Michael Rubinoff
Only four Canadian musicals in history have seen the light of day on Broadway. In 2017, producer Michael Rubinoff’s Come From Away – a heart-warming tale of kindness and generosity in the face of tragedy – made it to No. 5.
Rubinoff, BA’98, LLB’01, who has been the associate dean of Visual and Performing Arts at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont. since 2011, came up with the idea for the musical in the aftermath of 9/11, when he was a young lawyer, articling at a Bay Street firm.
At the time of the attacks on the Twin Towers, 38 planes were grounded at the airport near Gander, Nfld., with 6,579 passengers on board. Locals welcomed the passengers into their homes to rest, gave them hot meals, offered showers and even entertained their guests.
Deeply moved by the outpouring of kindness and humanity shown by the people of Gander during such a frightening time, Rubinoff felt others would respond to the story in a similar way.
In November, the Mark Gordon Company said it will produce and finance a feature film adaptation of the show.
