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Schimen Scott wasn’t too much older than the characters in “Dear Evan Hansen” when she tried to end her life, distraught because her mother didn’t believe that her stepfather had sexually assaulted her.
Now on stage at the Arden Theatre Co. and extended through July 5, “Dear Evan Hansen” is “very, very accurate,” said Scott, education and training manager at the National Association on Mental Illness – Philadelphia.
“It resonates with me,” she said.
In 2000, when playwright Benj Pasek was a student at Friends Central High School in Wynnewood, a classmate killed himself and was mourned by fellow students who barely knew him.
That experience roots the plot of Pasek and collaborator Justin Paul’s “Dear Evan Hansen.” The story in the Tony Award-winning musical centers on one of the fictional classmates, Evan Hansen. A socially anxious and depressed loner, Evan erroneously becomes identified as a secret friend of Connor, the classmate who killed himself.
“For me, this play brings to light suicide and brings it to light among students,” Scott said.
Blake Ehrlichman (Jared Kleinman), Evan A. Kaushesh (Evan Hansen), Julian Perez (Connor Murphy) in Arden Theatre Company’s 2026 production of Dear Evan Hansen (Ashley Smith/Wide Eyed Studios)
For this production, opening during Mental Health Awareness month in May, Arden is partnering with the Philadelphia branch of NAMI, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. NAMI provides support, education and advocacy for people affected by mental illness and their families.
What is striking to Scott about Arden’s “Dear Evan Hansen” production (she’ll see it when she returns from her honeymoon), is the way it focuses on suicide’s all-too-common ripple effects.
In “Dear Evan Hansen,” a mishap involving a letter Evan wrote to himself to as part of his therapy ensues when the letter comes to be seen as a suicide note written to Evan from Connor, a sullen and depressed drug user who abuses his sister.
“Connor was experiencing mental health issues,” Scott said. “Maybe they weren’t being addressed. Maybe the bar is too high at home.”
Maybe, she said “Connor was masking,” pretending to be and feel what he was not, just as she was when she was a teenager being abused by her stepfather. “I was the class clown. I wanted everyone to feel good because I was dealing with trauma.”
Hailey Lara (Zoe Murphy) and Evan A. Kaushesh (Evan Hansen) in Arden Theatre Company’s 2026 production of Dear Evan Hansen. (Ashley Smith/Wide Eyed Studios)
Horrified by their son’s death, Connor’s parents embrace Evan, as the closest connection to their deceased son. They support Evan’s plan to restore an apple orchard in Connor’s name.
That too is typical, Scott said. “Parents will do anything to keep a memory [of their child] alive including idealizing someone who may have found the child.”
It’s not unusual for parents to start foundations or embark on projects so that other families don’t have to suffer as they did.
Often siblings will suffer, she said, trying to fill their deceased brother or sister’s shoes. “The child that passed away is idolized where the living sibling is just existing. Parents are so locked into their grief that the family suffers.”
For Evan, the mishap over the letter becomes his ticket to acceptance from his classmates.
“Connor’s dying is creating Evan,” Scott said.
“Evan has had a taste of a social life. Even though it’s under false pretenses, he’s being accepted. So now, he’s going to do more and more. It’s like feeding the lie and in feeding the lie, he’s part of the lie,” Scott said.
“That could lead to suicide too. All the pressure. The kid is experiencing a new life. He has acquaintances. They are engaging socially in ways he didn’t before. There’s acceptance,” she said, and kids will do a lot to be accepted.
He’s vulnerable, Scott said, as are his schoolmates. “A lot of kids have PTSD,” or post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Connor and Evan are two faces of suicide. Connor committed the act, but Evan is still trying to stay afloat – living with suicide ideations and wanting to fit in at all costs,” Scott said.
The dissonance Evan experiences builds tension in the play leading to an emotional outcome.
Evan A. Kaushesh (Evan Hansen) and Julian Perez (Connor Murphy) in Arden Theatre Company’s 2026 production of Dear Evan Hansen. (Ashley Smith/Wide Eyed Studios)
If Scott had her way, teenagers and families with teenagers would see this play, making sure to discuss its themes. In some cultures, she said, talking about suicide is unacceptable. And, in other cases, many good-intentioned people believe that talking about suicide can plant a seed that can later flower into tragedy.
Scott disagrees with both premises, and says talking about suicide opens a path to getting help.
It’s an important topic, Scott says. She points to a WHYY News article reporting on the School District of Philadelphia’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. According to the survey, 46% of all high school students felt sad or hopeless in 2023, up from 33.9% a decade earlier.
One in five (21.4%) considered suicide in 2023, up from 14% in 2013, according to the same study. Whites, tenth graders, and females were at the highest risk. The survey noted that 13.2% of all students actually attempted suicide, with 4.7% requiring medical treatment.
“Suicide is not a joke,” Scott said. “Suicide is permanent. Kids don’t realize that suicide is permanent. You only have one life. It’s not like the movies,” where people survive like a cat with nine lives.
“The moral of the story is that you are not alone and there are people that you can talk to.”
NAMI Youth & Advocacy Manager Lexie Taylor and Arden Theatre Associate Artistic Director Jonathan Silver address the audience ahead of the Pay-What-You-Choose final dress rehearsal of Dear Evan Hansen.
As part of its partnership with NAMI Philadelphia, Arden held a pay-what-you-choose final dress rehearsal performance benefiting NAMI Philadelphia on May 20, with local college NAMI affiliates in attendance. Playbills will include a letter from NAMI Philadelphia chief executive Kyle Carter and a list of resources for help. Patrons will receive more info in a post-show follow-up email.
“Dear Evan Hansen” themes will be discussed in a pre-show pizza party on teen night performances, May 29 and 30 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for teenagers, 13 to 18.
Call 988, the national suicide hotline, to be directed to a trained counselor, free, 24/7.
·Text NAMI to 741-741 to receive text support from a trained counselor, free 24/7.
·Call 911: If calling the police (911), make sure to emphasize that you have a mental health crisis and not a criminal problem. Ask for a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer. They’ll ask for your name and the person’s name, the person’s current location and whether the person has a weapon.
·Call the Philadelphia crisis line: 215-685-6440 for help for yourself, family member, or friend. Free, 24/7
·Call Philadelphia’s suicide and crisis intervention service at 215-686-4420. Free 24/7
·Call NAMI’s helpline 800-950-NAMI (6264). Free Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
·Reach out to NAMI for peer support and family support groups, or to bring programs to your organization at NAMIPhilly.org
“Dear Evan Hansen,” runs through July 5, Arden Theatre Co., 40 N. 2d St., Phila. 215-922-1122