Best Audition Songs for Come From Away

It feels like everyone is either currently performing in or auditioning for Come From Away these days! Understandably so, considering how the licensing rights were recently released, and it’s a popular show with a beautiful story and music. Daniel and I were lucky enough to be in one of the first community theatre productions, in early 2026!

Come From Away is contemporary musical theatre, but it isn’t a generic pop-rock show. Its score blends Newfoundland folk music, contemporary Broadway, and pop-rock with highly rhythmic, conversational storytelling. That means the best audition song isn’t necessarily the one with the biggest belt or highest note.

What Kind of Audition Song Should You Choose for Come From Away?

More than anything, this show needs actors who can make people feel real quickly. The same performer may move from one character to another with little more than a change in posture, voice, or jacket. Your audition song should give you something to act.

The safest place to start is contemporary musical theatre with conversational lyrics and a story to tell. Folk or Celtic influences can be a bonus, and pop-rock can work well too, but you don’t need to find a song that sounds exactly like the Come From Away score.

Best Come From Away Audition Songs for Women

A Way Back to Then — [title of show]

This was my own audition song for Come From Away, and I was cast in the production, so it gets a firsthand endorsement from me! It’s especially strong if you’re going after Beverley—the song moves through reflection, ambition, uncertainty, strength, and vulnerability without turning into a generic belt showcase.

Good for: Beverley, Bonnie, Janice

My House — Matilda

“My House” is a quieter choice, but not a boring one. It’s warm, specific, and deeply personal without asking you to manufacture a huge emotional moment. If you can make the audience care about the small details, you’re showing exactly the kind of restraint Come From Away needs.

Good for: Beulah, Hannah, Bonnie, Beverley

What Baking Can Do — Waitress

If you want something with more vocal energy, “What Baking Can Do” gives you belt, momentum, humor, and vulnerability. The faster sections are particularly useful: you have to keep the story clear instead of simply relying on the big notes.

Good for: Beverley, Janice, Bonnie

My Most Beautiful Day — Tuck Everlasting

This one is warm, reflective, and very story-forward. It doesn’t need to be oversung to land, and a good cut gives you a chance to connect directly with the room. That’s a nice match for a show where simple, honest choices often work better than a huge musical theatre moment.

Good for: Beverley, Diane, Beulah

All That Matters — Finding Neverland

“All That Matters” is a good option for performers who want to show maturity, compassion, and emotional depth without going too heavy. It feels adult, which matters in a show with so many middle-aged and older characters.

Good for: Hannah, Beulah, Bonnie

Here Alone — Little Women

“Here Alone” is a little more traditional in sound than some of the songs on this list, but it gives an actor a lot to work with. The character has a rich inner life, and the song can feel moving without becoming showy or melodramatic.

Good for: Hannah, Beulah

The Flagmaker, 1775 — Songs for a New World

The circumstances are very different, but “The Flagmaker, 1775” asks for something Come From Away asks for constantly: tell a high-stakes story clearly without turning it into melodrama. There’s fear, resolve, and uncertainty in the song, but the performer still has to stay grounded.

Good for: Beverley, Hannah, Bonnie

A Part of That — The Last Five Years

“A Part of That” is conversational, rhythmically precise, and full of thoughts that turn on a dime. It works well for a performer who is strongest when acting through a song rather than presenting a polished vocal showcase.

Good for: Diane, Janice, Beverley

Best Come From Away Audition Songs for Men

The Streets of Dublin — A Man of No Importance

This is one of the strongest stylistic matches on the list, and it comes with a real-world endorsement: the actor who ultimately played Kevin T in our production used “The Streets of Dublin” for his audition. The Celtic-inspired sound is very similar to songs in Come From Away, but the bigger reason it works is the personality and storytelling built into the song.

Good for: Kevin T, Oz, Bob

How It Ends — Big Fish

“How It Ends” is a strong choice for an adult male storyteller. It has real emotional weight, but it doesn’t depend on sounding young, trendy, or vocally flashy. The song lives or dies on whether you can communicate it, which makes it especially useful for the show’s mature male tracks.

Good for: Claude, Nick

Neverland — Finding Neverland

What we like about “Neverland” here is the build. It starts in a more contained place and gives you somewhere to go, both emotionally and vocally. A smart cut can show that you know how to let a song develop instead of starting at full intensity.

Good for: Kevin T, Kevin J, Bob, Nick

Real Life — tick, tick… BOOM!

“Real Life” works well for a younger, contemporary male sound. It sits on the pop-rock side of musical theatre, but it still feels personal and direct, with enough emotional complexity to give an actor something to do.

Good for: Kevin T, Kevin J, Bob

Say It to Me Now — Once

If folk or singer-songwriter material genuinely suits your voice, “Say It to Me Now” can be a great fit. It’s raw and much less polished than a traditional musical-theatre audition song, which can work beautifully for Come From Away if that style feels natural on you.

Good for: Kevin T, Kevin J, Bob

Something About Her — Pretty Woman

For Nick in particular, “Something About Her” is worth a look. It shows warmth and romantic interest without turning into an old-school leading-man number, and it leaves room for a mature performer to be charming without pushing too hard.

Good for: Nick

In the Way — Elf

This is a less obvious choice, but it’s useful for an actor-first performer. There’s humor, frustration, and an adult point of view, and you can do a lot with the character without needing a massive vocal moment.

Good for: Claude, Bob, Oz

Three Audition Songs That Actually Worked

One of the useful things about having gone through this production ourselves is that we don’t have to guess what can work in the room. Three very different choices from our audition process all led to casting, and they each worked for a different reason.

“A Way Back to Then” was my choice. It lined up well with the contemporary storytelling and emotional shifts in the show, and it gave me material I could really act.

“The Streets of Dublin” was used by the actor who was ultimately cast as Kevin T. His choice matched the musical world of Come From Away especially well, with its Celtic-inspired sound.

The most outside-the-box choice was “Confrontation” from Les Misérables. The actor who was ultimately cast as Bob performed both Valjean and Javert’s parts. He told us he chose it specifically because Come From Away asks its actors to switch rapidly between very different characters, and singing both sides let him demonstrate that skill right in the audition.

On paper, “Confrontation” breaks several rules we’d normally give you: it’s a duet, it comes from a very different musical style, and it depends heavily on context. But he had a clear reason for choosing it. That’s the larger lesson here. A smart audition song can match the character, match the musical world, or show a specific performance skill the production needs. You don’t always have to do all three.

What About Comedic Audition Songs?

Come From Away is very funny, but most of the comedy comes from recognizable people behaving like recognizable people. For tracks like Oz, Bob, Janice, or Beulah, you’d do better choosing a genuinely funny story than a novelty song that requires mugging or a big comic character voice.

Choose something that lets your timing and personality come through. You don’t need to prove that you can be the funniest person in the room.

Should You Sing “Me and the Sky” at a Come From Away Audition?

Unless the audition notice specifically asks for material from the show, we’d usually choose something else. In our production, the performers being considered for Beverley were asked to sing “Me and the Sky” at callbacks, so there was an opportunity to show we could handle the actual material later.

“Me and the Sky” certainly demonstrates the skills Beverley needs: fast storytelling, vocal stamina, humor, ambition, vulnerability, and a major emotional turn. But it’s also inseparable from the role and from Jenn Colella’s original performance. At an initial audition, another song gives the team more room to imagine what your Beverley might look like instead of comparing you to a performance they already know.

We’d use similar caution with “I Am Here.” It’s beautiful material, but so much of its impact comes from the circumstances surrounding it. Outside the show, you’d need to make sure the performance still feels truthful without trying to manufacture the weight of September 11.

What to Avoid When Choosing Your Song

You don’t need a generic contemporary belt anthem just because you can sing one. You also don’t need to chase the exact Newfoundland sound of the score or walk into the room doing an accent. Choose something that helps the team understand you as an actor.

Be careful with songs that feel much younger than the role you’re targeting, especially because so many Come From Away characters are middle-aged or older. And unless you have a very specific idea—like our Bob did with “Confrontation”—avoid material that needs a scene partner or a long plot explanation before it makes sense.

The Most Important Thing to Show

Choose a song that lets the casting team meet a person, not just a voice.

Come From Away moves quickly, and the strongest audition piece will let the creative team see you thinking, reacting, and changing as you sing. If the song gives you something specific to say and someone specific to say it to, you’re probably on the right track.

Explore More Come From Away Audition Resources

Read our Come From Away Show Guide for an overview of the show, characters, vocal demands, and what to focus on in the audition room.

Then, use the Audition Angel Song Finder to get recommendations tailored to the exact role or roles you’re targeting, your playable age, and your voice type.

You can also browse our full lists of audition songs for sopranos, altos, and belters.

Break a leg!

What would you sing for a Come From Away audition? Think we missed a great option—or got one wrong? Leave a comment and tell us what you’d choose.