At the first read-through of "Come From Away" at the Vero Beach Theatre Guild, one of the first exercises asked everyone for their own memories of Sept. 11, 2001. Cast members who were too young to remember, or not yet born, told their parents' stories instead. "It really made us all think," board president Dee Rose told Vero News in its Oct. 15 season preview.
That production has three performances left. Two more shows follow it before the year ends, one in a room with about 50 seats and one built around Ebenezer Scrooge. All three run at 2020 San Juan Avenue. This fall the Guild is also working without state arts funding and with stage repairs ahead of it, so the people who buy tickets between now and Dec. 20 are carrying more of the season than usual.
Three Chances Left to Land in Gander
"Come From Away" tells the true story of Gander, Newfoundland. When U.S. airports closed after the 9/11 attacks, 38 planes were diverted there, and the town took in 7,000 stranded passengers, which was about double its own population. The Tony-nominated musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein runs 90 minutes in one act with no intermission.
Here's what remains on the Guild's ticketing calendar as of publication day:
- Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m., the closing matinee
Halloween night has no performance, so the run ends with the Sunday matinee the day after the trick-or-treaters.
The Guild got the Broadway blocking and was allowed to use as much of it as it wanted. That includes the subplot about the animals stuck in the planes' cargo holds, among them two rare bonobos. "The actors actually make the animal noises," Rose told Vero News. "We have a whole bunch of animal carriers already lined up on a cart, so our Bonnie, the SPCA character, can talk to them."
The show page also invites patrons to donate a ticket so a local first responder can see the production, as a thank-you for their service. Rose said the Guild scheduled the show in its fall slot to put the focus on "humanity helping humanity" rather than only on the devastation of that day.
Why the Rest of the Fall Leans on Ticket Buyers
The same Vero News preview reported that the Florida Division of Arts and Culture turned down the Guild's grant application. All but three other arts organizations in Indian River County were turned down too. Rose was matter-of-fact about it: "It was a hit, but we will survive. We were hoping for the grant and we didn't get it, so we need to turn to our patrons and see if they can help a little bit." She said the money is needed for stage repairs.
Her bigger request was simpler. "We are the best-kept secret in town sometimes, and I don't want to keep it a secret."
That puts the fall schedule in a different light. Season 69 started in July with "Cry Baby: The Musical" and continued with "Steel Magnolias" in September. In a normal year, the Guild puts on four musicals and two plays on its Mainstage, which seats more than 200, plus three productions in a smaller room that holds about 50. November and December use both rooms, and both rooms now rely on the people in the seats.
November Moves Into the 50-Seat Room
When "Come From Away" closes, the next show moves into the Black Box After Dark, which the Guild also calls its Studio Theatre. It seats about a quarter of the Mainstage audience, so each performance holds far fewer people. Each night there is closer to a living-room concert than a big musical.
The show is "Songs for a New World," Jason Robert Brown's song cycle about people at turning points in their lives. A live trio plays the score. "It's kind of an obscure show, but it's very appropriate," Rose told Vero News. "It's about people looking forward to a new world and the different things that they're doing to move on with their lives."
The Guild lists the run as Nov. 12 through 21. The ticket calendar has slightly different times from the Mainstage shows, with 8 p.m. curtains Nov. 12 through 14 and Nov. 19 through 21, and 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15. The calendar also lists a 7 p.m. performance on Sunday, Nov. 22, which isn't in the published run dates. Check the ticket page before you plan around that night.
Adult tickets for this run are $35, or $37.55 with fees. Veteran tickets are $29.75, or $32.04 with fees. With about 50 seats a night, the weekend shows will likely fill before the Mainstage shows do.
Scrooge Gets His Second Try at Becoming a Tradition
The Mainstage reopens for "A Christmas Carol: The Musical," which runs Dec. 11 through 20 and is rated PG. This is the Guild's second year in a row with the show. "We are trying something new to see if we can continue it as a tradition," Rose told Vero News.
Rose framed the second year as a test of whether the show can become a December fixture on San Juan Avenue. That test lands in the same season as the denied state grant and the stage repairs.
The Christmas Carol calendar has 7:30 p.m. evening shows on Dec. 11, 12, 16, 17, 18 and 19. Matinees are at 2 p.m. on Dec. 12, 13, 19 and 20. The two Saturdays each have a matinee and an evening show, so you can pair one with holiday errands or a dinner out.
Pricing is the same as "Come From Away." Depending on the seat, adult tickets are $35 or $40, veteran tickets $29.75 or $34, and student tickets $17.50 or $20. With fees, those come to $37.55 or $42.80 for adults, $32.04 or $36.50 for veterans, and $19.18 or $21.80 for students.
The Fall at 2020 San Juan Avenue, by Date
| Production | Room | Remaining dates | Curtain times | Adult ticket before fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Come From Away | Mainstage, 200+ seats | Oct. 29, Oct. 30, Nov. 1 | 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. | $35 or $40 |
| Songs for a New World | Black Box After Dark, about 50 seats | Nov. 12–21 | 8 p.m.; Sunday at 7 p.m. | $35 |
| A Christmas Carol: The Musical | Mainstage, 200+ seats | Dec. 11–20 | 7:30 p.m. evenings; 2 p.m. matinees | $35 or $40 |
Passes for the season are sold through the Guild's Season 69 page. That page also lists the Mainstage shows for the rest of the season. After the holidays, the Black Box hosts "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again]" from Jan. 7 to 16. "Mame" takes the Mainstage from Feb. 26 to March 14, 2027, and "Noises Off" runs from April 23 to May 9, 2027. The Black Box's "Vanities: A New Musical" runs March 18 to 27.
Some of the best parts of living near Vero Beach Country Club never show up on a listing sheet, like a closing matinee on San Juan Avenue or a holiday musical deciding whether it comes back next year. If you'd like to talk through which corners of Vero fit the way you spend your evenings, Alexis Miller would love to hear from you. Schedule Your Personalized Vero Beach Consultation.
