Utah's Premier Professional Theatre in Residence at the University of Utah

Utah's Premier Professional Theatre in Residence at the University of Utah

Dear Evan Hansen
Book by Steven Levenson
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

 

Directed and Choreographed by Karen Azenberg
Musical Direction by Helen Gregory

October 24–November 8, 2025
Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre
Musical | Utah Premiere

Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission

Winner of 6 Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, and the Olivier Award for Best Musical

Evan Hansen has always felt like he’s on the outside looking in, his severe anxiety making it hard to connect. But when tragedy strikes his community, he unexpectedly finds himself at the heart of a growing misunderstanding—one that offers him a chance to reinvent himself. Dear Evan Hansen, winner of both Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical, is a deeply moving and timely coming-of-age story about vulnerability and the longing for connection.

“A breathtaking knockout of a musical.” —The New York Times
“An anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond.” —NBC Nightly News

Dear Evan Hansen is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com

Important Dates

Monday–Thursday 7:00 PM
Friday & Saturday 7:30 PM
Saturday 2:00 PM

ASL-Interpreted Performance: Monday, November 3 @ 7:00 PM

Sponsors

Overview

Cast

MARIKA AUBREY 2
Elyse Bell
JORDAN BRIGGS
KYLE DALSIMER
ANDREW SAMONSKY 2
KHADIJA SANKOH
LARRY SAPERSTEIN 2
DONNA VIVINO 2
RACHEL JOHNSON
ADAM MOORE
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Virtual Community

MARY FANNING DRIGGS
NATHAN ANDREW RILEY 2
ARIANA BAGLEY
KADEN CONRAD 2
HANNAH RICH 2
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Creative Team

STEVEN LEVENSON (Book) Steven is a Tony Award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and television writer and producer. His plays include If I Forget, Core Values, Seven Minutes In Heaven, and The Language of Trees. He wrote the book for the musical, Dear Evan Hansen, which won six Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Musical, as well as the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. He co-created and executive produced the FX series “Fosse/Verdon,” which was nominated for seventeen Emmy Awards, including Best Limited Series and Best Writing for a Limited Series, as well as for Critics’ Choice Association and Producers Guild Awards, in addition to winning the Writers Guild Award and an AFI Award for Outstanding Series. Other honors include the OBIE Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, and the John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award. He adapted Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick…boom!, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, for Netflix. He is a graduate of Brown University.

BENJ PASEK & JUSTIN PAUL (Music & Lyrics) Songwriters and producers Benj Pasek & Justin Paul are best known for their Oscar, Grammy, and Tony-winning work on La La Land, The Greatest Showman and Dear Evan Hansen, each of which spawned albums that landed in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200, including multiple weeks at #1 for The Greatest Showman, which in 2018 was the world’s best-selling album. This year, they won their first Emmy Award as songwriters of Only Murders in the Building and, as a result, achieved EGOT status, joining a rarified list of artists who have won all four major showbiz prizes. Additional film and television credits include Apple’s Spirited, Sony’s Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, Disney’s live-action Aladdin, Dreamworks Animation’s Trolls, Amazon’s Harlem, Apple’s Dear Edward, NBC’s Smash, The CW’s The Flash, Amazon’s Pink: All I Know So Far (Grammy nomination), and FX’s Welcome to Wrexham. Amongst their varied stage credits, they made their Broadway debut with the musical A Christmas Story (Tony nomination), further adapted into a live telecast for Fox (Emmy nomination); and won their second Tonys for co-producing Best Musical winner A Strange Loop. Among their countless honors, they became the youngest winners ever of the Jonathan Larson Award and the first writers for stage or screen to be honored with the ASCAP Vanguard Award. In total, Benj and Justin have each won two Tonys, two Grammys, an Emmy and an Oscar across five distinct projects.

KAREN AZENBERG (Director/Choreographer) is now in her 14th season as Artistic Director at Pioneer Theatre Company. Favorite projects include Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (a co-production between PTC and Geva), Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, The Lehman Trilogy, the world premiere of Alabama Story, the regional premiere of Sting’s The Last ShipNewsies, The Play That Goes Wrong, and The Rocky Horror Show. Through Karen, PTC also hosted the first (and still only) Utah out-of-town tryout for a Broadway musical: the Tony Award-winning Shucked. Originally from New York, her work there includes Lyrics and Lyricists (92nd St. Y), Blocks (a collaboration with Jonathan Larson) Prom Queens Unchained, and choreography for Richard Greenberg’s The Dazzle (Roundabout Theatre Company). Among her other credits are over 15 productions of West Side Story and she has worked with Indiana Repertory Theatre, Geva Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Goodspeed, Theatre Aspen, and Utah Shakespeare Festival. Karen is a past president of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and is a proud mom to Alexander and Emelia.

HELEN GREGORY (Musical Director/Conductor) is returning for their 16th production at PTC. Favorite shows: “The Last Ship”,” Beautiful…”, “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”, “Rent”, “Mamma Mia”, “Something’s Afoot”, and, of course, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Credits include: NY Theatre Workshop, The Vineyard, Maltz Jupiter Theatre (11 Carbonell nominations, winner- “Crazy for You”), Asolo Repertory Theatre (Sarasota Magazine Theatre Awards Best Musical Direction for “Barnum”), Arkansas Repertory, Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Goodman Theatre, Indiana Repertory, Riverside Theatre, Human Race Theatre, GEVA, Papermill Playhouse, Lean Ensemble Theatre and The Hangar Theatre. National tours: “Grease”, “Oklahoma!”, and “Joseph…”. Industrials: American Movie Classics and Star Odyssey for the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas. Many thanks to all that support live theatre: we can’t do this without you.

BRYCE CUTLER (Scenic & Video Design) Broadway: Grand Horizons. Off-Broadway and regional credits include designs at The Public Theater, Guthrie Theater, Seattle Rep, New York Stage & Film, Tuacahn Center for the Arts, Drury Lane Theatre, Pioneer Theatre, Pittsburgh CLO, Kansas City Starlight, and more.  Additional projects include Samsung’s virtual reality television series Interpretation of Dreams; Feel The Pride, an AI powered audiovisual installation with St. Vincent; a virtual reality arcade for Muse’s world tour; along with live events for Microsoft, Google, Activision, The Ad Council and more. He is co-founder of the political theater collective Third Space, recipient of the USITT Rising Star Award, a L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Finalist, and 2025 Melhor Cenografia Honoree for Mean Girls in São Paulo. Education: Carnegie Mellon University. brycecutler.com | @bryceccutler

PATRICK HOLT (Costume Design) Patrick’s costume design work has been seen on stages across the country, including The Guthrie Theater, The Milwaukee Rep, The Kansas City Rep, Playmakers Rep, Pioneer Theatre Company, The Arizona Repertory Theater, The Colorado Shakespeare Festival, The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Moscow State Theater, The Old Globe Theater, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and The American Dance Festival. He has also worked both on Broadway and Off-Broadway productions for the Public Theater and The John Houseman Theater in NYC. Film and Television works includes projects with HBO, CBS, The A&E Network, World of Wonder, and CBS. Holt is also a professor at the University of Arizona, where he heads the costume design program. Some of Patrick’s favorite work includes PTC’s Waitress; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Something Rotten!; and Dial M for Murder.

PAUL MILLER (Lighting Design) Previously at Pioneer: Waitress; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; In the Heights; A Few Good Men; Much Ado About Nothing; I Hate Hamlet; The Count of Monte Cristo; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; Cagney; Mamma Mia!; Sweeney Todd; Ass. Internationally, Paul’s work has been seen on stage at the Stratford Festival, London’s West End, Vienna, Teatro alla Scala (Milan), South Africa, China, Manila, Iceland and São Paulo. On Broadway, he has designed 5 musicals and been the Associate/Assistant on 22 others. 20+ designs Off Broadway and for City Center Encores, 19 National Tours. Regional: Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Ballet, Arizona Theatre Company, The Old Globe, Dallas Theatre Center, Chicago Shakespeare, Idaho Shakespeare, Asolo Rep, ACT, Cleveland Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, Goodspeed, and others. Television: Evil (CBS & Paramount+), Live from Lincoln Center, 20+ Netflix specials, and the internationally televised New Year’s Eve Celebration from Times Square (for 27 years).

AARON HUBBARD (Sound Design) is enjoying his 18th season with Pioneer Theatre Company in sound mix and design. His favorite productions have been Sting’s The Last Ship, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Next to Normal, and One Man, Two Guvnors. Aaron teaches sound production and recording at Weber State University, and in his spare time he records and produces music. His favorite star is his wife, Melissa, who puts up with all the late theatre nights.

SAVANNA FINLEY (Hair & Makeup Design) received her BA in Technical Theatre at BYU-I. Since graduating 8 years ago, she has served in hair and makeup roles in over 50 productions and counting. Her favorite projects include designing Alice By Heart, The Play That Goes Wrong, and Puffs at West Valley Arts; and as a wig crew member for Prince of Egypt at Tuacahn Amphitheatre. Follow her work on Instagram: @designer_savannafinley

ADAM DAY (Video Engineer) – Bio coming soon

MAGGIE SCOTT (Assistant Director/Choreographer) grew up performing at PTC and is thrilled to be back! Directing credits: The Secret Garden (Kensington Theatre), Beetlejuice, Matilda, Annie JR (Timpanogos Valley Theatre). Favorite acting credits include: Ten Brave Seconds-Developmental Reading (Becky, PTC), Peter and the Starcatcher (Molly, Kensington Theatre), Seussical (Gertrude McFuzz, HCTO), Into the Woods (Cinderella, Kensington Theatre), Little Women (Beth, Hopebox Theatre). Endless thanks to Karen and Jack! @maggie.scott1

JAMES O. HANSEN* (Production Stage Manager) is thrilled to be in his third season here at Pioneer Theatre Company! Other credits include: Beautiful (Geva Theatre). Joseph…Dreamcoat (starring David Archuleta), Mary Poppins, and Wonderland at Tuacahn Amphitheatre. Clue (starring Sally Struthers), The Wedding Singer, A Christmas Carol at The Gateway Playhouse. James earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts Management from Dean College. Special thanks to his Mom, Family, and Ostie for their love and support! DHH.

EMILY ROTH* (Stage Manager) is delighted to be returning for her second season with Pioneer Theatre Company! Other credits include: The Woman in Black US Tour (Pemberley Productions), Miss Saigon (White Plains Performing Arts Center), Dial M for Murder and Sea Monsters of the Deep (White Heron Theatre Company), Lesley Nicol’s How The Hell Did I Get Here? (Pemberley Productions), and Ajijaak on Turtle Island (IBEX Puppetry). She is the co-author of Stage Management Basics: A Primer for Performing Arts Stage Managers (Focal Press © 2017, 2nd ed © 2022).

GEOFF JOSSELSON, CSA (Casting Director) Broadway: Into the Woods (Artios Award), Sweeney Todd, Spamalot, The Velocity of Autumn. Off-Broadway includes: Cellino v. Barnes, Kinky Boots, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Altar Boyz, Southern Comfort, Yank!  Select Regional and Off-Broadway Theatre companies: Alley Theatre, Arena Stage, Asolo Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, The Civilians, Irish Repertory Theatre, Kennedy Center, Long Wharf Theatre, Old Globe, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Paper Mill Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Signature Theatre, South Coast Rep, Studio Theatre, Village Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. www.josscasting.com

PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY (PTC)  Now celebrating its 64th season, the award-winning PTC is Utah’s premiere professional theatre company and a leading arts organization of the West. Led by Artistic Director Karen Azenberg and Managing Director Adrian Budhu, PTC presents world-class productions that celebrate diversity in culture and society, and serve as the connecting bridge between art and scholarship as an affiliate of the University of Utah. Notable productions include the regional premieres of Les Misérables, Sting’s The Last Ship, and Frank Wildhorn’s The Count of Monte Cristo, as well as the world premieres of Shucked (the first-ever Broadway tryout in Utah), A Distinct Society by Kareem Fahmy, Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones, The Messenger by Jeff Talbott, and Ass by Ellen Simon. For more information, visit PioneerTheatre.org. 

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA) Founded in 1933, AEA represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers nationwide. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actor’s Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. #equityworks

MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form. MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 100,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 150 countries worldwide. MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior® shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students. MTI maintains its global headquarters in New York City with additional offices in London (MTI Europe) and Melbourne (MTI Australasia).

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

Media

Publicity

Study Guide

Content Advisory

Please Note:  

Pioneer Theatre Company believes in celebrating the breadth of human existence. Our content advisories focus on language, violence, drug/alcohol use, and sexual content. The age-based guidance below is intended as a recommendation only. We do encourage you to use your judgment based on your own research of the show, your own sensibilities, and a child’s age and maturity level.

Also, in accordance with theatrical licensing agreements, Pioneer Theatre Company presents each production as originally written and intended by its author(s). If you are concerned with any content beyond what is provided below, a copy of each production script is available for in-person perusal during PTC’s regular Box Office hours.

Dear Evan Hansen: For Which Audiences?

Dear Evan Hansen is suitable for ages 14 and up. It contains strong adult language, numerous references to sex, several references to drug use/rehab, adult alcohol use, some mild physical violence, and other mature content—including mental health struggles, bullying, depression, and suicide. 

The stage version of Dear Evan Hansen would likely be rated R.

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