A Chester and Wrexham based community theatre company is set to be amongst the first non-professional groups in the UK to stage smash hit musical ‘Come From Away’.
Theatre company Tip Top Productions will stage the multi award-winning show at Storyhouse from Wednesday 15th – Saturday 18th April at 7.30pm. There will also be a Matinee performance at 2.30pm on Saturday 18th April. The production will be directed and musically directed for Tip Top by Simon Phillips, with choreography by Rhian Lyon.
Winner of four Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical on Broadway, ‘Come From Away’ shares the incredible real-life story of the 7,000 air passengers from all over the world who were grounded in Canada during the wake of 9/11, and the small, isolated Newfoundland community of Gander that invited these ‘come from aways’ into their lives and homes with music, an open bar, open hearts and the recognition that we’re all part of a global family. With characters based on actual Gander residents and the stranded travellers they housed and fed, the show features music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.
Steve Davies, Chairman and Artistic Director of Tip Top Productions said “We are delighted to have been granted the rights to perform ‘Come From Away’. It’s exciting to be one of the first community theatre companies in the UK to bring this award-winning and heart-warming show to the stage.”
Keen to get the ‘Newfie’ accent spot on, the cast were delighted to receive expert dialect coaching from born and bred Newfoundlander Ashley Fayth, a singer, songwriter, author and teaching artist who now lives in Chester with her family. The cast got to learn first-hand about Newfoundland and even learned a traditional ‘Newfie’ folk song.
The show’s Director Simon Phillips said “Working on ‘Come From Away’ has been a really rewarding experience. It’s a show that tells a straightforward but powerful story about how people come together in difficult circumstances, and that honesty has shaped the way we’ve approached it in rehearsals. The piece is deceptively demanding; balancing the movement, the storytelling, and the vocal work requires real precision and focus, especially at the pace the show moves. The cast has taken that on with a huge amount of care and professionalism. It’s been a pleasure to work with a group so committed to getting the detail right, while still keeping the heart of the story front and centre.”
Full details of ‘Come From Away’ can be found at www.tiptopproductions.co.uk where tickets can be booked online.
The Chester blog 