Scoring a Broadway musical as popular as Come From Away is big news for Newcastle as a regional centre with a theatre-loving public.
The show has already broken records when it comes to ticket sales and, in doing so, exceeded all expectations.
"Newcastle is a real theatre town and I think it's terrific how the community is getting behind the show," Come From Away standby Noni McCallum says.
"This town wants more professional theatre and I hope producers notice and start making decisions that benefit more regional performance spaces because people who don't live in the capital cities deserve theatre too. I think this is a step forward."
Douglas Hansell, who plays Kevin T in Come From Away, agrees.
"Shows in the UK that tour start in London and then go all over the countryside but we don't really do that here with our major productions, so I think this show is setting a standard of what can be done."
The pair are in Newcastle a fortnight out from opening night, familiarising themselves with the Civic Theatre. Hansell is a graduate of WAAPA (Acting) and a recipient of the Mike Walsh Fellowship. He has been a member of the Australian company of Come From Away since the Melbourne premiere in 2019. McCallum is a graduate of WAAPA (BA Music Theatre) and studied improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York.
They both rate Come From Away as one of the best shows - if not the best - they've worked on to date.
Come From Away tells the incredible real-life story of the thousands of air passengers from all over the world whose planes were diverted to Gander, a small Newfoundland community in Canada, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the US.
"The production hits a really sweet spot of subject matter that people are familiar with, characters that people relate to, accessible music styles, and pop culture references that make everybody feel comfortable and involved in the experience," McCallum says.
"The audience is going to see themselves in the experiences on stage and they are going to have a ball."
Adds Hansell: "Everyone in the audience sees people on the stage that they recognise. It's not a big theatrical spectacle, there's no swinging sets or magic that happens, it's a really pure form of storytelling."
And it's a story worth telling. Gander's population doubled overnight.
"That means double the number of mouths to feed and people who need to find a place to sleep. You also have people not really understanding what had happened as they had been stuck on a plane for more than a day," he continues.
"They couldn't contact their families to let them know they were OK. Some of the planes themselves were considered bomb threats either because they couldn't be identified properly or there were people on them who couldn't be identified.
"I like to think of it not as a 9/11 story, but as a 9/11 adjacent story, because if you go straight to the heart of the tragedy, it's just too much.
"I remember vividly watching that second plane hit the World Trade Centre. I was in my first year of uni and the TV was on a milk crate. Everyone has a 9/11 story, so there's that instant access point, but Come From Away is ultimately really uplifting. It's a celebration of what humans, communities, can do in the face of tragedy and chaos."
"Personally, this is a dream show for me," McCallum says.
"I think it's a really special piece of theatre in the way it's been constructed with minimal sets and regular everyday costumes, and yet the audience still walks out having had one of the most incredible theatrical experiences of their lives."
Both actors expressed excitement for fellow cast member Alana Tranter, from Newcastle.
"Alana was born and bred in Newcastle and she has been hyping it up for us. It's like her professional homecoming," McCallum says.
"It's super meaningful for her to be back here," Hansell adds. "She's one of the longest standing cast members. It's going to be a lovely thing to witness."
I speak to Tranter and yes, she is excited, and enjoying a few days in Port Douglas before returning to Newcastle for opening night.
"This is a big deal for me. The Civic Theatre was the last theatre I performed at in Newcastle before I left to try to build a career," she says.
"It feels very full circle to be coming back."
Tranter was born in Maitland and attended St Philip's Christian College in Waratah before moving to Melbourne to attend the Victorian College of the Arts.
And Tranter has, like Hansell, been with the show since 2019. On this run she's a standby, or understudy, for five of the six female roles which keeps her on her toes.
"It's definitely the hardest job I've ever done, and probably will ever do, performing arts wise," she says.
"My friends and family will be there. I've got a big message thread going, ready to say 'I'm on, quick, come and grab a ticket'. I might have a couple of scheduled shows too, which is great. Even Mum's dentist is coming [laughs]."
She's not surprised the show has been selling so well.
"I've done a lot of amateur theatre in Newcastle and it's a great training ground for performers, with so many great schools to train at. We really love the arts in Newcastle."
As for the show itself, she says it "restores your faith in humanity and community".
"When this really horrific, evil part of humanity was on display, it's just so lovely to know that somewhere else in the world there was this incredible, beautiful, heartwarming act of humanity happening at the same time.
"It's also a really beautifully written show, and it's only one act so it flies by. I don't think I have ever been a part of something that is so unanimously loved and respected like this. It's just a joy."
Come From Away, February 15-19, 22-26, and March 1-5, at Civic Theatre, Newcastle. Tickets are on sale now.
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