COVINGTON — In preparation for the upcoming production of Come From Away playing July 24 through Aug. 2, Beef House Dinner Theatre welcomed a very special guest. Judi Hawkins of Lafayette was aboard a United Airlines flight from London’s Heathrow airport to Chicago on Tuesday. September 11, 2001, making her one of the “plane people” that spent days in Gander while American air space was closed. Her flight was one of 38 planes that diverted to Gander, Newfoundland and was grounded there for six days. Her story, along with almost 7,000 others, provides the source material for the musical Come From Away by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.
Hawkins met with cast and creative team members of the BHDT production and brought her real-life perspective to the amazing stories told in the hit musical. Hawkins and her husband, Colin, were returning to the United States after visiting family in England when their captain announced that due to “catastrophic events in New York City,” their plane would land in Gander.
She recounted that the plane flew 90 miles off course to dump fuel in order to land. She also spoke about spending 19 hours on the 777 aircraft. She lauded the crew for their attention and response and noted that she remains in touch with the Captain of that flight.
However, her highest praise was reserved for the residents of Gander. She noted that with very little notice, this village of 7,000 people welcomed 7,000 “plane people” from around the world. She told stories of riding a school bus for 30 miles to the small village of Gambo, where she and the 196 other passengers from her flight were housed at a Salvation Army facility. She spoke of a hallway lined on one side with pizza and the other with sandwiches that were waiting for them when they arrived.
Her vivid descriptions of the people she met during her days in Gander were deeply moving. She was overwhelmed with the resilience, generosity and kindness of those strangers to the “come-from-aways”. As a result, Hawkins has made a point to pay forward kindness in a variety of ways. Having seen the show 20 times across the USA most times with her Newfoundland flag with her as a tribute to the strangers who brought hope and kindness during a remarkably dark time 25 years ago, she continues to tell the story of those amazing days in Gander.
The cast includes several young cast members who were born after the 9-11 tragedy. They listened intently as Hawkins told her story. Noah Acree, who plays Kevin T and others, stated that “They teach about September 11 in school, but hearing this makes it very real.” Laynie Ferriman, who portrays Bonnie, added “reading about it is nothing compared to hearing it first-hand”.
Come From Away opens with an evening show on July 24 followed by matinees on July 25, 26, 29, 30, Aug.1 and 2 as well as another evening show on July 31.
Immediately preceding the show on July 29, Hawkins as well as members of the cast and creative team will participate in a “talk-back” with audience members answering questions about the process of producing this show. Hawkins will speak about her time in Newfoundland.
All seats are $72 and include the show, a bountiful buffet dinner, salad, famous Beef House rolls, soft drink, dessert, tax and fees. Show only tickets are available for $45. Dessert and soft drink are included. Group rates are also available for groups of 20 or more. For reservations call the box office at 217-499-5355 or visit www.beefhouserolls.com/theatre/.
