Students Get Behind-The-Scenes Look At Broadway's Hit Show 'Dear Evan Hansen'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – "Dear Evan Hansen" is one of the hottest shows on Broadway.
On Thursday, nearly 2,000 New York City public school students got a behind-the-scenes look at the Tony Award-winning musical.
As CBS2's Cindy Hsu reported, it was all thanks to the Inside Broadway Arts Education program.
"I think that it's important, because you can really see everything that happens – the magic behind it, basically," 13-year-old Rebecca Gaudreau told Hsu.
The cast talked to the students about their careers and performed some songs. While the students didn't see the full show, they got a good idea of its message.
"When you're broken and you feel like there's no way to go, you will be helped and there's always help and you will be found," cast member Olivia Puckett said.
"It shows people how to be confident by themselves and they can stand up for themselves," said 9-year-old Triana Trinh.
"The best part was when they showed us the lights moving and it was like a light show. It was really nice," 13-year-old Giuseppe Amato added.
"The thing that surprised me the most was how confident the actors were and singing and stuff like that," said 9-year-old Leart Vucetaj.
"I loved how they showed how they handled the props," 9-year-old Cian Garcia added. "And how heavy objects get moved through the stage through electronics and computers."
Some students said the behind-the-scenes look at Broadway had them dreaming about possible careers.
"I would do the music and the lights," Richard Quinones, 11, said.
"Lots of lights, audio, sound – it's kind of fun," Gerald Aneke, 14, added. "But my real job that I'd really like to do is being a neurosurgeon."
The program started 36 years ago and reaches more than 70,000 children from 100 public schools each year.