Timberline High School students discuss 'Come From Away'

A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Adam Jones and the cast of Timberline High School’s “Come From Away” let me join them for a conversation about the show. 

When you google the musical, it states this show “tells the true story of the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, which doubled in size by welcoming nearly 7,000 stranded airline passengers on 9/11.” However, as these students will tell you, this show offers so much more.  

Plan to see this show and support local arts education. Ticket information can be found on the JOLT event calendar. 

During my conversation with the students, I asked them all to answer one question: “What does being in this show mean to you?” This is how they responded.  

The students were told they could share their grade and first name, with or without their last name. I didn't have a written list of students' names or their preferred spellings, so I apologize in advance for any misspellings.

“We just got done watching videos of 9/11 and the recordings of the plane hijacking, and that plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. This play is shedding a light on a story that really needs to be told, especially with the world as it is (which is pretty sucky). I’ve never done a play where I played an actual person who lived through a very bleak time, where so much was unknown in the worst way possible. It’s just so meaningful to me to be part of a play that despite the terrible and unimaginable things that have happened, you can come out of that stronger, hopeful, and able to move forward.” — Olivia 

“One of my favorite lines from the show is when Bob says, ‘How do I tell him that I wasn’t just good, I was so much better when I was in Gander.’ I think my favorite part about this show, my biggest takeaway, is that I think humans are so good, and they can do so much good for so many people.” — Savannah Hughes, Senior.  

“Your question is something we’ve talked a lot about during rehearsal because all of us really want to do this show justice. We’ve talked about how the bigger picture is what happened on September 11th, but also human connection and how people’s lives changed on such a personal scale with such a big event. Human connection is so powerful, and it is so powerful to be able to connect with others when there's so much wrong going on in the world.” — Nix Makua, Senior.  

“Being in this show truly means a lot to me, and I want it to mean a lot to everyone else who comes to see it. I’m actually pretty new to theater, and so this is a big jump for me. Every time I tell someone about this show, I always tell them, ‘Yeah it has 9/11 but it’s not about 9/11.’ It's about the community and the connection between people, how good people are, and how much good can come from the bad. There are so many good messages in this show, and I am so grateful to be a part of it.” Abby Hertz, Junior.  

 “Doing this show as a 16- or 17-year-old is really unique since you yourself are portraying a tragedy you did not live through, and you are performing it in front of an audience who did. I feel like in a lot of scenes, the audience is going to go back to that day, which is why it needs to be done justice. This show is about perseverance ... perseverance in a town that was not expecting that much pressure on them that day.” — Zach Hamberg 

“This show is about empathy and kindness. Gander didn’t really have any stake in what was going on in America on 9/11 beyond the fact that they had numerous people they had to suddenly accommodate. This show, despite being about a tragedy, never lets itself be a tragedy. In a lot of ways, it's almost a comedy, which is fitting because if we can’t laugh when we’re faced with moments of adversity, how can we expect to survive when we’re faced with horrors like these?” — Morgan  

“I think a big aspect of this show is about human nature. It’s in human nature to care for others, but what is not is the effort and motivation to. The people of Gander put their lives on hold just to be there for people they never thought of or met. Their effort should inspire audiences. Leaving the show, you should feel lightness and hope.” —  Theo Vendleracom, Senior