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Reston Community Players and South Lakes High School joined forces on a summer production of “Dear Evan Hansen” designed to give students and recent Fairfax County Public Schools graduates practical experience alongside adult theater practitioners.
Six performances were scheduled at South Lakes High School in Reston from July 24 through Aug. 1, 2026. The source article, published on the planned opening date, does not confirm whether the opening or subsequent performances took place.
The collaboration grew from an idea proposed by Olivia Daugherty, a 2026 South Lakes graduate, to theater teacher Michael Viola. Daugherty wanted to create a summer production that connected students with a community theater.
“Some schools have the summer production programs, and we thought maybe it would be nice for South Lakes to have that,” Daugherty said.
Reston Community Players, which is typically based at Reston Community Center, provided financial support. According to Daugherty, students did not pay participation fees, an approach intended to make the program accessible to students from lower-income backgrounds.
The production included young people working both onstage and behind the scenes. Adult directors and music directors were matched with student counterparts, while adult performers provided mentorship and offered notes on scenes.
“We have our adult directors paired with student directors, adult music directors paired with student music directors, and then the adult actors in the show…who have also served as mentors,” said Katie Pond, a vice president of Reston Community Players who also played Cynthia Murphy.
“We have bonded with the kids, and so they’re getting real life experiences,” Pond said.
The source reported participation by students from 11 Fairfax County schools, along with students from Arlington and adult actors. It identified only 10 Fairfax schools: Centreville, Westfield, Oakton, Falls Church, South Lakes, Chantilly, McLean, West Potomac and Annandale high schools, as well as Langston Hughes Middle School. The remaining Fairfax school was not named.
Viola served as an associate director. He said the musical was selected because its exploration of family, friendship, grief and isolation could speak to a broad audience.
“Dear Evan Hansen” follows an anxious and isolated high school student who is mistakenly believed to have been a close friend of another student who died by suicide. He allows that false impression to grow, placing dishonesty alongside the musical’s mature themes of suicide, grief and loneliness.
Madelyn Regan, who played Alana, connected the story’s isolation to students’ recent experiences. “It’s very easy to feel alone, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
Colby Chase played Evan Hansen. Pond and Patrick Killoran portrayed the parents of Connor Murphy, while Cash Conroy played Jared, Sarah Lennox played Zoe Murphy and Regan played Alana.
For incoming South Lakes student Whitleigh Wilkes, the show marked a first experience in community theater. She described the chance to observe and question experienced performers as a central part of the program.
“I love how I’ve gotten to meet these adults and be around them in their creative space … it’s been really inspiring, and I’ve also gotten to learn a lot from watching them and from asking them questions,” Wilkes said.
The mentorship production brought that learning model into multiple parts of the show, pairing students with experienced theater participants while giving them a role in creating a full summer production.