UW-Platteville, arts festival team up to present "Come From Away" campus run
The UW-Platteville Department of Performing and Visual Arts is partnering with the Platteville Summer Arts Festival to bring the hit Broadway musical "Come From Away" to campus.
The Tony Award-winning production is based on the true story of how an airport in Gander, Newfoundland, took in 38 planes and almost 7,000 passengers diverted from their destinations on the day of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Six performances are set for July 24, 25, 31, and Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and July 26 and Aug. 2 at 2 p.m. in the Richard and Helen Brodbeck Concert Hall in the Center for the Arts on the UW-Platteville campus. The production is recommended for general audiences, although there are a few instances of strong language.
"Come From Away," featuring music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, debuted on Broadway in 2017. The musical tells the story of how Gander doubled in size on the day of the attacks and how the townspeople welcomed the passengers and kept them fed, housed and safe for five days until their planes received clearance to fly again.
"This show has been on the top of my bucket list for some time, and there is no better time than now for a story like this one," Farrelly said. "It knocked the wind out of me the first time I saw it because the intention of these people was so pure. There wasn’t even a question of whether or not they would help. It didn’t matter where any of these people had come from. It was the best of humanity. It was a staggering act of kindness in the face of an unimaginable horror. It may have been 25 years ago and a lot has changed in the world, but I still believe we can be the people Gander taught us to be. We have to find it in ourselves to be.”
Other members of the UW-Platteville theater faculty and staff are working on the production as well, including choreographer Connie SaLoutos Furlan; costume designer Sarah Strange; scenic designer Jeffrey Strange; and lighting designer Jamie Wodack.
The staff also includes UW-Platteville alumni, with Lizzie Haller as music director, Christopher Kott as sound designer, Jamie Wodack as lighting designer, Isabelle Emerson as stage manager and Ethan Gallo as a production assistant. Current UW-Platteville students Erin Lenz and Timothy Fleener are serving as production assistants as well.
The 12-person cast and the orchestra are a blend of UW-Platteville students, staff and alumni, along with members of Platteville and surrounding communities. The cast includes Ella Brunner as Beulah and others; Juli Clayton as Bonnie and others; John Dobbratz as Kevin T and others; Brooks Duff-Bowers as Oz and others; Malia Eugene as Janice and others; Steph Klein as Diane and others; Marcia Russell as Hannah and others; Omeed Soltaninassab as Kevin J and others; Noah Thomas as Bob and others; Tyler Tollefson as Claude and others; Matt Tompkins as Nick and others; and Amanda Zasada as Beverley and others.
The musicians are a mix of UW-Platteville students, alumni and community members as well, including Ann Ducho on violin; Jordan Larson-Sell and Hillary Barnes on percussion; Danielle Dillon on bass; Tyler Phillips on guitar; Terri Ellis on whistle; and McGregor Farah on mandolin.
The cast will also perform a one-night-only "miscast" cabaret on July 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Brodbeck Concert Hall. The performance, directed by Dobbratz, is free and will feature musical theater selections the actors wouldn't usually be called on to perform.
"Our talented storytellers are going to give you a night of music that they typically don’t get to sing, from gender-bent pieces to different voice types to songs that just don’t fit their usual character and everything in between," said Dobbratz.
Tickets for “Come From Away” are $25 for general admission and $18 for students and children under 18. The Platteville Summer Arts Festival also offers a 10 percent discount for groups of 10 or more. For tickets, visit tickets.uwplatt.edu or call the University Box Office at 608-342-1298. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.