Ridge Roundup: Five Things We Learned from Richard's Chat with the Team of COME FROM AWAY

Come From Away has been 2017's little musical that could. Soon after opening at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, the show earned seven Tony nominations (picking up one for director Christopher Ashley), coming as quite a shock to the creative team that has been nurturing the project since the beginning.

The cast and creative team of the show recently joined Richard Ridge for SAG-AFTRA Foundation and BroadwayWorld's Conversations Q&A series. The group chatted about the challenges of creating the structure of the show, portraying real people, and so much more!

Below, are a few things we learned during Richard's chat with stars Geno Carr, Jenn Colella, Joel Hatch, Q.Smith, and creators Hein and Irene Sankoff,

Sankoff and Hein never expected the show to leave Canada.

The show's creators have described its monumental success as 'surreal.' Sankoff and Hein never expected the show to come to Broadway, and in fact, thought that the piece would be performed in Canadian high schools in celebration of Gander's historical hospitality on September 11th.

Cast member Geno Carr is an honorary police officer in Gander.

As a tribute to his portrayal of Sheriff Oz in the hit musical, cast member Geno Carr, who is making his Broadway debut in Come From Away, was made an honorary municipal police officer by the town of Gander, Newfoundland.

Folks from Gander braved a New York winter for opening night.

The real-life inspirations for the show's characters were in attendance for the show's opening night on Broadway. Fittingly, the evening was one of the coldest of last winter, but that didn't stop the folks from Gander from showing off their red carpet finery. Forgoing coats and hats for ball gowns and tuxes, the people of the notoriously chilly Gander didn't bat an eyelash at The New York City winter.

'Screech' is the official beverage of Gander

A spiced rum concoction known as 'screech' is the official signature beverage of Gander. The drink is traditionally served as part of a rite of passage ceremony known as a 'screech-in' where inductees imbibe and are made to kiss a fish, a tradition depicted onstage in the Tony Award-winning musical. In celebration of the musical, the cast, crew and team took part in one big screech-in, during which 75-80 people were baptized by the beverage.

Come From Away has inspired at least one fan tattoo.

The heartwarming musical has inspired a legion of fans, many of whom have payed multiple visits to the show. One super fan has taken her obsession to the next level with a CFA-inspired tattoo comprised of Jenn Colella's handwritten song lyrics and the Come From Away logo.