1

We All Come From Away: How the Broadway Hit Musical Helps Gen Z Contextualize

9/11

Jessica Paxton

THR 4213: History and Literature of Theatre II

April 8th, 2021

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In December of 2001, Gallop ran a poll asking whether 9/11 would have more historical

significance for this generation, that is the generation being raised up following the September

terrorist attacks, than Pearl Harbor1. According to this poll, about 72% of Americans, including

those who had lived through or had been born shortly afterward the Pearl Harbor attack, agreed

that it would. This analogy appears to be correct, as the 9/11 terrorist attacks approach their 20th

anniversary this September, Generation Z continues to cope and try to understand the continued

aftershocks of the event. This researcher was only one and a half when the attacks occurred and

grew up learning about them. As many other members of Gen Z can say now, this researcher was

traumatized specifically by the photo of The Falling Man taken by Richard Drew2 as well as

videos of flights 767 and 175 hitting the Twin Towers3. Repeatedly through the past twenty

years, Generation Z has been traumatized and re-traumatized to the point of numbness by older

generations trying to ‘teach’ this young generation what happened and why they need to

remember it. Theatre, in reaction to 9/11, almost immediately burst with plays based off first-

hand experiences from the day of the attacks. Plays ranged all the way from interview style

accounts, such as the play With Their Eyes4 to political dramas such as Three Nights in Prague5.

Each, important works of theatrical literature especially regarding the 9/11 Terrorist attacks, yet

still lacking catharsis and context for the generation who, by the senior high school class of 2018,

were either a year or so old or not even born yet. However, as Generation Z takes a more

interested look at Musical Theatre, the Canadian Musical Come From Away seems to be the best

piece of 9/11 theatre that may help Gen Z understand and heal from the terrorist attack. Come

1
Reed Financial Group, “Was 9/11 This Generation’s Pearl Harbor?”, ReedFinancialGroupUSA, September 12 th,
2018, https://www.reedfinancialgroupusa.com/blog/was-911-generation-s-pearl-harbor
2
Richard Drew, “The Falling Man”, New York City, September 11 th, 2001, The New York Times
3
The History.com Editors, “September 11 Attacks”, History, February 17 th, 2010
4
Allan Havis, American Political Plays After 9/11, (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2010)
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=e900xww&AN=452291&site=eds-live.
5
Havis, American Political Plays, 13.
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From Away was written and composed by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, based on the true story

of over 7,000 airline passengers who were forced to land in Newfoundland due to the 9/11

attacks. In an interview with BBC, Sankoff and Hein stated that “We wanted to tell the story of

what happened in Newfoundland. It’s not about the tragedy; it’s about how this small community

responded to the tragedy.”6 While it doesn’t hyper focus on the 9/11 attacks such as the other

after mentioned plays, it gives multiple points of view of how people, both American Citizens as

well as other foreigners alike, reacted and coped with the event. This Musical is not so ‘in your

face’ as others, and allows people, especially Generation Z, to not only feel and understand how

people felt in the face of the attacks, but also gain this knowledge and experience without

traumatization via live coverage of 9/11. Come From Away thus is the model 9/11 play as it aids

Generation Z in dealing with their trauma related 9/11 by contextualizing the events of the

attacks through firsthand experiences, diverse points of view, as well as cathartic release.

Contextually, Generation Z does not have much to metaphorically ‘go on’ when

researching the events of 9/11. Generation Z has been defined as those born between 1997-2012

by Pew Research7, making the eldest members of Gen Z to witness 9/11 five years old. It can be

inferred that most five-year-old children would not have been paying keen attention to the

happenings on that infamous Tuesday, unlike those older than Gen Z. Instead, Generation Z has

grown up in a post-9/11 society that the United States of America particularly have built their

Patriotism upon. College student and member of Generation Z, Anthony Raymond, wrote in an

article for the Grand Rapids Community College student paper that “Even though I was too

young to witness 9/11 unfolding, I witnessed the foundation 9/11 built for my love of the United

6
Rebecca Laurence, “Come From Away: Why we need the 9/11 Play”, BBC Culture, February 14 th, 2019,
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190212-come-from-away-why-we-need-the-911-musical
7
Michael Dimock, “Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins”, January 12 th, 2019,
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/
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States of America.”8 Even so, Raymond goes on to discuss how, stemming from the attacks, he

has witnessed patriotism deteriorate into an excuse for polarization. There is no doubt that

American citizens have a more biased look at 9/11 and what that day and the weeks afterwards

were like, which has caused many generation Z members such as Raymond to become cautious

and distanced from the events. Come From Away provides a remedy for the distance and grants

much needed context to the outside and diverse perspectives of those outside of the United

States. We must look to the lyrics of Welcome to the Rock, 28 Hours, and Costume Party

specifically as they are filled with multiple points of views across the spectrum of nationalities

such as Middle Eastern to American. Welcome to the Rock provides multiple perspectives of

citizens of Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. These citizens range from the Mayor Claude, Bonnie

who runs the animal shelter, Oz who is a police officer, and Beulah who is the head of the

Gander Academy. These lyrics describe what the citizens were doing before the news of the

attacks hit, such as Beulah: “That morning, I’m in the classroom. It’s our first day back and the

school busses are on strike, so I’m covering for Annette, who’s running late!”9 At the end of the

song, the different actors state “Where our stories start.” “Where we’ll end the night.” “Where

we know by heart.” “Every single flight.”10. Between these lyrics, different actors state where

they were when they heard the news, how they ended that fateful day, where they are, and how

they know every single flight that arrived at the Gander airport. In 28 Hours, Generation Z

becomes privy to the anxiety, confusion, drunken tomfoolery, and obliviousness of the

passengers grounded in Gander while the U.S. Airspace closed due to the attacks. Lyrics

describing these experiences help contextualize these experiencing, including those lyrics from

8
Anthony Raymond, “9/11 From a Gen Z Perspective”, The Collegiate Grand Rapids Community College Student
Publication, September 11th, 2020, https://thecollegiatelive.com/2020/09/9-11-from-a-gen-z-perspective/
9
“Welcome to the Rock” Track 1 on Come From Away. The Musical Company, 2017, Digital. Joel Hatch and
Company, 2017.
10
“Welcome to the Rock”, Track 1 on Come From Away.
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character (and real life retired American Airlines Pilot) Beverly Bass, who is being informed

what has happened. These lyrics include Bass telling her husband to comfort their children

because she is safe and sound, then asking what is going on at home in the U.S., and at the end of

the song, lyrics depicting her finding out that her colleague who was piloting flight 77, had his

flight hijacked by members of Al-Qaeda, and died when the plane crashed into the Pentagon.

Costume Party depicts the hope and sorrow of multiple passengers waiting to hear if they will be

able to continue to their destinations and shows Generation Z how others were reacting

differently to the events of 9/11, especially just the day after. The emotions expressed through

the music and acting of the lyrics pulls at Generation Z, especially when asked “Who am I if I

don’t feel like the me from yesterday?”11. These songs so far mentioned provide Generation Z

with the context of the situation people were experiencing during 9/11 without the adverse

trauma, yet also connects them in a more intimate way to the people who experienced this attack.

So many members of Generation Z have only heard telling and re-telling of what happened the

day of 9/11/2001 to the point the generation has become numb. Yet Come From Away provides

an emotional, tangible connection the terrorist attack. At the same time, Come From Away also

provides a contextual view of 9/11 that is not overly nationalistic or overly cynical. An example

of this would be the fight depicted in the song On The Edge. This involves racial tensions

between passengers, some who are middle eastern or Muslim, and others who are American. The

fight shows the dark side of people that resulted from 9/11, such as the racism shown in this

portion of the song. It does not stray away from being blunt in depicting the racism and

withholds any patriotism from this portion showing that profiling like this is anything but

patriotic. Patriotism, while shown within the musical, is not the purpose of Come From Away.

11
“Costume Party” Track 10 on Come From Away. The Musical Company, 2017, Digital. Sharon Wheatley, Caesar
Samayoa, Chad Kimball, Q Smith, and Company, 2017.
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Yet songs such as Stop the World, 38 Planes (Reprise)/Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere,

Something’s Missing, and Finale show a not-so-cynical view on 9/11, the affects it had on

people, and the actions people took in response. Stop the World and 28 Planes

(Reprise)/Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere depict how good relationships, actions, and

people were built up as an adverse side effect to the attacks. It shows this generation that while

terrible things occurred during 9/11 and the following months afterwards, there was good that

came from it. The event was not all trauma and numbness, nor was it all waving flags and

screaming God bless America. Overall Come From Away is a model 9/11 play because it

ultimately aids Generation Z in being able to contextualize the events of 9/11 through the

multiple points of views provided by the characters without being completely cynical to the

event, nor like nationalistic, “patriotic” propaganda.

As a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Generation Z has had to face multiple facets of

trauma such as depression and anxiety. Particularly, since 9/11, gen Z has been constantly

exposed to around the clock coverage of terrorist attacks, more than any of the past generations

had. In 2017, the global education organization, the Varkey Foundation, conducted a survey

asking over 20,000 American youths what they feared the most for the future. This study

revealed, according to Newsweek, that “83 percent of people aged 15 to 21… said their No. 1

fear for the future is the rise of terrorism and extremism.”12 Between the 9/11 attacks on 2001

and 2018, about 104 people had died in the United States during what were titled ‘foreign-

inspired’ terrorist attacks. This has resulted in Generation Z to develop a profound sense of

anxiety, on top of the trauma of being shown real people dying in the Twin Towers or jumping

out of the towers to avoid burning to death. 9/11 has not only caused anxiety to increase in

12
Lucy Westscott, “World’s Young People Are Most Afraid of Terrorism and Extremism: Report”, Newsweek,
February 18th, 2017, https://www.newsweek.com/young-people-terrorism-extremism-fear-generation-z-553839
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generation Z, but it has also caused this generation to become desensitized to the attacks.

Journalists Ben McEvoy, Alina Kulesh, and Rich Cooper wrote in their 2018 CBC article that

When a person repeatedly sees similar violent images and reads bad news, they are

normalized in the brain and we eventually become desensitized to them… It’s a primal

safety mechanism- what was once shocking, and potentially a risk to our safety becomes

a non-threat. How is this impacting the generation raised under the shadow of globally

traumatic events such as 9/11? Will future generations become desensitized to the images

and acts that are leaving them feeling so depressed, fearful, and anxious?13

From firsthand experience, the images generation Z has been exposed to while being taught

about 9/11 or shown to remember what happened the day of the attacks, have been shown so

often that it has caused much of the generation to become numb to the events of the attack. Come

From Away however provides a well needed outlet of catharsis to the anxiety and trauma Gen Z

has been exposed to without being retraumatized. Catharsis, first introduced by Aristotle as a

metaphor, is the purification or purging of emotions, specifically pity or fear, through art- such as

theatre14. Growing up the researcher’s personal experience of trying to purge the emotional

anxiety and trauma they had received from learning about 9/11 and watching coverage of the

attacks was through films such as Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.15This film depicted the

Twin Towers smoking as they burned and Tom Hanks falling from one of the Towers a la The

Falling Man16. Such a film, while beautifully tragic and cathartic in response to 9/11, still used

13
Ben McEvoy, Alina Kulesh, Rich Cooper, “Generation ‘Fear’: How bad news has created an anxious generation,
CBC, 2019 https://www.cbc.ca/documentarychannel/features/generation-fear-how-bad-news-has-created-an-
anxious-generation
14
The Editors, “Catharsis”, Britannica, September 26 th, 2018, https://www.britannica.com/art/catharsis-criticism
15
Peter Debruge, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”, Variety, December 18 th, 2011,
https://variety.com/2011/film/markets-festivals/extremely-loud-incredibly-close-1117946765/
16
Richard Drew, “The Falling Man”, 2001.
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such graphic imagery that, as a pre-teen, traumatized the researcher. Come From Away on the

opposite side provides this catharsis without traumatizing the audience. It does this through the

utilization of music, the ensemble, and specific songs such as Something’s Missing, Lead Us Out

of the Night, I Am Here, Prayer, Screech In, Me and The Sky, Stop The World, and Finale.

Different music genres are designed for emotional responses- old school hymnal music is

calming, and uplifting; piano and violins are often somber and sorrowful whilst guitars and

drums usher in a sense of jubilancy and excitement. Particularly in Stop The World acoustic

guitar and gentle piano, as well as laid back drumming on symbols is used to create a longing,

slightly sad, and romantic atmosphere. The music gives the opportunity for Generation Z to

purge the sad longingness and frustration at not being in control about 9/11. Whereas Screech In

is a wildly jubilant and fun song, utilizing the accordion, fiddle, electric guitar, and drums. The

upbeat notes and undeniable excitement pull Generation Z in to purge their anxiety and fears that

resulted from watching and re-watching the terrorist attacks. The ensemble of Come From Away

consists of twelve people yet tells hundreds of different stories. Even so, the ensemble entreats

the audience to become almost a part of the ensemble as well. The audience is included in each

character’s story, they feel the joy of finding out the Diane’s son is safe- our hearts clench at the

uncertainty of whether Hannah’s firefighter son is alright in New York; and the audience can

practically feel the rising tensions between Kevin T. and Kevin J. Generation Z is given the

opportunity to mourn 9/11 with Hannah in Something’s Missing when she learns her son has

perished17. Prayer and the soft pipes and piano entice Generation Z to let go, even for only a few

minutes, of the anxiety and fear brought about by 9/11 and the subsequent terrorist attacks in the

U.S. since. Instead, along with the ensemble, Gen Z can join in the peace of this number, and of

the actors on stage. Beverly Bass’ Me and The Sky is a relatable number for Generation Z, as it
17
“Something’s Missing” Track 20 on Come From Away. The Musical Company, 2017, Digital. Company, 2017.
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specifically addresses overcoming discrimination, yet having to deal with plans and dreams be

put on hold by unexpected events. This song particularly takes Generation Z on a cathartic

journey of experiencing joy of success, yet being able to let out the grief, confusion, and pain of

the suddenness of how, specifically terrorist attacks, can cause life to pause- like it had for

Captain Bass on 9/11. While Generation Z is sure to shed tears watching this musical, David

Hein specifically states that it is not always for the reasons on may expect.18 While 9/11 is an

emotional event, and this musical does a wonderful job of capturing the emotional catharsis of it,

it also reminds the audience- and especially Generation Z who have had to deal with this

profound trauma and anxiety as a result of 9/11- that despite peoples’ differences, others will

come together in times of crisis to help each other. As Hein said, “It reminds us that we can be

good.”19 Altogether the music and the ensemble of Come From Away as well as the specific

songs as mentioned before provide a new avenue to mourn and have a cathartic release in

response to 9/11 without being exposed to traumatic images, videos, or audio of the actual

attacks. Generation Z is given the opportunity to purge the negative emotions that 9/11 has

caused them to retain, all the while being able to take part in the joy and excitement of finding

the good within the terrible.

While many 9/11 plays and performance pieces, films, books, and even television

episodes exist, thus giving perspective to Generation Z about the terrorist attacks, Come From

Away proves to be the model 9/11 play. This musical allows Generation Z to experience divers

points of view, that often is forgotten when thinking of 9/11. The terrorist attacks impacted more

than just the United States and Come From Away provides that context in a way that is not

reprimanding nor taking away from the pain the attack directly caused to the United States.

18
Laurence, “Come From Away”
19
Laurence, “Come From Away”
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Through the views of Americans, Africans, Britons: Christians, Jews, Muslims: White, black,

and middle eastern people, Generation Z is given the unique opportunity to see 9/11 not under a

microscope and close as they had been taught, but through a global lens that included the

experiences of those not exactly American. There are moments of patriotism within the musical,

yet there are also exact moments that directly call-out the racism that stemmed from the terrorist

attacks and points out to Generation Z that despite an event that did bring many people together,

it still resulted in some division. Sankoff and Hein’s musical also provides the perfect

opportunity for Generation Z to achieve an emotional cathartic release without having to be

traumatized by 9/11 coverage. Instead of pulling out fear and pity via dramatic images of people

jumping from the World Trade Center to avoid being burned to death, or planes crashing into the

Pentagon, the musical utilizes music and the ensemble to elicit this emotional catharsis. There is

no need to traumatize and desensitize Generation Z by utilizing such horrific imagery when

music can achieve that emotional release without triggering this generation’s profound amount of

anxiety. As the 20th anniversary if the 9/11 attacks approach, Generation Z’s youngest members

will begin 4th grade in the fall, while their eldest members will turn 24 years old. Referencing

back to the Gallop Poll from December of 2001, it is clear to conclude that while the 9/11

Terrorist Attacks did not result in the same trauma as Pearl Harbor did for the Boomer

generation, it has become just as significant, if not more, than anyone in 2001 could have

expected. However, thanks to Come From Away, this generation has a theatrical outlet to

understanding and contextualizing 9/11, all the while being able to receive a cathartic release.
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Works Cited

-, The Collegiate Staff, By, -, and The Collegiate Staff. “9/11 From a Gen Z Perspective.” The
Collegiate Live, September 11, 2020. https://thecollegiatelive.com/2020/09/9-11-from-a-
gen-z-perspective/.

“Catharsis.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. Accessed April 8, 2021.

https://www.britannica.com/art/catharsis-criticism.

“Come From Away Booklet.” CFA-Digital-Lyric-Booklet-4-5. Pdf. The Musical Company.

Accessed April 8, 2021. https://themusicalcompany.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/04/CFA-digital-lyric-booklet-4-5.pdf.
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“Come From Away: Why We Need the '9/11 Musical'.” BBC Culture. BBC, February 14, 2019.
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190212-come-from-away-why-we-need-the-911-
musical.

Debruge, Peter. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” Variety. Variety, December 18, 2011.
https://variety.com/2011/film/markets-festivals/extremely-loud-incredibly-close-
1117946765/.

Dimock, Michael. “Defining Generations: Where Millennials End and Generation Z Begins.”
Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, March 30, 2021.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-
z-begins/.

Drew, Richard. The Falling Man. Photograph. The New York Times. New York, NY: The New
York Times, September 11, 2004.

Havis, Allan. American Political Plays after 9/11. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University
Press, 2010.

History.com Editors, ed. “September 11 Attacks.” History.com. A&E Television Networks,

February 17, 2010. https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks.

McEvoy, Ben, Rich Cooper, and Alina Kelush. “Generation 'Fear': How Bad News Has Created
an Anxious Generation.” CBC news. CBC/Radio Canada, 2019.
https://www.cbc.ca/documentarychannel/features/generation-fear-how-bad-news-has-
created-an-anxious-generation.

Sankoff, Irene, Joel Hatch, Petrina Bromley, Geno Carr, Jenn Colella, Rodney Hicks, and
Kendra Kassebaum. Come From Away: A New Musical: Original Broadway Cast
Recording. CD, n.d.

“Was 9/11 This Generation's Pearl Harbor.” Reed Financial Group. Accessed April 8, 2021.
https://www.reedfinancialgroupusa.com/blog/was-911-generation-s-pearl-harbor.

Westcott, Lucy. “Generation Z Members Fear Terrorism and Extremism the Most, Says Report.”
Newsweek. Newsweek, February 13, 2017. https://www.newsweek.com/young-people-
terrorism-extremism-fear-generation-z-553839.