Music Performance Center: “Dear Evan Hansen” Premieres on October 21
2026-10-07 For months, nearly 20 students have been rehearsing for “Dear Evan Hansen.” They sing, act, dance, build sets, and organize almost everything themselves behind the scenes. Between Sunday rehearsals, stage fright, and countless run-throughs, the cast is coming together as a team. On October 21, the musical by the Music Performance Center at Leuphana will have its premiere. Tickets are still available for the shows on October 22 and 23.
Sixteen pairs of eyes. All closed. The cast of “Dear Evan Hansen” stands in a circle. Everything seems to be in place. Since this morning, they’ve been rehearsing the diminuendo in this one choral piece. Rebecca Lang has now set her baton down on her music stand. Now she’s conducting with her whole body. When the ensemble is supposed to get quieter, she sinks to the floor, taking the volume with her.
She’s not satisfied yet: “One more time, the whole thing.” The piano starts up again. The voices form the chords. And once more from the beginning. The university music director sweeps her hands through the air. “You mustn’t lose that feeling.” Again. Then she smiles: “Goosebumps never lie.”
“Dear Evan Hansen” tells the story of a lonely teenager who, following the death of a classmate, gets caught up in a lie about a supposed friendship. The musical deals with loneliness, belonging, grief, and the consequences of lies. Since the start of the summer semester, the all-student cast has been rehearsing—with exactly one goal: to give their audience goosebumps.
Months of hard work will then be rewarded with applause at the premiere on October 21, 2026. Mathis Schräder plays the lead role. His part includes more than ten songs: “What we’re doing here is unique. As a cast, we’ve grown together into a real team over the months. I’m really looking forward to the three shows, but I’ll also be sad when this wonderful time is over.”
Mathis Schräder barely has time for the interview. Choreographer Jessica Jäde wants to rehearse the final scene with him one more time: “Imagine you’re telling this story to your younger self. You have to see little Mathis in the audience.” Until then, the digital media student is supposed to start by singing to the window. He breaks off, hesitates, corrects himself, and repeats. One more time. Three, four, five. One more time. Then finally: “That’s it.”
The staged rehearsal with Justus Konrad Harms follows. The Kuwi student, who is minoring in Popular Music Studies, sings and plays Connor, who took his own life in the story. It’s a role that demands a great deal of emotional presence. Justus plays it with great sensitivity—and at times, Connor’s story seems to hit very close to home for him: “It’s a huge responsibility to play this role.” The student embraces it—even if he himself is sometimes deeply moved. “You’ve got it,” choreographer Jessica Jäde praises his warm baritone.
In the back, a little away from the musical action in the rehearsal hall, Giovanna Diaz Zinsel sits with her laptop on her lap. Her email inbox is full again. Lighting, sound, stage setup: As production manager, she talks with the cast, creates casting schedules, organizes rehearsals, and keeps the director’s log. The student teacher is also majoring in cultural studies with a focus on cultural management. Later, she’d like to work in music management. “‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is a great opportunity for me,” she says. Her cell phone rings. She has to go. Someone from the technical team has contacted her. Giovanna needs to figure out what happened.
Students are involved in nearly every aspect of the production of “Dear Evan Hansen.” Even the sets are built by the students themselves. Large lockers, like the ones found on American college campuses, still need to be decorated with stickers. Martje Lina Henkies and Jasmina Will run back to their shared apartment during their lunch break to grab the last few missing stickers. Like almost everyone in the cast, the two also sing in Leuphana’s chamber choir: “It’s incredible how much we’ve learned over the past few months.” One of the biggest challenges: time. During the summer semester, they rehearsed every Sunday with director Christoph Trauth. “I had to skip some family gatherings for that,” Martje reveals.
This interview is brief, too. It’s time to get back to work: A quick sip of water, a piece of fruit, a sip of coffee. Accompanist and Leuphana student Konstantin Egensperger plays the next melodies on the piano. The singers take their places on the rehearsal stage.
Everything seems so far away,
you have so much time—endless.
Time to see what you want,
what you truly love.
Not just pairs of eyes. But also 16 amazing voices. And a story. Told, sung, and rehearsed for the big performance. In front of an audience.
