ISU Theatre and Counseling Center Partner to Support “Dear Evan Hansen” Cast with Mental Health Workshop

The workshop was a collaboration with ISU’s counseling department and was led by Kira Adams, a training coordinator and licensed social worker in the Counseling and Mental Health Center.  

“‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is a very important story about all of the ways in today's world that we can end up feeling isolated and alone,” said director Jef Petersen. “The play is for the most part a very funny script, but it does deal with some heavy topics, and the production team decided that it would be a great way to support the cast and crew by having a workshop with Kira Adams from the ISU Counseling Center to provide tools and techniques for working on heavy topics in art and not having to carry the heavy topics with us.”

Adams provided strategies for the cast on the process of “tapping in and out,” a common tactic used by actors to separate themselves from their character, while also opening up the discussion to encourage the cast to share their own strategies. Adams explained that “tapping out” helps create a boundary between performance and real life, helping to reduce emotional exhaustion and burnout. “Tapping in” helps actors prepare themselves mentally and emotionally before entering intense scenes. Together, the process allows actors to stay more emotionally balanced and self-aware, while still being able to give authentic performances. 

“‘Tapping in and out’ of emotionally intense roles is important because actors often have to experience strong emotions like grief, anger, fear, or trauma in a very realistic way while performing,” said Adams. “If performers stay emotionally connected to those feelings after rehearsals or performances, it can affect their mental health, stress levels, and relationships outside of acting.”

For cast members, the workshop offered valuable tools to carry on and off stage. 

Azarie Armstrong, who plays Zoe Murphy, said one of the best parts of the workshop was learning about fellow cast members' strategies and how they shared the same goal.

“Even though we all used different methods, they all served the same purpose of helping calm the nervous system and create a sense of control and grounding. It showed me that there isn’t just one ‘right’ way to manage these feelings, and that exploring different techniques can be incredibly valuable as both a performer and a person,” said Armstrong. 

“Being a part of 'Dear Evan Hansen' has been an invaluable experience for me,” said Ethan Wood, who portrays the character Jared. “Mental health remains highly stigmatized, and this show allows us to have conversations in an open-minded way. None of these characters are perfect, and that is highly representative of the world we live in.”

Ensemble member Arianne Despain mirrored those sentiments, emphasizing the importance of creating a space for conversations about mental health support.

“As someone who works full-time in Family Court and sees how mental health struggles can impact families and our community, I was so excited that our production team provided this workshop and created a space for these conversations,” said Despain. “One thing that really stood out to me was how insightful and thoughtful our cast members are. These young actors and actresses bring their own experiences, perspectives, and emotions to the production, and I was so impressed by their willingness to talk about the ways they practice self-care and support one another.”

Director Petersen hopes the cast carries with them into rehearsal and performances the importance of taking care of themselves. “This is about the cast and crew taking care of themselves for their own health, but also so that they will be ready to be able to give our amazing audiences the best possible performance.”

If you are in need of support for your mental and emotional well-being, please visit the ISU Counseling Center’s page. If you are an ISU student, you can receive free services as well. Learn more on this page. 

“Dear Evan Hansen” runs June 12, 13, 15, and 18-20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bistline Theatre at the Stephens Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office online at isu.edu/tickets or by calling (208) 282-3595. 

Content warning: “Dear Evan Hansen” contains discussions of mental illness, anxiety, suicide and self-harm. Viewer discretion is advised. 

“Dear Evan Hansen” is presented at Idaho State University through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).