Come From Away returns.

Canada’s most successful local musical—which tells the story of 38 planes that landed in Gander, NL, after the events of 9/11—is set to return to Toronto in 2024 after touring the National Center for the Arts in Ottawa.

Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced the new production, which will be led by an all-Canadian crew, at the NAC’s National Culture Summit on Monday night.

Rodriguez said he and his team began working on bringing the musical back to Canada after the record-breaking Toronto production, which ran for three years and 855 shows, was abruptly halted in December 2021 due to pandemic concerns.

"Come From Away,” he said, is an iconic story about the kind soul of Canadians—a story about kindness and compassion, and about Canadian values.” So when we heard the news of (the shutdown), we said, “We can’t let that happen.” “

The new production is scheduled to play a limited role at NAC’s 897-seat Babs Asper Theater in July and August 2024, before moving to Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theater for an open run beginning in September 2024.

Production in Ottawa will be funded in part by the $12.1 million allocated to NAC in last month’s federal budget. Mirvish Productions will then take over financial responsibility for the show when it moves to Toronto.

John Karstamatis, a spokesperson for Mirvish, said NAC contacted them after the original production shutdown in Toronto, asking if Mirvish would be willing to participate in the production of the reload.

“It was very sad, almost tragic when we lost the show in December,” he said. “So being able to get it back is a huge win for everyone – the creators and the creative team.”

Karastamatis noted that the new production will use props and sets from the original Toronto show, which are currently in stock. And he didn’t rule out the possibility of cast members from the original Canadian company returning to the show in 2024.

Come From Away original producer Michael Rubinoff said financial support from the federal government to help support production in Ottawa is a positive sign.

“The commercial theater sector has had no actual relationship with the federal government because of the nature of its business,” he said. “There was a willingness to listen and there was a willingness to educate about the importance of our part of our sector. I am very happy that we came to the conclusion we got.”