You guys know I love being on stage, but there is a special performance that's going to be happening and I absolutely love this story, but it's a very emotional one.

Dear Evan Hansen is a Tony Award winning performance, and I have my friends with me here today.

We are up on the stage right now and I have to say, Brock, you always do a fantastic job with this.

But this is the first time I've seen the stage, this open.

I mean, we're all the way upstage here.

I know I look at it and I'm like, what?

Am I forgetting something?

Just so it's so open.

It is.

It is so.

Dear Evan Hansen, I mean, this has been around for, what, ten years or so around.

Yeah, it premiered on Broadway in 2016.

Okay.

Okay.

So it's been around a little, but I mean, it's won many Tony Awards.

It has a phenomenal storyline.

But again, it is it's very relatable, which is what we're saying just before we got started, but also very emotional.

Do you want to talk a little bit about the storyline itself?

Sure.

So the story of Durban Hansen is about a young man, Evan Hansen, and he has some struggles with anxiety and depression.

And through a misunderstanding, he comes in contact with a young man who committed suicide.

Family.

And they come to believe that he was their son's friend, that he wrote his suicide note to to Evan, and what starts as a well-intentioned I don't want to say the white lie, but yeah, it's kind of just spiral out of control.

He's almost wants to be that support person for the family, just to assure them that, yes, he was loved.

And that was very true.

I think even in our real lives, everyone is loved in some way or some form.

Right.

So I think it's very relatable in this.

And I know, especially with mental health in the with the younger group too.

It's important to share this kind of story.

Okay.

So this is your is this your first time here at my first time at Elkhart Civic?

Yeah.

Okay.

Awesome.

But you have a little bit of a theater background and you're playing Evan.

I'm playing Evan.

This is your first time playing Evan, though?

Yeah, I've never done this show.

That's a big role.

It is.

I'm really grateful to be a part of this.

Okay, so talk to me about that transition to becoming Evan Hansen.

What's it been like for you?

So it's it's been like very different from any of the roles that I've recently played.

Like, I've done like SpongeBob, I've done Macbeth.

Sorry, but you can't say it.

I don't believe in the superstition, but but those roles are completely different because Evan is so, like, real, like he's such a real person.

The writers of the script did a really good job with that, of just making it.

Like, he's definitely like someone that could have existed in our world today.

Like this.

All could have happened, I feel like.

And so being able to, to kind of like take on, like a persona that I feel like isn't unrealistic.

I feel it's been a different kind of like approach that I've taken, and I've kind of just been able to draw from myself because I've also been a more like shy, reserved kind of person, especially like in my youth.

And and so I've been able to take a lot from that and, and explore his character that way.

Yeah.

And this is a musical.

This is a musical.

Okay.

I mean, we got to talk about that because I love the music.

The music is so stunning.

And it's it's such an interesting musical because one of my, one of my team members said, it's like, this is a play where some of the conversations accidentally just happen to be set to music because it's it's just it's written when you're in a when you're in a scene, it's written like a really great drama.

Yeah.

And there are definitely funny moments.

Yeah.

I don't want it to sound like it's super heavy.

It definitely is.

But there's moments of levity.

But the score is just so stunning.

And Grammy Award winning score.

Tony Award winning score.

Wow.

Yeah, just great music.

Okay, so let's talk about the set here because again, this is the first time you guys have done something like this.

What went into the thought process to make this happen.

So the original production was very is very tricky to wrap my head around this show because the original production was all motorized.

So you had pieces like sofas that would just come on from the wings.

And so I had to say, how can everything move silently on and everything just transition so seamlessly?

And it's very minimal.

Almost every location is 1 or 2 pieces that suggests the space.

And then we've got the back wall.

We are using the projections from the original Broadway production.

Oh, cool.

So we have the original Broadway production projections, and they kind of are part of the set.

The projections tell a huge part of the story.

You've got text messages and and phone calls that all come up on the back wall.

Now, I know that again, this is an emotional show.

What's it been like working with the cast and coming into these characters?

It's been so amazing.

Like, I've so enjoyed being able to meet all these new people and work with them.

Everyone is just super nice and welcoming and getting to see everyone like, fall into their characters.

I feel like has been really cool and it's been like a different kind of community, I guess, that I've had within this show because it's all people that I like, mostly people that I had never seen before, anything, never heard of them.

So it's been really cool to get to meet them.

And it's a relatively small cast, isn't it?

It is.

It was originally on Broadway with a cast of eight.

We've added an ensemble of five, and there are some moments that we've incorporated into our production that you won't be expecting.

If, you know, we've we've that was going to be my next question.

Like, is there any what kind of liberties have you taken to maybe make it your own here at all of it?

Well, it was really important to me that we cast it age appropriate.

Sometimes you'll see, like a 30 year old Evan.

And so all of, all of our high school characters in this show are actual high school age or like early 20s.

I think 21 or 22 is the oldest high school age character in the show, and this cast is more new people.

Yeah, than I've ever worked with before.

Four of the five teen leads I've never worked with before really well, that's exciting for you guys.

I mean, it's exciting for the organization itself too.

It's wonderful and everyone just fits into their roles so perfectly.

I just I said to my assistant director, Stacey had auditions.

I'm like, pinch me.

This cast is just like, they're just a joy to work with and they're so incredibly talented.

You do not want to miss this company, I love that.

And speaking of that, so when can people see this performance?

Because it's coming up.

It's coming up.

We open Friday night.

So it is Friday and Saturday of this week and then Friday, Saturday and Sunday of next week.

I love that.

Okay.

So when people come to this I want to make sure they're aware.

Again, we've kind of touched on what the topic is, but it is probably not age appropriate for younger ones.

Definitely.

I would say this is more like a PG 15.

And even then I think, you know, parents will want to use their judgment on on what you know, what their child or even themselves as to I know we were talking a little bit beforehand to this is a very sensitive topic, and almost anybody in this entire world has known someone who has dealt with mental health issues, or maybe they have themselves too.

So I would definitely recommend bring your tissues for this one, because even though it has the full storyline, some parts are very emotional and and again, very relatable.

And I love that you're using a cast that is coordinated with actual ages two that's really unique for you guys and being able to expand it within that.

What's it been like to kind of find those folks here in Michiana?

Because we are so talented with this regional premiere.

This is the first time.

It's the first time anybody in our area has done this show.

And so we were overwhelmed at auditions.

We had over 40 young people auditioned for the show, many of whom we had never seen before, just people who were excited about telling the story, passionate about the material, passionate about the message of the story.

And yeah, this is a story that really will.

I just think it's it's maybe one of the most important things that I've ever had a hand in, just from a, from a content perspective.

And I know for you, this is your first time playing this type of role.

But I'm telling you, this is going to impact the rest of your life, right?

Like, yeah, you're going to feel this, you're going to know this show so well, and it's always going to be a story that you're going to be able to tell.

Yes, I've absolutely felt myself like growing as a performer just in the few weeks that we've been working on the show.

I really appreciate being here.

That's awesome.

All right, well, come on out.

Opening night is tomorrow night.

Break a leg and we'll see you here.

Thanks, Courtney.