Come From Away draws huge demand in Calgary as theatre warns of ticket resales

Come From Away is now onstage at Theatre Calgary, and demand for tickets is so strong it has already added an extra performance.

And with that comes a warning about third-party ticket resellers listing seats at inflated prices.

The company says resale activity is rare for Theatre Calgary, but not unexpected for a Broadway-name musical with built-in demand.

“At the end of the day, we just don’t want someone paying an excessive marked-up amount for a Theatre Calgary ticket, and thinking that they were buying it from us,” says Christopher Loach, Director of Media Relations at Theatre Calgary.

Despite limited availability, tickets are still available through official channels and the show is selling so well that an extra performance has already been added on June 28 at 2 p.m.

That kind of demand speaks to the pull of Come From Away, a show that has quietly become something like comfort food for Canadian audiences.

If you’ve seen it once, you will probably see it a couple of times over the years.

Set in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, the musical tells the story of what happened when flights were grounded on 9/11 and thousands of stranded passengers suddenly found themselves in a place they had never planned to be. It’s about how Canadians opened their hearts, and doors to feed and shelter and clothes thousands of ‘come from aways.’

Sora Gibbons, plays Janice in this production, a Rogers TV Journalist just finding her feet on the job.

A role Gibbons has been striving to fill for years, auditioning every time an audition was listed for about 8 years.

“I’ve always wanted to be in this show, especially as a Newfoundlander,” Gibbons says.

They have seen it produced twice, including the initial show in Toronto.

“This show is one of the only shows… that has made it to Broadway that is a Canadian show and a Canadian story and a true Canadian story,” says Gibbons.

They say even as the events of 9/11 move further into the past, the underlying story resonates.

“I think it’s a great show to even be producing today as there’s so much… divisiveness in the world,” Gibbons says. “It’s really about community and caring for your neighbors and understanding people who might not be from the same place as you… it really represents humanity and kindness.”

Gibbons remembers firsthand the response to the ‘plane people’ in newfoundland. They were six years old, and her parents opened their doors for Americans to come stay.

“We housed a bunch of people in our gym on gym mats… a lot of people I know, including my parents, brought people in and gave them beds and food and helped them when they were stranded,” Gibbons says.

Even now, performing the story brings that moment rushing back.

“Every time I go out for the finale… I always kind of think about it. I’m like, I can’t believe I’m here in this musical telling this story. And I was kind of in Newfoundland when it happened,” she says.

Come from Away runs until June 28 at the Max Bell Theatre at the Werklund Centre.

Tickets are available here.