DEAR EVAN HANSEN Tour Will Be Found Next Fall at the Ahmanson

Center Theatre Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie and Broadway producer Stacey Mindich announced today that the first national touring production of the 2017 Tony Award-winning Best Musical "Dear Evan Hansen" will be part of Center Theatre Group's 2018 - 2019 season at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. The Broadway hit will come to Los Angeles in the fall of 2018, specific dates to be announced.

Center Theatre Group Producing Director Douglas C. Baker said, "All of us at Center Theatre Group are thrilled to bring 'Dear Evan Hansen' to Ahmanson Theatre audiences. It's that rare musical that is not only deeply moving and emotional but also entertaining, enlightening and delightful. Truly an unforgettable experience."

The tour, which will launch in October 2018 at Denver's Center for the Performing Arts (as previously announced), has also announced tour stops in Charlotte (Blumenthal Performing Arts), Chicago (Broadway In Chicago) and Buffalo (Shea's Performing Arts Center). The tour will travel to over 50 cities in the first two years.

The winner of six 2017 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, "Dear Evan Hansen" features a book by Tony Award winner Steven Levenson, a score by Academy Award and Tony-winning composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and direction by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif. The 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 number eight - the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961.

Casting, additional cities and engagement dates will be announced at a later date.

"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 has struck a chord with critics and audiences alike. In addition to winning six Tony awards, "Dear Evan Hansen" has won numerous other awards, including the 2017 Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Production and, for the off-Broadway production, two Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and two Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Helen Hayes Awards.

"Dear Evan Hansen" is produced on Broadway by Stacey Mindich, Mickey Liddell, Hunter Arnold, Caiola Productions, Double Gemini Productions, Fakston Productions, Roy Furman, Harris Karma Productions, On Your Marks Group, Darren Bagert, Roger & William Berlind, Bob Boyett, Colin Callender, Caitlin Clements, Freddy DeMann, Dante di Loreto, Bonnie & Kenneth Feld, FickStern Productions, Eric & Marsi Gardiner, Robert Greenblatt, Jere Harris and Darren DeVerna, The John Gore Organization, Mike Kriak, Arielle Tepper Madover, David Mirvish, Eva Price, Zeilinger Productions, Adam Zotovich, Ambassador Theatre Group, Independent Presenters Network, and the Shubert Organization. Executive Producers are Wendy Orshan and Jeffrey M. Wilson, in association with Arena Stage, Molly Smith and Edgar Dobie, and Second Stage Theatre, Carole Rothman, and Casey Reitz. Jayne Hong and Rachel Weinstein are Associate Producers.

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation's preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles' leading nonprofit theatre company, programming seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1600 to 2000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the nation's leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics and circumstance to serve Los Angeles.

Center Theatre Group's 2018 - 2019 Season at the Ahmanson Theatre will be announced at a later date. Tickets are not yet on sale for the 2018 - 2019 season. To be placed on a priority waiting list for group sales, call (213) 972-7231 and a representative will be able to assist and answer any questions.

Tickets and subscriptions for the 2017 - 2018 Season at the Ahmanson Theatre, which includes the "The Red Shoes," "Bright Star," "Something Rotten!," "Crazy for You," "Soft Power" and "The Humans," are available by phone at (213) 972-4400 and online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/Ahmanson.