I had a chance to sketch Come from Away at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater (812 E. Rollins St., Orlando , FL) and I have to say it was an absolutely thrilling production. The music will have you bobbing your head and darn near stomping your feet.
Come from Away is a 2017 musical, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 39 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport. The characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and the stranded travelers they housed and fed.
Working on the poster was a challenge. I started by showing a plane with the title lying on the runway in perspective. That was fine, but it didn’t say much visually. I then switched to having an islander in a plaid long sleeve shirt welcoming the same plane. I liked the spreading of the wing’s analogy, but it could be interpreted as someone trying to stop or warn the plane. I hadn’t seen that interpretation coming.
I switched my focus to showing a long line of planes on a runway. I saw a sample of dashed lines that indicated the flight paths of planes and tried that on for size. It seemed like the solution was too graphic. The kissing of the fish scene was really fun, so I tried that as well, but that is just an isolated scene in the much larger story. I am a sucker for romance, so when the couple were drawn together by the tragedy, my heart soared.
I thought I hit gold when I showed the title overtaking a large airport timetable board. The problem however is that the play does not take place in an airport. It takes place in the community rooms and homes of the Gander residents. I started researching what Gander looks like but any attempt to show the island town started to look like a travel brochure.
Finally, Jim Helsinger said something like “less is more, try simplifying to just clouds in an open sky”. It was with this simplified mindset that I pulled away from crowds of people and lines of planes to focus instead of hands making the symbol I had seen so often in Orlando after the Pulse Nightclub shooting. Two cupped hands could create a human heart. I then started looking at sunsets and felt the heart created by a welcoming community should glow as if cupping the setting sun. I then put a small line of people at the bottom of the poster waving. This was the first time I showed the people facing front. They could be the Gander residents, or they could be the passengers.
The painting of the poster was rough and spontaneous since it had been done so fast. I like the human touch that is evident in how fast it was painted. If the art was created with AI it would be polished and mechanically smooth. I prefer to see the roughness of the sketch. This final version of the art sings. The struggle to find a solution sometimes pays off in spades.
You really need to see this show. It is so timely. It shows what can happen when a community comes together rather than being divisive. There will be a performance on September 11th and that show is a fundraiser. I was considering getting tickets for that night myself. It is bound to be an emotional evening. There are only a few tickets left.
In the Orlando Shakes, Margeson Theater (812 E Rollins Street Orlando, FL)
