Dear Evan Hansen’ Opens at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor

The Tony Award-winning musical gets an intimate East End staging, with performances running through Aug. 29 and special programs exploring social media, identity and connection.

One of Broadway’s most talked-about musicals has landed in Sag Harbor.

Dear Evan Hansen opened Saturday, Aug. 8, at Bay Street Theater, where Artistic Director Scott Schwartz has reimagined the Tony Award-winning musical for the theater’s intimate stage as part of its 35th anniversary summer season.

The musical, with a book by Steven Levenson and music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, follows high school student Evan Hansen as he becomes caught in a lie following the death of a classmate. What begins as an attempt to comfort a grieving family quickly spirals, taking on questions of identity, loneliness, belonging, family and the sometimes complicated need to feel seen.

Schwartz’s staging brings the audience particularly close to the story and its characters — a natural fit for Bay Street’s smaller Sag Harbor theater.

“Dear Evan Hansen is a story about people reaching for one another, sometimes imperfectly, during moments of grief, fear and isolation,” Schwartz said. “Our goal was to bring audiences closer to the characters and allow the honesty, humor and humanity of the story to lead the way.”

Opening night drew a mix of Broadway names and East End theater supporters, including Broadway director Walter Bobbie and performer Kyle Barisich, along with Bay Street founders Emma Walton Hamilton and Steve Hamilton.

Also in the crowd were board members Lynn Mestel, Jennifer Bartley, David Fink, John Frawley, Keith Green, Myra Hackel, Riki Kane Larimer, Loretta Kaufman, Stewart Lane, Nina Lesavoy, Elise Leve, Leslie Mayer, Laura McPhail and Steve Todrys; Junior Board member Corey Werbelow; former board members Patty Baker and Steve Sanders; and supporters Rose Caiola and Sean McGill of the Caiola-McGill Foundation, which provided major support for the production.

Beyond the Stage

Bay Street is extending some of the musical’s central themes beyond the performance with a series of audience and community programs.

Talkback Tuesdays give theatergoers the chance to stay after select performances for conversations about the production and the issues it raises. The talkbacks are included with admission to that evening’s performance.

On Friday, Aug. 14, Bay Street will host Dear Social Media: The Search for Identity, Connection & Belonging, presented by The Kind Mind, from 5 to 7 p.m. The program and reception will explore social media and internet use and their impact on young people’s mental health, including identity, comparison, cyberbullying, community and belonging.

The program requires a separate ticket and does not include admission to Dear Evan Hansen.

Also on Aug. 14, Bay Street will hold its second Going Solo Night. Theatergoers attending on their own can arrive at 7 p.m. for complimentary wine from Channing Daughters Winery and a chance to meet other guests before the 8 p.m. performance. Tickets may be purchased using the promotional code SOLO.

If You Go

Dear Evan Hansen
Through Aug. 29, 2026
Bay Street Theater
Sag Harbor, New York

Tickets: baystreet.org
Box office: 631-725-9500

The Bay Street Theater box office is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one hour before performances.