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Come From Away, the Best Musical all across North America,

playing now at Chrysler Hall, lead Marika Aubrey shares stories from the musical

InterviewByYiorgo

SevenVenues Broadway in Norfolk series is proud to bring to Chrysler Hall, in Norfolk, Virginia Come From Away the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and Gander, the small town in Newfoundlandthatwelcomedthemon9/11 when all the planes were forced to land no matterwheretheywere,duetothehorrific attack of that day.

Winner of the 2019 Olivier Award in London and Best Musical all across North America, Newsweek says that this breathtaking musical, Come From Away “Takes you to a place you never want to leave!” It is playing now at Chrysler Hall through March 5th For tickets dates and times, go to https:// www.sevenvenues.com/events/detail/ come-from-away

Yiorgo:WithustodayisMarikaAubrey, who is the lead as Captain Beverley Bass Why should people come see Come From Away what will they see hear and experience?

MarikaAubrey: It is a story about unity, at a time when it’s much needed. The story really resonates with people and brings people together It’s all about no matter where you come from, your beliefs, faith, ancestry,whateverpartoflifeyouarefrom, what unites us is much stronger than what dividesus

Y: For those not familiar with it, what is thestoryabout?

MA: It is about a lesser known but very true story of what happened on the days right after 9/11, when a very small area at the very northern tip of North America, in Newfoundland,Canadaaccepted38planes and about seven thousand people while their population was only a few thousands Theyfedthem,theyclothedthemandmore importantly, they comforted them at a time when it was very scary They also formed incrediblefriendshipsandhadareallygood time.Thiswasoneofthefewpositivestories thatcameoutduringthattimeabout9/11

Y: The real life events that led to it are so tragic,andyouareportrayingrealpeople as an actor how do you humanize it, go about bringingthejoyoutinit?

MA: What’s really interesting is that most of our audience members are really surprised by the comedy in the show. It’s

Beach Events presents the first-ever Bulls and Barrels Beach Rodeo April 15-16

PressRelease

Bulls and Barrels Beach Rodeo will bring traditional American rodeo to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront as cowboys and cowgirls from across the country compete in extreme bull riding, barrel racing, and mini bull riding. The Rodeo will be Saturday April 15 and Sunday April 16 from 3pm-5pm on the beach at 3rdStreet

Sanctioned by the Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association (SEBRA) the topbullridersinthenation will go head-to-head for the chance to win $12,000 in cash and multiple gold buckles. Some of the bestranked cowgirls in the country will also compete inthebarrelracingcompetition,withthetopfinisher earning a coveted spot in theSEBRANationalFinals in September. Children can experience the action firsthandbysigningupfor muttonbusting.

Ticketsstartat$25andcanbepurchasedonlineatBeachEventsVB.com.Children 2 and under are free for regular general admission ET and VIP passes are alsoavailable,whichincludeaspecial“MeettheCowboysandCowgirls session plus a behind-the-scenes tour of the bullpens and horse corrals special beach seating,meetandgreetwiththerodeoclownandacommemorativeeventT-shirt.

VistitBeachEventsVB.comformoreinformation actually very entertaining and very funny because throughout humanity, the funniest thingscanhappenduringthosemomentsof awkwardencountersorbeinginunfamiliar circumstances It’s actually good territory forcomedy Theaudiencerecognizesthemselves in these people and the feelings they hadthemselvesduringthosedayspost9/11.

Y:Whatareyourmemoriesof9/11?

MA:Wewentaroundtherehearsalroom ontheveryfirstdayandwehadeverysingle person working on the project tell us their story of where they were on 9/11. For some people thatwasadirectconnection,forme I was in Australia and because of the time difference, it was night time and we were gettingreadyforbedwhentheplaneshitthe towers Wedidhaveabitofa“SlidingDoors” moment because my older brother worked in the financial district. He chose to come backtoAustraliaononeoftheactualflights, thesameflightnumberandplane,twodays before. So if it had been two days later we could have had a very direct connection to thetragicevents Going around the room, hearing everyone’sstories,nomatterwhereyouwerethat day,weallexperiencedfear,shockandwith thenewscyclenotbeingwhattheyaretoday, we were all kind of ignorant to what was going on We were all terrified because we didnotknowalotofinformationandifthis would continue or not. It was a scary time regardlessofwhereyouwereintheworld

Y:It’ssoexcitingtobeinthefirstNational Tour of Come From Away What drew you tothisplay?

MA: I am an original cast member of the first National Tour That is quite an honor I was actually a standby for the production and about 10 months in, I stepped into the role for the first time as Captain Beverley Bass and I have been with the show ever since. We had our mandatory holiday of 18 monthsoffwhenthepandemichit.Wecame back in October 2021 and we will be wrappingupthisMay.Ihavebeenwiththisshow forsixyears

Y:Whatdrewyoutothisshow?

MA:IgotthebriefandIlikesomanyhad not heard of these events I watched it on Broadwaytobebetterpreparedformyaudition and fell in love with the story and the people The way this show is constructed

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