There are some performances that stay with you long after the curtain closes. Eight O’Clock Theatre’s production of Come From Away was one of them.

Our Registry Tampa Bay team had the opportunity to attend the show on September 11, marking 25 years since the attacks that changed our country and so many lives forever. Seeing Come From Away on that anniversary made an already powerful story feel even more meaningful.

The musical tells the true story of thousands of airline passengers who were unexpectedly diverted to Newfoundland, Canada, when U.S. airspace closed on September 11, 2001. Among those passengers was our own Molly duPont.

Following the performance, Molly joined a special Talk Back to share her firsthand experience of having her flight diverted that day and the kindness she encountered from complete strangers in Canada during an unimaginable moment in history.

Hearing her story after watching those experiences come to life on stage was moving. Twenty-five years may have passed, but the weight of September 11 does not simply go away. For those who lived through it, the memories remain, and for the generations that came after, continuing to tell these stories matters.

The entire Registry Tampa Bay team was proud to be there to support Molly and Eight O’Clock Theatre. Hands down, it was one of the best shows I have ever seen… the talent, emotion and heart behind this production were remarkable.

As someone who is both Canadian and American, I walked away especially proud. Come From Away is a reminder that even during one of our darkest days, there were extraordinary acts of kindness, humanity and connection on both sides of the border.

Twenty-five years later, that is a story worth remembering.

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