When the Broadway hit “Dear Evan Hansen” opens tonight (Friday) at South Lakes High School in Reston, it will represent more than the launch of a new show.
For some students and recent graduates of Fairfax County Public Schools, the performance marks their debut in a true community theater setting, thanks to a new partnership with the Reston Community Players (RCP).
Students from 11 Fairfax County schools will perform or handle behind the scenes work alongside some peers from Arlington, as well as adult actors in the joint production, which has six performances scheduled through Aug. 1.
The communities represented include Centreville, Westfield, Oakton, Falls Church, South Lakes, Chantilly, West Potomac, and Annandale high schools, in addition to Langston Hughes Middle School.
The collaboration came about after Olivia Daugherty, a 2026 South Lakes graduate, approached her theatre arts teacher, Michael Viola, with the idea of partnering with the community theater.
“Some schools have the summer production programs, and we thought maybe it would be nice for South Lakes to have that,” said Daughtery, who was cast in the ensemble. “And we wanted to make it a little different … have it as sort of a mentorship program.”
Daughtery — who will attend Virginia Commonwealth University this fall to obtain a bachelor’s in theater performance — added that the program is set apart by its lack of participation fees for students, making it more financially attainable for students from lower-income backgrounds.
Typically based at Reston Community Center, the Reston Community Players saw the partnership as a special opportunity to offer the show and provided the financial backing, said RCP Vice President Katie Pond, who is also performing as the character Cynthia Murphy.
“We have our adult directors paired with student directors, adult music directors paired with student music directors, and then the adult actors in the show…who have also served as mentors,” said Pond. “When we’re watching scenes, we’re asked to give notes on the scenes. We have bonded with the kids, and so they’re getting real life experiences.”
Premiered at Arena Stage in D.C. in July 2015 before transferring to Broadway, “Dear Evan Hansen” is a show with some mature themes, revolving around an anxious, lonely high school student who, through an initial misunderstanding, winds up pretending that he was close friends with another student who had died by suicide.
Viola wanted to bring the show to South Lakes because it’s “a universal story that people can relate to,” with its family and friendship dynamics.
“While maybe not everybody can relate to some of the heavier subjects, they can understand what a family that’s dealing with loss and grief might look or feel like, and … when friends lie to one another or friends aren’t really forthcoming or … they don’t have any friends,” said Viola, who’s also an associate director for the show.
Madelyn Regan, a Centreville High School graduate participating in the production, sees the show as “very relevant to my generation, having grown up like all around social media, where that’s such a facet of our lives.”
“It’s very easy to feel alone, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Regan, who will be attending the University of Michigan to study vocal music in the fall. “So, this show speaks very directly to us. It’s a very important message that none of us are alone, even though we may feel isolated from our peers.”
Incoming South Lakes student Whitleigh Wilkes has previously performed in shows with other students, but this is the first time that she has been in a community theater production.
“I love how I’ve gotten to meet these adults and be around them in their creative space … it’s been really inspiring, and I’ve also gotten to learn a lot from watching them and from asking them questions,” said Wilkes.
“Everybody involved in this production is so talented and has been putting so much dedication into the show,” added Regan. “It’s really really special.”
