What Does Gen Z Look for In a Musical?
Songwriters
How Be More Chill, The Prom and Dear Evan Hansen are attracting teens and young adults
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“A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have.” That mysterious message, used in the promotional materials for Dear Evan Hansen since its 2015 D.C. tryout, immediately captivated teenager Kelly Myslinski four years ago. Now a college senior and still one of the musical’s superfans, she’s part of a growing demographic that creators and producers seek to engage: Gen Z theatre lovers.
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So what appeals to Gen Z theatregoers?
According to Myslinski, who was in the audience for Dear Evan Hansen‘s second preview at D.C.’s Arena Stage in 2015, it’s seeing their lives reflected. “I had no idea what to expect, but it felt really important,” she says. “It was the first time I was seeing myself on stage. And that still rings true. There’s authenticity at the heart of the show.”
Growing up in the digital age, young theatregoers “tap, tap, tapping on the glass” as Evan Hansen sings, navigate a complex world in which real human connections are often first facilitated through social media. “In high school it was hard having social media, looking on Instagram and seeing people having lives that I wasn’t a part of,” says Myslinski. “But as I’ve grown up, I’ve found these communities, and it’s been the best way to make friends with people who share interests. When you love a show like Dear Evan Hansen, it’s not like enjoying a fun, big, happy Golden Age musical. You like it because you’ve had similar experiences and it means something to you. It’s a bridge to connect with people and feel less alone.”
Of course that desire to connect transcends age, and the call for more inclusion and acceptance has reshaped our culture.
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“We can express these things in a way we weren’t able to before, through an art form that I love,” says Nicholaw. “You can be entertained and get a message out.”
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The most notable example of online fan incubation is Be More Chill, a musical that seemed to stall after its brief out-of-town tryout at New Jersey’s Two River Theater back in 2015. The creators of the show — about a geek who becomes popular after ingesting a minuscule supercomputer that tells him how to be cool — released an original cast album, which was discovered by young musical lovers online. By 2018, it had been streamed more than 170 million times worldwide, and songs like the breakout hit “Michael in the Bathroom” inspired fans to post their own covers, cartoons (known as animatics), lip-synch videos, even an American Sign Language interpretation.
“Here’s what we’ve learned together: It cannot feel like it’s been manufactured,” says Goehring of the team’s social media strategy. “If we’re trying to sell something, we’re doing it wrong. They’re so good at getting the word out in a way that’s new to our industry. We’re not trying to lay out a narrative, but find ways to include people in our journey.”
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TDF MEMBERS: At press time, discount tickets were available for The Prom. Go here to browse our current offers.
Matthew Wexler is the editor and chief critic of , the arts platform for Passport Magazine. He also serves as senior editor at EDGE Media Network. Read more of his work at wexlerwrites.com.
MATTHEW WEXLER