We asked DEAR EVAN HANSEN cast member Michael Perez about his journey with the Tony Award-winning musical and his experience on tour so far. See Michael and the rest of the touring company now at Juanita K. Hammons Hall.

MICHAEL PEREZ (Alternate Evan Hansen; u/s Connor Murphy) is honored to join DEH! Film/TV: Amazon Prime’s “Uncle Frank,” Hallmark’s To Her With Love, Netflix’s “Insatiable,” AMC’s “Halt and Catch Fire,” Sundance “When the Streetlights Go On.” Thanks to his family, Stewart Talent, Rikki Dale Management, and Appa. @mikey_prez

What was your path to becoming a professional performer?

I started when I was pretty young! I have two older sisters who were doing theatre and I wanted to do whatever they did so I asked my mom if I could do some classes. From there I just fell in love and stuck with it. I had my first professional job at 7 doing The Music Man at a regional theatre in North Carolina. I continued to do regional theatre until high school, and then as a got older did some film and tv work and also some opera.

What is a favorite onstage or offstage memory with your castmates?

Favorite onstage memory was doing the finale with everyone for the first time at my first put in rehearsal. Just being up there with everyone doing this show that we loved was truly such an emotional experience. My favorite offstage memory so far was going mini golf and go-karting with the cast in West Lafayette, Indiana. Shoutout to Kay Jay at Malibu Jacks for a great experience..

What do you think makes DEAR EVAN HANSEN stand out from other contemporary musicals?

I think that it is truly story driven. It’s really more of a play with music than it is a musical. I think also it’s message. It’s one of those shows that I think everyone can relate to in some capacity no matter what age.

Do you have any pre-show traditions you do backstage that help you get in the zone before each performance?

My pre-show ritual starts the night before. I try to go to bed early and get as much sleep as possible so that my voice can be as well rested as possible. I then wake up early so my voice has time to warm up before I perform. I eat a nice breakfast, then head to the theatre, stretch, chug a lot of water and hot tea, and then warm up my voice. From there I get dressed and put the cast on and it’s showtime.

What was your audition process like for this show?

I, like quite a few of us in the cast, have been auditioning for the show since 2019. I had been called in a few times and gotten a callback, but it never really went anywhere and then the show closed. I was sad because this was such a dream show of mine but I had made my peace that it wasn’t meant to be. Then in April this year I got the audition for this run of the show and I was so excited to jump at this opportunity again. I was really surprised when they kept calling me in and now we are here. It’s been quite the journey but I feel so lucky to get to be apart of this show’s history.

What is something about life on tour that might surprise people?

This is my first tour and we just started, so I’m still trying to figure this one out myself! Nothing is coming to mind, but I can say it’s been a blast. We’ve already bonded so much as company and getting to hangout with everyone whether it be a hotel hang or we go do an activity together it’s been awesome!

Dream role?

Well this has certainly been a dream role, but I guess next I would love to be Ponyboy in The Outsiders.

What item can’t you live without on tour?

It’s basic but my water bottle! Gotta stay hydrated!

What’s your current favorite song or artist you’ve been listening to on repeat?

Definitely Teddy Swims. I love his voice and his music is so soulful. I’ve been listening to him a lot!

What’s your favorite theater you’ve ever performed in?

Probably Theatre Under the Stars! It’s such a beautiful house and it has such a history with all the shows that have through there. They have a constellation on the ceiling of the house that will run a shooting star every 10 minutes which is so cool!

Don’t miss your chance to see DEAR EVAN HANSEN in Springfield! Visit HammonsHall.com to purchase your tickets now.