Photo: Members of the cast of ‘Come From Away’ bring the story of Gander, Newfoundland, to life on the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts stage. The Tony Award-winning musical, based on the true events following September 11, 2001, continues this Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6 at 7pm. Photo by InFocus Photography.
There is something special about the beginning of a repertory season.
The paint is barely dry. Actors are still discovering new moments. A joke lands differently than it did the night before. A song suddenly reveals something no one expected. Audiences sense it too. What they’re witnessing isn’t simply a finished production, but a company coming alive in real time. That process is now underway at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts.
This Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6 at 7pm, Come From Away returns following an opening weekend that reminded audiences why this modern classic has become one of the most beloved musicals of the last decade. Based on the true story of the small Newfoundland town that welcomed 7,000 stranded airline passengers after September 11, 2001, Come From Away could easily have been a story about tragedy. Instead, it is a story about kindness. The musical celebrates the ordinary people who chose to help when the world suddenly stopped making sense. Filled with humor, heart, and a soaring folk-inspired score, it has become one of Broadway’s most cherished contemporary musicals.
Director Andrew Barratt Lewis, who recently concluded his work on the production, believes that universal humanity is what makes the show resonate so deeply with audiences.
“Every rehearsal reminded us that audiences don’t leave this show talking about airplanes or world events. They leave talking about people. They leave believing, at least for a little while, that kindness still matters. That’s what makes Come From Away such a special piece of theatre.”
While audiences are discovering Come From Away, another company of artists is hard at work down the hall. Last Friday, rehearsals began for Stephen Sondheim’s Company, opening June 12. When Company premiered in 1970, it changed the landscape of musical theatre. Gone were the traditional love stories and tidy endings. In their place was a smart, funny, and often surprisingly emotional examination of modern relationships.
At its center is Bobby, surrounded by friends, marriages, and questions he can no longer avoid. More than fifty years later, Sondheim’s score remains remarkably contemporary, filled with wit, insight, and songs that continue to resonate with audiences navigating the complexities of connection, commitment, and adulthood. This fresh new production promises to bring those timeless questions into a distinctly modern world.
Then, on June 26, the season expands again with Fiddler on the Roof, one of the most beloved musicals ever written.
Set in the village of Anatevka, Fiddler on the Roof follows Tevye and his family as they navigate changing traditions, changing generations, and a rapidly changing world. Featuring unforgettable songs including “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” and “Sunrise, Sunset,” the musical remains a powerful celebration of family, faith, resilience, and community.
One of the unique joys of summer theatre in Pagosa Springs is the repertory model itself. The same company of professional performers appears across multiple productions, allowing audiences to watch actors transform from role to role as the season unfolds. A performer who makes you laugh in one show may break your heart in another just a few days later.
All three productions will continue throughout the summer, but there is a compelling argument for seeing them now rather than waiting until August. By late summer, these productions will be polished and seasoned. Today, they possess something equally exciting: possibility. Audiences have the opportunity to witness the discoveries, surprises, and electricity that come with a season just finding its stride.
Summer arrives quickly in the mountains. So do these performances. The season has begun.
Tickets for Come From Away, Company, and Fiddler on the Roof are available by calling 970-731-SHOW
(7469), stopping by the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts box office, or visiting pagosacenter.org.