South Lakes Theatre takes flight with ‘Come From Away’

By Chuck Cascio, author and former South Lakes Teacher

It is no accident that the South Lakes High School Theatre Arts Department has become the first school in the D.C. metropolitan area to win Critics and Awards Program (Cappies) honors for Best Musical, Best Critic Team and Best Play in a four-year period. The theatre program has established itself in recent years under the leadership of faculty member Michael Viola, who is proud to have students take on multiple shows again this year, including the award-winning musical "Come From Away," the true story of 7,000 airline passengers who found themselves stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, because of the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

How did such a unique show become part of the high school's production schedule? "After I saw a high school pilot production of ‘Come From Away’ in January 2026 at the Virginia Thespian Festival, I became hooked on the story and score," Viola explained. "When the rights became available a month later, I saw it as a sign. I felt confident that my students would excel both in their performances on stage and in their technical work behind the scenes."

The fact that the storyline is an important piece of recent history was also a major consideration for Viola. He felt it was meaningful to contextualize the significance of 9/11 for his theatre students so they could appreciate the story's uniqueness. "I've spent the first month of school emphasizing the gravity of 9/11 to the show's cast and crew," Viola said. "It's amazing to see how these kids rise to the occasion."

To help raise awareness of the impact of 9/11, Viola has brought in guest speakers, assigned research projects, shown documentaries and had his students read other works about the tragic events. "We are also looking into the real people that ‘Come From Away’ is based upon," he said. "All of this is in an effort to tell the story authentically."

The show will be performed at South Lakes High School Nov. 18-21, and Viola is understandably excited not only because of the musical's deep emotional elements, but also from a performance standpoint. "For the students involved in ‘Come From Away,’ this is their first time working with documentary/verbatim-style theatre," he said. "They are portraying real people, saying dialogue that was actually spoken. There's a responsibility that comes with this, and I know the students will benefit by bringing those words to life and by being the first school in our immediate area to do so."

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18-21, with a Saturday, Nov. 21, matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults and can be purchased online at www.slakestheatre.com/ or at the door. On opening night, first responders who attend the show will be admitted free of charge.

"Whether or not some audience members are familiar with the "Come From Away" story," Viola said, "they will be emotionally impacted. The script is poignantly relevant, especially with this year being the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and the score is deeply moving. It's hard to hear anything like it in musical theatre. So many cultures, religions and identities are represented. ‘Come From Away’ is really a story for everyone."