THE CREATORS
The idea for the Come from Away was first conceived by Michael Rubinoff, a Toronto Lawyer and theatre producer. After several meetings with writing teams, he decided that David Hein and Irene Sankoff would bring this story to life. The pair co-wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the musical after speaking with real Gander residents. They based the musical on their stories and experiences, making for an authentic presentation of human kindness.
After its initial workshopping in Ontario, the musical went on to have incredible runs in San Diego, D.C., and Toronto before officially opening on Broadway in 2017. This uplifting tale interwoven with incredible music and breathtaking performances scored the musical 7 nominations at the 71st Tony Awards. In October 2018, Come From Away officially became the longest-running Canadian musical in Broadway history.
IRENE SANKOFF is the Olivier-award winning, Tony and Grammy nominated, Canadian writer for theatre, television and film. She is best known for co-creating the worldwide award-winning hit musical Come From Away, which is currently playing around the world and on AppleTV+.
Her first show, written with husband, David Hein, My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding won Best Musical awards across North America, with Sankoff and Hein performing in many productions.
Irene has worked with Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros, HBO and the CW and is currently developing projects for the stage and screen.
Irene grew up in Toronto as a dancer/actor and has performed on stage, film and television in many projects, including The Mousetrap and Zero Hour: The Last Hour of Flight 11, one of the History channel’s highest rated productions–as well as in ComeFrom Away at the National Arts Centre in Canada.
She holds a BFA in creative writing/psychology, a Masters in Acting from the Actors Studio, and two honorary doctorates from Pace and Memorial Universities. She has been honored with Four Freedoms Good Neighbor Award and the Meritorious Service Cross of Canada which recognizes Canadians’ exceptional accomplishments.
She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild, the Writers Guild and ASCAP. She has worked extensively with children on the autism spectrum and with developmental differences, and she is an outspoken advocate for civil and animal rights.
DAVID HEIN is the Olivier-award winning, Tony and Grammy nominated, Canadian writer for theatre, television and film. He is best known for co-creating the worldwide award-winning hit musical Come From Away, which is currently playing around the world and on AppleTV+.
His first show, written with his wife, Irene Sankoff, My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding, is based on David’ mother’s true story and has won Best Musical awards across NorthAmerica, with Sankoff and Hein performing in many productions.
David has worked with Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros, HBO and the CW and is currently developing projects for the stage and screen.
David holds a degree in set and lighting design and worked for years as a designer, while composing music, putting out several albums and touring across North America as a singer/ songwriter. In New York, he apprenticed at a music studio, creating songs for Disney and the Muppets–and was music supervisor on Kermit’s Swamp Years.
An admitted geek, David was thrilled to write for Marvel Comics and to create a new Spider-verse character, Spinstress, a singing Disney-princess alternate version of Spider-Man.
David holds an honorary doctorate from Memorial University and has been honored with the Four Freedoms Good Neighbor Award and the Meritorious Service Cross of Canada, which recognizes Canadians’ exceptional accomplishments. He is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild, the Writers Guild and ASCAP.
The theatre podcast Curtain Call created an 8-part series on Come from Away. Episode One focuses on the creation of the show and the creative team.
You can watch a longer version of this video with more footage of some of our characters at this link
Explore the playbill for the original Broadway production by clicking on the cover to the left.
