SECOND STAGE THEATRE announces full casting and creative team for New York premiere of DEAR EVAN HAN

SECOND STAGE THEATRE ANNOUNCES

FULL CASTING AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR NEW YORK PREMIERE OF

DEAR EVAN HANSEN

BEN PLATT

To Reprise His Critically Acclaimed Performance as Evan Hansen

LAURA DREYFUSS, MIKE FAIST, RACHEL BAY JONES, WILL ROLAND, and Tony Nominee JENNIFER LAURA THOMPSON

Will Also Reprise Their Performances From the World Premiere Production in Washington, D.C.

Tony Nominee JOHN DOSSETT and KRISTOLYN LLOYD Complete the Company

Book by Steven Levenson

Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul

Choreography by Danny Mefford

Directed by Michael Greif

Performances Begin Saturday, March 26

Official Opening Sunday, May 1

* * * * * * * *

Tickets Go On Sale Wednesday, February 3 at 12:00pm

First 50 Ticket Buyers at the Second Stage Theatre Box Office Will Receive Complimentary Dear Evan Hansen T-Shirt

February 2, 2016 – Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director, Casey Reitz, Executive Director), in association with Stacey Mindich Productions, has announced complete casting and creative team for its upcoming production of the new musical, DEAR EVAN HANSEN.

The company will include several performers who appeared in the World Premiere production at Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage, featuring Ben Platt as the title character, Evan Hansen, in a performance that was called “extraordinary, bordering on heroic” by Peter Marks in the Washington Post. Also reprising their performances from the “splendid” (Marks, Washington Post) cast are Laura Dreyfuss as Zoe, Mike Faist as Connor, Rachel Bay Jones as Heidi, Will Roland as Jared, Jennifer Laura Thompson as Cynthia. New cast members John Dossett (Larry) and Kristolyn Lloyd (Alana) complete the company.

Single tickets, priced at $80, go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, February 3 at 12:00pm. The first 50 ticket buyers at the Second Stage Theatre box office will receive a complimentary Dear Evan Hansen T-Shirt. A limited number of “$30 UNDER 30” youth advance tickets are available for patrons under the age of 30, based on availability. Proof of age must be shown at the box office when picking up tickets.

Tickets and season subscriptions are available at www.2ST.com or by calling the box office at 212-246-4422. DEAR EVAN HANSEN will begin previews on Saturday, March 26th and officially open on Sunday, May 1st at Second Stage’s Tony Kiser Theatre (305 West 43rd Street).

DEAR EVAN HANSEN features music and lyrics by the Tony and Emmy nominated composing team Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (Dogfight, A Christmas Story), book by Steven Levenson (Showtime’s Masters of Sex), choreography by Danny Mefford (Fun Home), and direction by three-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal, Grey Gardens, If/Then). Scenic design is by David Korins, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, and projection design by Peter Nigrini. The musical director is Ben Cohn and the music supervisor is Alex Lacamoire.

All his life Evan Hansen has felt invisible. To his peers, to the girl he loves, sometimes even to his own mother. But that was before he wrote the letter — that led to the incident— that started the lie — that ignited a movement – that inspired a community — and changed Evan's status from the ultimate outsider into the somebody everyone wants to know. But how long can Evan keep his secret? And at what price?

A tribute to the outsider in us all, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is about someone you know, maybe even someone you are, but more than anything, it’s about discovering the person we all long to be - ourselves.

In its world premiere production at Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage, Peter Marks of The Washington Post called DEAR EVAN HANSEN, “Entertainingly smart and radiating charm, wit and humor! This heart-piercingly lovely new musical is a trip to the exciting place that musical theater sometimes takes you, a destination of wholly unexpected impact, where characters burst into song and you, in spite of yourself, into tears.” And Charles Isherwood of The New York Times called the musical, “Fresh, vibrant, and quite moving.”

ABOUT THE CAST

Tony Award nominee JOHN DOSSETT (Larry) has appeared in fourteen Broadway productions including Pippin, Newsies, Gypsy, Democracy, and A Prelude To A Kiss. Off-Broadway credits include Giant (The Public), Saved (Playwrights Horizons), The Clean House and Hello Again (LCT), Dinner With Friends, Trudy Blue (MCC). He was a member of Circle Rep for 14 years, where he appeared in Reckless, The Diviners, Childe Byron, Dalton's Back, Sunshine, El Salvador, among many others. Founding member of Ridge Theater. TV/Film: "The Amerikans," "Blue Bloods," "The Good Wife," the “Law & Orders,” “Sex and the City,” and HBO's “John Adams.”

LAURA DREYFUSS (Zoe) will reprise the role of Zoe Murphy, which she previously played at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. She also appeared at the Kennedy Center in Hair (first national tour and Broadway). Other New York credits include Once (Broadway) and the New York Theater Workshop production of What’s It All About? (Off-Broadway). She was most recently seen on television as Madison McCarthy in the final season of the hit FOX series “Glee.” Laura has a BFA in Theater from The Boston Conservatory.

MIKE FAIST (Connor). Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Mike made his Broadway debut in Newsies (original cast). Recent theatre includes A Month in the Country (CSC, Dir. Erica Schmidt), Appropriate (Signature Theatre Company, Dir. Liesl Tommy) and Dear Evan Hansen at Arena Stage. Films include: Touched with Fire (Dir. Paul Dalio, Prod. Spike Lee), The Grief of Others (Dir. Patrick Wang) and the upcoming Wildling (Dir. Fritz Bohm) and I Can I Will I Did (Dir. Nadine Truong).

RACHEL BAY JONES (Heidi) has appeared on Broadway in Pippin (Catherine), Hair (Mother, Buddhadalirama), and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (u/s Lucia). Off-Broadway credits include First Daughter Suite (Laura Bush/Rosalyn Carter), Hello Again (the Actress), Transport Group. National Tour: A Christmas Story (Mother). Regional: Dear Evan Hansen (Heidi), Pippin (Catherine), Sylvia (Sylvia), The King and I (Anna), among others. Television: “The Family,” “Louie.” Solo album: ShowFolk.

KRISTOLYN LLOYD (Alana) returns to Second Stage Theatre where she recently appeared in Invisible Thread. Other credits include Paradise Blue (Williamstown), The Liquid Plain (Signature Theatre), Heathers The Musical (New World Stages and The Hudson), Witness Uganda (A.R.T.), Hairspray, Rent (Hollywood Bowl), Once on this Island (Reprise Theatre). TV includes “ER” and “Lie to Me.” Two-time NAACP Image Award nominee for her role as Dayzee Leigh Forrester on the CBS daytime show, “Bold and the Beautiful.”

BEN PLATT (Evan) originated the role of Elder Cunningham to critical acclaim in the Chicago production of The Book of Mormon (dir. Trey Parker and Casey Nicholaw), and reprised the role on Broadway. National Tours: Caroline, or Change (directed by George C. Wolfe). Regional credits include Dear Evan Hansen, The Black Suits (Barrington Stage Company), The Power of Duff (dir. Peter DuBois/New York Stage and Film), Dead End (dir. Nicholas Martin/Ahmanson Theatre), The Music Man, Mame, Camelot, and The Sound of Music (dir. Gordon Hunt/Hollywood Bowl). Film: Benji Applebaum in Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2, Ricki and the Flash. Upcoming: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (dir. Ang Lee), Drunk Parents (dir. Fred Wolf).

WILL ROLAND’s (Jared) credits include Dear Evan Hansen (Arena Stage), The Black Suits (CTG & Barrington), The Bus (59E59), Loser Songs (Don't Tell Mama), and Academia Nuts! (NYMF). Will frequently collaborates with Joe Iconis & Family. He’s helped develop plays and musicals with Second Stage, La Jolla, Arena, CAP21, Don't Tell Mama, and various Fringe festivals.

Tony Award nominee JENNIFER LAURA THOMPSON (Cynthia) returns to Second Stage Theatre where she played the lead role in the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa’s Little Fish. Her Broadway credits include Nice Work If You Can Get It (Eileen Evergreen), Lend Me a Tenor (Diana), Urinetown (Hope Cladwell, Tony nom.), Footloose (Ariel Moore, original cast), Wicked (Glinda, first replacement). Off-Broadway: Company (filmed for PBS: Live From Lincoln Center). She has performed in several Encores! productions at City Center and has sung with symphonies across the country and Europe. TV/Film: “The Mysteries of Laura,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Person of Interest,” "Elementary." B.F.A. Musical Theater, University of Michigan.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

STEVEN LEVENSON’s (Book) plays include The Unavoidable Disappearance Of Tom Durnin (Roundabout Theatre Company, Outer Critics Circle Award), Core Values (Ars Nova, Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Play), The Language of Trees (Roundabout), Seven Minutes In Heaven (Colt Coeur; Emerging America Festival/Huntington Theater Company), and If I Forget (upcoming: Roundabout). His work has been seen and developed by Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Atlantic Theater Company, MCC Theater, Hartford Stage, and the Araca Group. His plays are published by Dramatists Play Service and Playscripts. A graduate of Brown University and former Artist in Residence at Ars Nova, he has received new play commissions from Roundabout, Lincoln Center, MCC, and Ars Nova. Currently a writer and producer on Showtime’s Masters Of Sex, he is a founding member of Colt Coeur and an alumnus of MCC’s Playwrights Coalition and Ars Nova’s Play Group.

BENJ PASEK & JUSTIN PAUL (Music and Lyrics)’s musical Dogfight had its world premiere at Second Stage Theatre, where it won the Lortel Award for Best New Musical. Broadway credits include A Christmas Story, The Musical (Lunt-Fontanne Theatre), which received Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Outstanding New Broadway Musical. Other theater credits include James and the Giant Peach (Kennedy Center, Goodspeed Musicals and Seattle Children’s Theatre) and Edges. In TV, their original songs were featured on season two of NBC's “Smash” and rose to the top 25 on the iTunes pop charts. They have also written songs for “Sesame Street” (PBS) and “Johnny and the Sprites” (Disney Channel). Other songwriting honors include the Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; Sundance Institute Fellowship; ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award; ASCAP Songwriters Fellowship Award; Dramatists Guild Fellowship; Jonathan Larson Award; and Billboard Magazine Top 5 Broadway Songwriters. Benj and Justin work actively as teachers conducting master classes at top theater programs and universities around the world. Both are graduates of the University of Michigan and members of the Dramatists Guild of America.

MICHAEL GREIF (Director) returns to Second Stage Theatre where he staged Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s Next to Normal and Howard Korder’s Boys’ Life. Broadway credits include If/Then, starring Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp and LaChanze; Next to Normal; Grey Gardens; Rent (Tony Award nominations) and Never Gonna Dance. At the Delacorte, The Tempest, Winter's Tale and Romeo and Juliet. Off-Broadway credits include new plays, musicals and revivals at Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Class Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, NY Shakespeare Festival/Public, NYTW, Roundabout, and Signature, including Katori Hall’s Our Lady of Kibeho, the 2010 revival of Angels in America (Lortel Award), Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide … (Public), Guare's Landscape of the Body (Signature) and musical adaptations of Giant (Public) and Far from Heaven (Playwrights Horizons). He received Obie Awards for Machinal and Dogeaters (Public) and for Rent (NYTW). Regional credits include Williamstown (nine seasons), La Jolla Playhouse (Artistic Director 1995-99), Center Stage, Goodman, Guthrie, CTG/Taper, DTC and Trinity Rep. Education: Northwestern (BS), UCSD (MFA).

DANNY MEFFORD (Choreography). Broadway: Fun Home, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Astaire and Lortel nominations) and The Bridges of Madison County. Other New York credits: Love’s Labour’s Lost (Drama Desk nomination), Fun Home (Lortel nomination), Good Person of Szechwan, Much Ado About Nothing, Pump Boys and Dinettes for City Center Encores!, Melancholy Play and Dance, Dance Revolution. Directing: Becoming Liv Ullman (NY Fringe), Wasted (Ars Nova) and The Maids.

ABOUT SECOND STAGE THEATRE

Founded in 1979 under the leadership of Artistic Director Carole Rothman, SECOND STAGE THEATRE produces a diverse range of premieres and new interpretations of America’s best contemporary theatre, including Peter and Jerry by Edward Albee; The Good Times Are Killing Me by Lynda Barry; The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane; The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown; The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety by Kristoffer Diaz; Sex with Strangers by Laura Eason; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin; A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller; Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo; Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis; Coastal Disturbances by Tina Howe; Water by the Spoonful and The Happiest Song Plays Last by Quiara Alegria Hudes; Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants by Ricky Jay; Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey; This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan; Some Men by Terrence McNally; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage; eurydice by Sarah Ruhl; Everyday Rapture by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott; Let Me Down Easy by Anna Deavere Smith; Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim; Crowns by Regina Taylor; Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein; Trust by Paul Weitz; Spoils of War by Michael Weller; Jar the Floor by Cheryl L. West; Jitney by August Wilson; Serenading Louie by Lanford Wilson; and Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman.

The company has produced three Pulitzer Prize winning plays – Between Riverside and Crazy (2015), Water by the Spoonful (2012), and Next to Normal (2010) – and its productions have received over 130 awards, including the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley) for Next to Normal, the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed), 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin, ...Spelling Bee) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler, ...Spelling Bee), 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses), the 2002 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 27 Obie Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Clarence Derwent Awards, 12 Drama Desk Awards, nine Theatre World Awards, 14 Lucille Lortel Awards, two NY Drama Critics Circle Awards and 15 AUDELCO Awards.

In 1999, Second Stage Theatre opened The Tony Kiser Theatre, its state-of-the-art, 296-seat theatre, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2002, Second Stage launched “Second Stage Theatre Uptown” series to showcase the work of up and coming artists at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre. The Theatre supports artists through several programs that include residencies, fellowships and commissions, and engages students and community members through education and outreach programs.

SECOND STAGE THEATRE AT THE HELEN HAYES

In 2015 Second Stage Theatre purchased the historic Helen Hayes Theatre, located at 240 W. 44th Street. With this new home, Second Stage will be the only theatre company on Broadway dedicated exclusively to the development and presentation of contemporary American theatrical productions. The company will continue to lease and operate their original theatres on the city’s Upper West Side and in Midtown Manhattan. Second Stage Theatre has enlisted David Rockwell and The Rockwell Group to make renovations and updates to the 103 year old landmark building. They will begin renovations on the theatre in 2016 and plans for its first Broadway production to be staged in the Hayes during the 2017-18 season.

For more information, please visit www.2ST.com

# # #