The United Service Organizations (USO) and No Guarantees Productions have announced that for the first time in more than 50 years, the national tour of a Broadway show will perform an exclusive live concert version of the show at U.S. military installations; the touring company of “Come From Away” will make stops at three.
“Come From Away” tells the true story of the people of Gander, Newfoundland, and the 7,000 stranded airline passengers who were forced to land there when U.S. air space was closed on Sept. 11, 2001.
The first stop on the tour will be just outside Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 20 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which was one of the first bases that was notified on Sept. 11. The second stop will be in Kentucky on Aug. 21 at Fort Knox.
The third stop will be on the Kentucky-Tennessee border at Fort Campbell. At this stop, the “Come From Away” company will participate in base engagement activities, which will include interactive unit visits, a visit to the USO Fort Campbell Center and a visit to the Gander Memorial. The Gander Memorial commemorates the more than 200 members of the 101st Airborne Division who lost their lives in 1985 in a plane crash in Gander, Newfoundland — the same location where “Come From Away” takes place.
In 2022, No Guarantees Productions approached the USO with the idea of bringing a Broadway production directly to service members and their families. “Come From Away,” given its story and themes around family and forging connections, was determined to be a great fit for the tour. Over the past 12 months, the teams have worked together to make the tour a reality.
The USO was founded in 1941 as a nonprofit dedicated to those who serve in the U.S. military and their families during their time in uniform. According to the organization’s records, the last time a Broadway show was performed for U.S. military families in this format was “Funny Girl” in 1971 and, before that, “Hello, Dolly!” from 1966-1967.
