AUDITIONS FOR PEORIA PLAYERS' DEAR EVAN HANSEN

DEAR EVAN HANSEN
Directed by Deric Kimler
SHOW DATES:
January 29-31 and February 3-7, 2027
AUDITIONS:
Location: First Baptist Church, 411 W. Lake Ave. in Peoria
Dates/Times: October 22 and 23 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
When you arrive at First Baptist, please park in the back and enter through the back door under the awning. There will be no dance portion for the audition. Please bring sheet music or recorded music to audition with (approximately 32 measures for our pianist), and we will ask you to read from the script. Please bring your calendar and a good idea of your schedule so we can see all potential conflicts in advance. It is imperative that you understand the content of this show and have the emotional maturity to have difficult, multifaceted conversations around mental health and the stigma that our society has towards seeking help.
There is limited time to audition, and we want to be fair to all people's time, so if anything changes with your slot after you sign up, please contact Deric and/or Robin Hunt at [email protected] and [email protected].
Sign up to audition here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B4BA4AA2CA1FF2-65977344-dear?fbclid=IwY2xjawUfkNJwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWJEaXE4YnE4M3FSTkhsY1BzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEekteyi43OGn2Wkdk4vx8pxc_yRvR-O508MOsLCiDm3sGbGNMZ_ekaVr8A5h0_aem_Pzcw0B1vJ2mOPko9hFEoIA#/
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
Evan Hansen - Male, pop tenor, G2-B4 (bottom G to top B) A high school senior with social anxiety. He is assigned by his therapist to write letters to himself about why each day will be good, which becomes the catalyst for the plot of the story
Zoe Murphy - Female, pop soprano F3-E5 (bottom F to E two above middle C) Connor's younger sister and Evan's longtime crush. She was never close to Connor, even hated him and thought he was a monster, but wishes she had known him better and turns to Evan after he lies and says he was friends with Connor.
Connor Murphy - Male, pop baritone/tenor G2-G4 (bottom G to Top G) A classmate of Evan and high school senior who, like Evan, is also a social outcast with no friends, and is a frequent drug user, getting high to cope with his aggressive and violent tendencies. Connor eventually takes his own life during Act 1. His ghost appears in Evan's mind throughout the rest of the musical.
Cynthia Murphy - Female, 40s, pop soprano F#3-E5 (belt) Connor and Zoe's stay-at-home mother. She is constantly trying to keep her fragile family from falling apart but is often unsuccessful.
Larry Murphy - Male, 40s, pop baritone/tenor F32-G4 Connor and Zoe's busy and distant father.
Heidi Hansen - Female, 40s, pop alto F3-Eb5 (belt) Evan's mother, a nurse's aide who attends paralegal school at night, often leaving Evan on his own as a result.
Jared Kleinman - Male, pop tenor A2-B4 (bottom A to top B) Evan's droll and sarcastic friend. He helps Evan and Alana found The Connor Project.
Alana Beck - Female, pop soprano F3-E5 (bottom F to E two above middle C) Evan's earnest but melodramatic classmate. She is constantly looking for academic and extracurricular activities to boost her collegiate chances.
PLOT SUMMARY:
From Music Theatre International: Seventeen-year-old Evan Hansen has felt invisible his entire life. But when a tragedy shocks his community and thrusts him into the center of a rapidly evolving controversy, Evan is given the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to be somebody else. As his web of well-intentioned lies begins to unravel, though, Evan is forced to confront the fact that the price of belonging may be far steeper than he bargained for. Dear Evan Hansen is a new classic, with a message that has resonated with audiences around the world: “You Will Be Found.”