MTI acquires licensing rights to the award-winning musical DEAR EVAN HANSEN

Theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI) announced the acquisition of the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen, which currently has productions on Broadway, in London’s West End, and touring North America.

Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Tony Award-winner Steven Levenson (Fosse/Verdon), a score by Grammy , Tony  and Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman), and direction by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal). The musical joins the MTI catalogue which features additional shows by Pasek and Paul including Edges, Dogfight and James and the Giant Peach.

Drew Cohen President and CEO of MTI Worldwide remarked, “We are incredibly proud to represent Dear Evan Hansen, a show whose development process I had the privilege of witnessing first-hand. The compelling and relatable story complemented by an outstanding score has won the hearts of Broadway audiences and enthusiastic fans of all ages around the world. Audience members and performers alike empathize with the well-drawn characters, their relationships, and the issues they face. MTI customers from theatrical organizations everywhere have been eagerly asking about the availability of this Tony and Olivier award-winning Best Musical for years and we are delighted that Dear Evan Hansen is now officially joining MTI’s family of shows.”

“After living our lives virtually for so long throughout this pandemic, the themes of connectivity and community woven throughout Dear Evan Hansen seem to resonate now more than ever,” producer Stacey Mindich said. “We are excited to continue to spread the message even more globally, and invite new audiences to experience the journey of this timeless story.”

Declared “One of the most remarkable shows in musical theatre history” by the Washington Post’s Peter Marks, Dear Evan Hansen opened at the Music Box Theatre to rave reviews on December 4, 2016, where it’s broken all box office records and struck a chord with critics and audiences alike. It went on to win six 2017 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Production, two Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Helen Hayes Awards. The show launched its First North American Tour at the Buell Theatre in Denver, Colorado in October 2018; it relaunched on December 7, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and will go on to visit more than 30 cities across the US and Canada in the 2021/2022 season. The show’s newest production, the 2020 Olivier Award-winner for Best Musical, has reopened in London at the No l Coward Theatre in October.

The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen, produced by Atlantic Records, was released in February 2017, making an extraordinary debut on the Billboard 200 and entering the chart at #8 – the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961 – and went on to win the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The show’s now-iconic blue polo and arm cast are part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

The show is currently playing on Broadway, London’s West End, and across the country on a National Tour. For tickets and additional information about performances, please visit https://dearevanhansen.com/.

While the show is not yet available for licensing, theatres are encouraged to visit the MTI show page: http://www.mtishows.com.au/dear-evan-hansen and click “follow” to be alerted about upcoming news and licensing announcements. International restrictions apply.

About Music Theatre International

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 bookwriters of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre and supporting underserved theatre communities 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 2 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).