June 25 was another big night for Dear Evan Hansen: The Tony-winning Best Musical offered a special performance to benefit The Actors Fund, and the evening was also filmed for the New York Public Library's Theatre on Film and Tape Archive.
Ben Platt, who won a Tony Award June 11 for his performance in the title role, offered a brief speech following the performance, which The Actors Fund shared on Twitter. In his remarks, the award-winning actor said, “All of your beautiful energy and your laughter and your cheering will live on for posterity—as will that text message that came in in Act One.” Listen to his gracious speech below:
Thank you again @DearEvanHansen for the sold out special performance on Sunday! Here's @BenSPLATT's curtain speech! #forposterity pic.twitter.com/LywHYpZMvZ
— The Actors Fund (@TheActorsFund) June 27, 2017
The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment in times of need, crisis or transition.
Performances filmed for the archive are made available for viewing at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center for qualified theatre professionals and researchers, though only after a production has closed.
Platt stars as Evan Hansen, a high school student whose well-meaning lie eventually overwhelms all around him. Co-star Rachel Bay Jones won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical Tony for her work as Heidi, Evan's concerned mom. The cast also includes Laura Dreyfuss, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Mike Faist, Michael Park, Will Roland, and Kristolyn Lloyd.
Dear Evan Hansen features a Tony-winning score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, a book by Tony winner Steven Levenson, choreography by Danny Mefford, and direction by Tony nominee Michael Greif.
The production opened December 4, 2016, at the Music Box Theatre.
Check out photos from the June 25 performance below:
