It’s rehearsal day for Nomad Stages’ When the World Stopped. It’s a musical, play and a deep reflection on how people in Stephenville, on N.L.’s west coast, were affected by 9/11.
Performers, dancers and singers fill the Arts and Culture Centre stage to practice the songs while artistic director and owner of Nomad Stages, Louann Davis, takes notes.
“We did Come from Away back in June,” Davis said.
“A lot of people mentioned that was Gander’s story and Stephenville has its own story. So we started tossing around some ideas of what we could do to represent our own town, and especially now that it is the 25th anniversary.”
The production contains short clips and skits based around people affected by the stranded passengers and reflects the turmoil of that emotional day.
“Back then, I was working at Jack and Jill’s nursery school,” explained Denise Ryan, who performs with Nomad Stages. “We had many preschoolers with us and we were outside and we started to see the planes landing at our airport and we had no idea. Then, the phone started to ring.”
A scene in the play depicts a teacher and her students watching the planes land through the school’s classroom window.
“We were all affected, and this is big for all of us,” said Ryan.
When the World Stopped will be performed Sept. 11 and 12 at the Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre for the community to take in.
“I hope that they feel a sense of pride in our community because we did do our part on that day,” said Davis.
The day the twin towers fell, Stephenville saw eight commercial flights and five smaller private planes. The airport was ready for 27 planes to land, but it got too foggy and many planes were diverted elsewhere.
Stephenville has its own 9/11 story involving stranded passengers
It’s a day Stephenville Mayor Bob Byrnes will never forget.
“Each year, we look back and remember 9/11 with a different perspective than an average Newfoundlander would. The town is … still very much of a part of what happened on that day,” said Byrnes.
He says the tradition of being close to Americans and the American military was very much kept alive around 9/11, with over 30 military aircraft landing in Stephenville just the year prior for Harmon Field Day, a massive biennial air show and military reunion festival.
Stephenville, once known as the Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, was established in 1941. It became a major refueling stop for planes and emergency landings between North America and Europe. The base closed in 1966, but the town still cherishes its American connections, especially on 9/11.
Byrnes remembers staff at the College of the North Atlantic housing and cooking for most of the stranded passengers. Many slept in hotels in Stephenville and some were bused to hotels in nearby Corner Brook.
On Friday, the Knights of Columbus will host a special service at St. Stephen’s Parish to commemorate the anniversary, with uniformed first responders and veterans welcome to join and pray for those lost.
“It was a very emotional time for a lot of people,” said Byrnes.
