Broadway’s Will Roland is doing much more than surviving these days.
Dear Evan Hansen’s original Jared Kleinman—who recently originated the role of Jeremy in Off-Broadway’s Be More Chill, the smash hit making its Broadway transfer this coming February—has announced some personal news. Roland and his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie Wessels, are engaged.
According to Roland’s Instagram, he proposed in a “manure shed” at Blue Hills at Stone Farm just north of New York City.
“We went to Blue Hill at Stone Barns for her birthday (which was Wednesday),” Roland tells Playbill exclusively. “I had coordinated in advance with the management there, and in the middle of our 20+ course, four-hour meal (we are the most enthusiastic foodies you will ever meet), they walked us out to the old manure shed on the farm, which they now use for private dining. I asked the question, there was a lot of crying, and something like the word ‘yes’ in there. They brought us some champagne, we called our parents, and the next night hopped on a plane for a ten-day vacation to the U.K. before we start what is sure to be the best and most insane year of our lives (so far).”
The couple met at a mutual friend’s party at a midtown theatre haunt four-and-a-half years ago and have been together since. Roland graduated from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Music. In addition to his theatrical success, he recently guested on television’s Billions and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Wessels is a lighting designer and production manager, currently the studio manager at Drift Studios, having graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in theatre design and production.
