Carla Guevara-Laforteza reflects on her 9/11 experience through ‘Come From Away”
MANILA, Philippines — Whenever Carla Guevara steps on stage as Hannah in the critically acclaimed musical “Come From Away,” she doesn’t just portray a character, she somehow relives a part of her own life.
Set during the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, “Come From Away” tells the true story of how a small town in Newfoundland, Canada welcomed 7,000 stranded airline passengers when U.S. airspace was shut down. For Carla, who plays Hannah, a mother desperately trying to reach her firefighter son in New York, the story hits close to home, not only as a mother herself, but as someone who was in New York on that fateful day.
“I was actually in New York when this happened,” Carla recalled to The STAR. “I had just given birth to my eldest son on Sept. 1. Tapos Sept. 11 ‘to nangyari. Medyo hilo-hilo pa ako as a new mom.”
Her husband, then working as a delivery guy, was supposed to be near the Twin Towers that day. “I knew he had deliveries in Tribeca and in the Twin Towers kasi dun yung assignment niya for that day,” she shared. “Pero na-late yung delivery guy na friend niya. Kung hindi late, nandoon sila sa Twin Towers nung nangyari yun.”
That memory has added an emotional layer to her performance. “It was really a personal connection and experience. Dun ko na kuha yung hugot. I don’t know if it’s fate… kasi sila GMG (the producer) did not know my history… and to cast me in that particular role, not knowing that I actually experienced those feelings in real life, 23 years ago… So, it’s crazy, right?”
Looking back on her proximity to the 9/11 tragedy, The STAR asked if Carla, who eventually came home to Manila due to her husband’s job, felt traumatized by the experience.
“I couldn’t say I was traumatized,” she reflected. “During that time, when my husband finally got home that night — I wasn’t able to contact him the whole day, he went on foot because everything shut down and it took him eight hours just to get to our place — as soon as he was there, and I knew he was safe, the only thing that we could do really was pray.”
Her focus then — as it is now — was her family. “I was a new mom then. My first priority was my baby. And keeping my husband safe,” she said. “My parents were visiting at that time also… So we were a family in Queens.
“So, it was more of like, I just had to make sure that we were OK and Pinoy tayo, survivors tayo… We have to keep our mindset: ‘What do we have to do now to keep our family safe, our home safe, to keep food on the table?’ Just like during the pandemic.
“I avoid feeling trauma and always look at the positive things or kung ano man yung positive na nadulot nung situation na ‘yon.”
That maternal instinct and resolve to protect her family resonate in the story she brings to life on stage as Hannah in “Come From Away.”
“It was her son who sent her on a vacation,” Carla said. “She really didn’t wanna go on vacation but she did. So she ended up flying, and on her way back to America, that’s when 9/11 happened.”
When the attacks occurred, all incoming flights were diverted. “Di ba nung 9/11… U.S. airspace was shut down because of the bomb threats. They wanted to prevent any more airplanes coming into America,” Carla explained. “Gander, Newfoundland in Canada is one of the air emergency landing airports pala if you need to land in America but you cannot… dun ka magla-land.”
Hannah was among the 7,000 passengers rerouted to Gander. While there, she desperately tried to contact her son. “She really couldn’t kasi nga alam niyang firefighter, alam niyang frontliner. But of course, as a mom, natataranta siya. Walang nagsasabi sa kanya kung nasaan yung anak niya. Is he hurt? Is he alive? Because there’s no contact.”
Beyond the harrowing personal stories, the heart of “Come From Away” lies in the kindness of the people in Newfoundland, who despite a population of roughly 7,000, welcomed an equal number of passengers. “The Newfoundlanders, they’re like Filipinos. They were so ready to help. No questions asked,” Carla said.
“They dressed them, they clothed them, they fed them — no questions asked. Super bayanihan talaga, ganun yung effect.
“May nabuong friendship with the Newfoundlanders and these ‘come from aways,’” she added, referring to what locals called the unexpected guests.
And it is what the musical strives to highlight, she said.
“They want to make sure that the focus of the story is more on the love, compassion and kindness… that there are people in this world who have that,” Carla said.
“‘You need my help. I want to help you. I need to help you. I will help you.’ ‘Yun ang hina-highlight ng story. It’s so beautiful. Nakakaiyak. I cannot wait for you to watch it.”
Meanwhile, as a production, what makes “Come From Away” particularly unique — and challenging — is that it’s performed by only 12 actors portraying hundreds of characters. “We’re only 12 actors and there’s like 7,000 characters… Each of us had to be different characters, sometimes within a scene, within a split second,” Carla shared.
She transforms onstage through minimal props and instant character shifts: “My main character is Hannah… When I play a Newfoundlander — we call them the Ganderites — meron akong red cardigan na sinusuot, tapos iiba na naman yung accent ko, magiging Canadian. Then, there’s another scene where I become Muslim and wear a hijab… My accent is also different.”
The cast handles the scene changes themselves. “We’re also the ones changing the sets. Unlike in other musicals where there are crew members, eto kami talaga lahat… We change the scenes, we change the props, we change our costumes, we change our accents, we change our hairstyles, the way we walk — all in split seconds, all in front of the audience.”
She likens the ensemble to a “school of fish,” moving in perfect synchronicity. “I’m so proud that we’re able to do it seamlessly,” she said.
“Come From Away” is closing this June 29 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater. Tickets are available via TicketWorld.
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