On Sept. 11, 2001, 2,976 lives were lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, excluding the 19 hijackers; at the same time, 38 planes filled with 7,000 people were diverted to an airport next to the town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada. The award-winning musical “Come From Away,” currently running at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, tells the story of passengers stranded in Gander, and how locals, who called them “come from aways,” welcomed them with kindness. This musical is a commemoration of the people affected by the tragedy, and the story has even reached the Downers Grove South community.
On Oct. 9, students in the classes Dramatic Literature and Acting for Stage, as well as DGS Drama members will be taking a field trip to see “Come From Away” at the Paramount Theatre. English teacher and DGS Drama sponsor Tiffany Rubin explained why this was chosen as a field trip for this year.
“We’re looking for something that appeals to a wide variety of students because a lot of the students attending have never seen a play before,” Rubin said.
Junior Alexis Dmytrysyzn will be attending the musical as a DGS Drama member.
“I’m kind of interested to see how they do it, especially because it takes place during 9/11 … you don’t really see plays about stuff like that,” Dmytrysyzn said.
Everyone knows what happened that day in 2001, but very few knew about Gander until “Come From Away.” Andrea Prestinario plays Beverley & Others in the Paramount’s production, and described what she wished was known about this musical.
“I wish that people understood that this is actually based on real people and a real event that happened, and I guess I’d love [for them to] spread this story far and wide, because everyone’s always pretty shocked that they didn’t already know that this story existed. This event happened where these strangers all took in the plane people, and just treated them with such kindness and went above and beyond,” Prestinario said.
One of Prestinario’s roles is Beverley Bass, the first female captain at American Airlines, who was flying from Paris to Dallas, when her and her crew on their Boeing 777 was diverted to Gander with the other 37 planes. Science teacher Kelsey Gibney’s aunt grew up with Bass.
“I actually didn’t know that my aunt knew [Bass] until the musical came [to town for] the first time, and my parents said we’re gonna go see this because [this story is about] Aunt Sharon’s friend … If my parents had told me about this friend that my aunt had when I was younger, I wonder if I would have gotten in touch with her and that would be a fun role model to have,” Gibney said.
Rubin also described how she is attracted to shows with “a very human story.” Bass explained in an email how she believes the musical portrays that aspect of history.
“I think it’s important not only for people to learn about what happened in Gander during those [five] days, but also to know that it is a brilliantly written story about a tragedy, but does not let you dwell in those sad moments for very long. It immediately moves to something happy or funny, and suddenly you forgot that only moments ago there was a very somber moment in the show. There has to be moments of sadness or it could not be a true story,” Bass said.
Bass herself attended the show at the Paramount on Sept. 20, seeing it for the 180th time.
“It was a great honor to be able to perform this role and this show for her, with her in the audience. She was in the fifth row – I could see her every reaction. It was so intense and so rewarding, but very stressful,” Prestinario said.
Bass commented on Prestinario’s performance, describing how she enjoyed seeing not only herself in Prestinario, but also how Prestinario transitioned between characters.
“She did an outstanding job for sure. I have seen many “Beverleys” and she is no doubt one of the special ones. I felt like she captured my personality, stature and command of the situation at hand quite nicely,” Bass said.
The show’s 11 o’clock number “Me and the Sky” is sung by Prestinario, describing Bass’s journey to where she ended up. Prestinario loves to sing this song that was written for Bass and describes Bass’s journey facing sexism from her colleagues and making a place for herself and other women in a new area.
“[Getting to] bring to life Beverley, who is a real person and in real life has been such a trailblazer, I think it’s so cool to bring her story to life: that is a real honor,” Prestinario said.
Bass described how she feels about her story being in this musical.
“I think all of us who are portrayed in the show feel quite honored and appreciate how authentic we are represented. It has been a gift to share this show with the world and it truly is about the folks of Gander. They are the true story in all of this,” Bass said.
Gibney was 16 during the 9/11 attacks and had witnessed her own share of gender inequality at that time. She explained how she’s grateful to see less of that now.
“There were three girls in my AP physics class, and it was kind of uncomfortable, so you sort of wonder, is this somewhere where I belong or not? I feel like it’s nice to see now as a teacher, I feel like I see more girls sticking with those STEM fields,” Gibney said.
Bass’s message to girls and women is to “always reach for the stars.”
“Sometimes working towards a goal can be very challenging with many road blocks in the way. It is imperative to never give up on a dream that may, at times, seem unattainable. No dream is too big if it is truly what you want to do,” Bass said.
In addition to the message, the musical is stunning in its design and performance. The Paramount wasted nothing at making the musical a work of art, from a turntable and live falling water onstage, to impeccable vocal precision and everything in between.
“I don’t know if the patrons of the Paramount just understand entirely just how incredible the quality and the production values are. This is an incredible place to work, this is an incredible place to see theater,” Prestinario said.
Bass’s sentiment was similar to Prestinario’s, sharing how Paramount’s performance stood out to her.
“There is no question that the stage, set, costumes, and choreography stood out the most. It was absolutely incredible to see how different the staging was and it truly captivated my attention,” Bass said.
Ultimately, the message of this musical is summed up in one line: “You are here”. Life is short, and in the worst of moments can come the best of people; hate and fear are everywhere, but so are love and kindness. At the end of the show, it is evident that this has reached the audience.
“At the end, when the band comes on the stage and plays for five minutes of “walk out” music, nobody leaves. They are clapping, screaming and dancing in the audience. It is a true reflection of how the show touches everyone in such a positive way,” Bass said.
With a rapidly changing society, this message is as relevant as ever, with budget cuts having reached even the Paramount Theatre.
“I think supporting [Paramount Theatre] is really important right now more than ever, particularly with this administration, and hopefully the patrons and the city of Aurora continue to support the theater,” Prestinario said.
In the end, the show leaves its audience on a powerful note: “Because we come from everywhere, we all come from away.” Everyone deserves kindness and respect – remember that every day when meeting someone new and different.
This story was originally published on Blueprint on October 1, 2025.
