MIAMI, Fla. — The Tony Award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansenwill have a new life on a South Florida stage.
At Actor’s Playhouse, teams prepare to bring the hit show to local audiences for the first time through a regional production. Director Stephen Christopher Anthony stated that the story’s impact comes from its flawed and deeply human characters.
“These characters are complex. They’re messy. They’re imperfect. They make mistakes,” he said.
Anthony, who is directing the show for the first time, said the message is especially timely.
“I think now more than ever it is important for us all to gather around the fire, around the campfire, and be human together, and experience what it is to live a human experience,” he said.
The production also represents a personal milestone. Anthony’s connection to Coral Gables theater began when he was 10 years old, performing in The Jungle Book and spending almost every weekend in space.
“I fell in love with the theater here. I was here every weekend. I never wanted to leave. This was my home growing up,” he said.
That early passion eventually led him to Broadway. After several productions at Actor’s Playhouse, he realized he could have a career in theater.
“I don’t think I really realized that this could be a job that you could do. It seemed unattainable. And having access to this here made me realize that, oh, this is a job that people do in the real world. I made it tangible. For the first time I could see it,” he said.
Anthony then debuted in Broward with The Book of Mormon before aspiring for a role in Dear Evan Hansen. He auditioned several times over two years, facing rejections before finally landing a role in the musical.
“I auditioned for like two years, and I kept getting rejected; I kept coming back,” he said.
He noted that his persistence arose from a personal connection to history.
“I saw myself in the show,” he said.
That perseverance paid off. Anthony played all three young male roles—Evan, Connor, and Jared—on Broadway, and later starred as Evan on tour. During that time, he was able to see first-hand the impact of the musical on the public.
“Time and time again, people would come up and say, ‘This show saved my life,’ or ‘This show changed my life,’ or ‘This show changed my relationship with my kids or my parents because I came away with a different understanding of how I needed to communicate,’” he said.
Now, he hopes that same connection will reach South Florida audiences with the opening of local production.
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date: 2026-02-15 05:29:00
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