For The First Time in Modern American History, The National Tour of A Broadway Show Performed At U.S. Military Installations

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Aug 22, 2024, 08:30 ET

The National Tour of COME FROM AWAY Performed an Exclusive Live Concert Version for the Military Community at Three Military Installations, Organized By the USO and No Guarantees Productions

NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in modern American history, the national tour of a Broadway show performed for the military community at U.S. military installations.

COME FROM AWAY performs at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The show was organized by the USO and No Guarantees Productions.

The national tour of COME FROM AWAY, a Tony-award-winning musical, performed an exclusive live concert version of the show at three military installations, organized by the USO and No Guarantees Productions. COME FROM AWAY tells the remarkable true story of the people of Gander, Newfoundland, and 7,000 stranded airline passengers who were forced to land there when U.S. air space was closed on September 11, 2001. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.

Bringing Broadway shows to the military community has long been on the USO's radar. In 2022, No Guarantees Productions approached the USO with the idea of bringing a Broadway production directly to service members and their families. COME FROM AWAY, given its story and themes around family and forging connections, was determined to be the perfect fit for the exclusive tour. Over the past twelve months, the teams worked together to make the tour a reality.

The first stop of the tour was Wright-Patterson Air Force Base outside of Dayton, Ohio on August 20.
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was one of the first bases to be notified on 9/11. The second stop was at Fort Knox in Kentucky on August 21.

On August 23, the tour headed to Fort Campbell on the Kentucky–Tennessee border. This stop is especially poignant as the COME FROM AWAY company participated in base engagement activities, which included interactive unit visits, a visit to the USO Fort Campbell Center, and a visit to the Gander Memorial. The Gander Memorial commemorates the over 200 members of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) who lost their lives in 1985 in a plane crash in Gander, Newfoundland, the same location COME FROM AWAY takes place.

"We are so grateful to No Guarantees Productions and the COME FROM AWAY cast and crew for including these military communities and bringing this remarkable show exclusively to service members and their families," said Jennifer Wahlquist, Vice President, USO Global Entertainment. "Providing live entertainment is a thrilling experience the USO delivers – there is nothing quite like it – and we were so honored by the opportunity to host not only the cast and crew but feature a national tour performance for the first time during a USO tour."

"No Guarantees is honored to bring a Broadway musical to U.S. military installations for the first time in our country's modern history," said Christine Schwarzman, President of No Guarantees. "COME FROM AWAY's poignant portrayal of one community's compassion and resilience perfectly mirrors the very ethos of U.S. military members and their families: selfless service, unwavering commitment, and boundless generosity. This extraordinary show, based on a remarkable true story, has become a beacon of hope and humanity for everyone who experiences it. We are deeply grateful to the USO for partnering with us on this significant endeavor, and we hope this inaugural production is only the beginning of our partnership."

"We are so excited and honored to bring COME FROM AWAY to a brand new audience of American service members and their families," said David Hein and Irene Sankoff, the show's writers. "COME FROM AWAY is a story about kindness, overcoming differences, and the world coming together that feels more relevant now than ever."

"We are so thrilled to partner with the USO to bring COME FROM AWAY to these military installations this summer," said Executive Producer, Mimi Intagliata. "There's no better way for us to celebrate the best of humankind than sharing this remarkable true story with military members and their families."

The USO is the leading nonprofit dedicated to the well-being of all people serving in the U.S. military and their families. USO Global Entertainment is just one of many programs the organization provides for the military community. The program partners with entertainment, gaming, and sports industries, to bring celebrities and athletes to military locations worldwide which creates meaningful interactions that raise the morale of service members and their families and remind them how much their sacrifice is valued. Last year, USO Global Entertainment led 22 in-person tours with 175 events traveling to 11 countries including to one ship at sea.

About the USO
The USO is the leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the well-being of the people serving in America's military and their families. Since 1941, the USO has been by the side of service members throughout their military service. Impactful support is provided through our 250+ locations around the world, a robust care package delivery program, global entertainment, military spouse and youth programming, and much more, all made possible by dedicated donors, corporate partners, volunteers and staff. To learn more and support our critical mission around the globe, please visit USO.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About No Guarantees Productions
No Guarantees Productions is the Tony Award-winning, theatrical production company bringing artist-driven, universally appealing stories to life. Founded in 2017, No Guarantees Productions is on a mission to reinvigorate and reimagine Broadway through outstanding productions, strategic investments, community engagement, innovative tech initiatives, and bold creative decisions. No Guarantees Productions produced James Ijames' Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Fat Ham, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bad Cinderella, and co-produced Merrily We Roll Along and Hadestown, among many other shows. Current and upcoming productions include Player Kings and Saheem Ali, Jocelyn Bioh, and Michael Thurber's musical Goddess. In 2024, No Guarantees Productions released research examining Millennial and Gen Z opinions of Broadway to understand how the industry can cultivate new audiences and recently made a strategic investment in theater and live entertainment performance marketing agency, SINE Digital. Learn more at noguarantees.com.

About COME FROM AWAY
COME FROM AWAY tells the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. A "Best Musical" winner all across North America, the smash hit musical has won the Tony Award for "Best Direction of a Musical" (Christopher Ashley), 4 Olivier Awards (London) including "Best New Musical," 5 Outer Critics Circle Awards (NYC) including "Outstanding New Broadway Musical," 3 Drama Desk Awards (NYC) including "Outstanding Musical," 4 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards (North American Tour) including "Best Production," 4 Helen Hayes Awards (D.C.) including "Outstanding Production of a Musical," 4 Gypsy Rose Lee Awards (Seattle) including "Excellence in Production of a Musical," 6 San Diego Critics Circle Awards including "Outstanding New Musical," 3 Toronto Theatre Critics Awards including "Best New Musical," 3 Dora Awards (Toronto) including "Outstanding New Musical/Opera" and "Outstanding Production," and the 2017 Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award (Toronto).

About NETworks Presentations
NETworks is an industry-leading producer of touring theatrical productions, committed to delivering quality entertainment to audiences worldwide for more than 25 years. Current and upcoming productions include A Beautiful Noise, Beetlejuice, The Book of Mormon, Come From Away, Elf the Musical, Funny Girl, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Mean Girls, Peter Pan, and To Kill a Mockingbird. networkstours.com

Contact
Julie Halpin
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SOURCE No Guarantees