Seattle Rep Celebrates COME FROM AWAY's Tony Nominations, New Play Development

With great excitement, Seattle Repertory Theatre celebrates the multiple Tony Award, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and Drama League Award nominations of the world-premiere production Come From Away, now playing the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway.

With book, music, and lyrics by the Canadian husband-and-wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein (My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding), Come From Away world premiered at Seattle Rep in a co-production partnership with La Jolla Playhouse in 2015, and went on to open on Broadway in March 2017.

"In my first season as artistic director, we made a commitment to expand the breadth of our programming, to invest more in the work we were putting on our stages, and to open our doors wider to the community," Braden Abraham, Seattle Rep Artistic Director comments. "Come From Away is a testament to all three of those commitments. It reflects the exciting partnerships we formed during the development and premiere, as well as the dedication, work, and talent of our incredible staff and board over the last two seasons. We are thrilled to see Come From Away garner so much recognition in New York this awards season - it is an invigorating and powerful musical brought to fruition by an incredible team of artists that celebrates the best of our humanity. We are honored to have had a hand in bringing it to an international audience."

Seattle Rep will continue to invest in the development of new, exciting plays and musicals for its adventurous and enthusiastic audiences. In fact, Seattle Rep's upcoming season includes four premieres, three of which - Pride and Prejudice, Ibsen in Chicago, and Mac Beth - were developed at Seattle Rep. The Rep is committed to pushing into new programming territory as well, as was done with Come From Away, the first musical on the Bagley Wright Theatre stage in 15 years; as is currently being explored onstage with the incredible, immersive musical experience of Here Lies Love; and as the region will experience next season with The Odyssey, part of Public Works Seattle, a bold new city-wide collaboration between Seattle Rep and five partner organizations in the community.

On May 2, Come From Away received 7 Tony Award nominations including: Best Musical; Best Score: David Hein and Irene Sankoff; Best Book of a Musical: David Hein and Irene Sankoff; Best Director of a Musical: Christopher Ashley; Best Choreography: Kelly Devine; Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Jenn Colella; and Best Lighting Design for a Musical: Howell Binkley. The Tony Awards will be presented on June 11.

On April 27, Come From Away received 9 Drama Desk Award nominations including: Outstanding Musical; three for David Hein and Irene Sankoff for Outstanding Music, Outstanding Lyrics, and Outstanding Book of a Musical; Christopher Ashley for Outstanding Director of a Musical; Kelly Devine for Outstanding Choreography; Jenn Colella for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical; August Eriksmoen for Outstanding Orchestrations; and Toni-Leslie James for Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical. The Drama Desk Awards will be presented on June 4.

On April 25, Come From Away earned 7 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations including:Outstanding New Broadway Musical; David Hein and Irene Sankoff for Outstanding Book of a Musical and Outstanding New Score; Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley for Outstanding Director of a Musical; Kelly Devine for Outstanding Choreography; Jenn Colella for Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical; and Gareth Owen for Outstanding Sound Design. The Outer Critics Circle Awards will be presented on May 8.

On April 19, Come From Away was honored with a Drama League Award nomination for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical. Drama League Awards will be presented on May 18.

Come From Away is based on an inspiring true story. September 11, 2001 was an ordinary day in isolated Gander, Newfoundland-until it wasn't. Thirty-eight planes were diverted to its doorstep on that fateful day, making this small town unexpected hosts to an international community. The camaraderie that followed reminds us of the power inherent in opening up your heart and your home.

The Tony Award-winning Seattle Repertory Theatre is one of America's premier non-profit resident theatres, internationally renown for its consistently high production and artistic standards. Awarded the 1990 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Seattle Rep puts an emphasis on entertaining plays of true dramatic and literary worth, producing seasons of plays along with educational programs, new play workshops, and special presentations. The organization was founded in 1963 and is currently led by Artistic Director Braden Abraham and Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann. Visit SeattleRep.org.

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