May 5, 2017: As one of the producers of the Broadway hit, Come From Away, Sheridan is the first post-secondary institution in Canada to receive a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical. In fact, only five Canadian musicals have ever made it to Broadway. Come From Away, the story of how the people of Gander, Nfld. opened their doors and hearts to 7000 stranded 9/11 passengers, was first developed at Sheridan as part of the Canadian Music Theatre Project (CMTP).
The CMTP is Canada’s leading incubator for music theatre development; 15 new musicals have been development with four moving from school to professional stage including Come From Away. Michael Rubinoff, Sheridan’s Associate Dean, Visual and Performing Arts, launched the Canadian Music Theatre Project (CMTP) at Sheridan in 2011. Rubinoff approached the writers, Irene Sankoff and David Hein, with the challenge of creating a musical about this historical moment. In 2012, Come From Away was developed as part of the CMTP and brought to life by students in the Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program. In 2017, the show premiered on Broadway after stops in Toronto, San Diego, Seattle and Washington. The show will return to Toronto in 2018.