunity, for the friends you meet, grateful for the people it's based on, grateful to be telling the story and that, you know, we're very lucky. It just makes you remember, we're just really lucky. And also, kindness is so easy. It doesn't have to cost a fortune. It's just really easy. Even if you say something nice to somebody in need or just caring for people, you can't do the show every night and go home on the tube and see the homeless person and not buy them a sandwich, put a bit of money in the cup, say you okay, or do something or want to do something.

There's definitely more awareness on who you can help. It's made me more aware of how individuals can affect other individuals. You know, we sit and watch TV and we watch commercials about charities saying, give money and do this to help some cause, which is way far out of our reach that we can't actually touch or do anything physically with at that moment in time. And we get very consumed in our own lives and our own stresses and our own troubles and get this feeling that this is our life. And it's very selfish in that respect. And I think what this show has done is it has just enlightened the fact that you as an individual can make a difference, whether it is buying someone's coffee, whether it is putting some money in someone's pot if they're homeless or helping somebody across the road or just giving somebody a smile.

And rather than dwelling upon, oh my gosh, my day was so bad this morning, it's more about thinking, how can I make this day better, not just for myself, but for the people around me and who I affect? That's what the show has done.

[23:44] Christopher Ashley: It's not just cast members whose lives have changed. Here's Kevin Jay.

[23:49] Kevin Jay: I believe that more now than ever, it's incredibly important that we reach out to people who may, people we may think of as strangers, people who we may not have ever met anyone who's remotely like them before, but they just don't judge and gander. They just, I hear that from them all the time. And it's very true. They treated everyone with respect and love.

[24:20] Christopher Ashley: So there you have it. We hope you've enjoyed meeting members of the West End cast, the Newfoundlanders and the Come From Aways that little bit more closely and heard firsthand some of the stories that found their way into the musical. Join us for episode seven when we continue introducing you in detail to more members of the company and their real counterparts. And you'll also hear some more of the true stories behind the events of Come From Away. See you in the next episode of Welcome to the Rock.