Touring Company Performs “Welcome to the Rock”

Each year students in Honors Theatre 3 and 4 are members of ESJ’s Touring Company.  Touring Company is taught by Taylor Horne ’00, Performing Arts Department Chair and Upper School Theatre Chair, along with Jono Hustis, Middle School Theatre Director, Dawn Morrow, Director of Dance, and Anthony Felton, Accompanist and Music Instructor. Part of Touring Company’s curriculum is choosing a song from a musical to perform throughout the year. This year the selected song is “Welcome to the Rock” from the musical “Come From Away.” “Come from Away” is based on the true story about the people of Gander, Newfoundland, in the week following the September 11 attacks. The musical highlights the people of Gander as they welcome, house, and feed 7,000 people from the 38 planes diverted to the island after airspace was closed. After seeing the show on the annual Fine Arts Trip in January of 2020,  Ms. Horne chose the song as this year’s piece.

“When I realized we were coming up on the 20th anniversary, it seemed like a fitting way to commemorate the events of 9/11,” said Taylor.  Touring Company has performed the song for each partner school visit and will continue to work on the piece for additional performances.