Mark your calendars! ‘Hamilton,’ ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ coming to Dayton

Dayton will finally be in the room where it happens.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2015 Tony, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning blockbuster “Hamilton: An American Musical” will have its highly anticipated Dayton premiere courtesy of Dayton Live during the 2021-2022 season.

The mega-hit hip-hop take on the life of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and our fellow Founding Fathers will perform 16 shows over the course of two weeks in 2022 at the Schuster Center.

On sale dates for single tickets and group tickets will be announced at a later date. Organizers say the best way to guarantee tickets is to purchase season tickets for Dayton Live’s 2020-2021 Premier Health Broadway in Dayton Series, which will begin in January 2021 due to closures and restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re so excited about ‘Hamilton,’” said Ty Sutton, president and CEO of Dayton Live (formerly Victoria Theatre Association). “(Securing) ‘Hamilton’ is something we’ve known about for a while but the timing is still great. The filmed production (on Disney+) is one thing but seeing the show live is a totally different experience. For a lot of people, seeing the show live will be an introduction to what all the hype is about, which is a good thing. So many people that were wondering why they should see the show will be able to answer that for themselves. Also, the fact that we’ll have ‘Hamilton’ at a time when hopefully this pandemic is more in our past than our present is also great.”

>> ‘Hamilton’ available on Disney Plus for streaming 

HOW TO GET TICKETS

On-sale dates for single tickets and group tickets will be announced at a later date.

The best way to access tickets is to purchase Season Tickets for the full 2020-2021 Premier Health Broadway in Dayton lineup, which will begin in January 2021, and renew Season Tickets for 2021-2022 when the time comes, Dayton Live officials said. Premier Health Broadway in Dayton Season Ticket Holders will have access to HAMILTON tickets before they are available to the general public. Visit daytonlive.org/hamilton-faq for answers to frequently asked questions.

BROADWAY SHOWS COMING TO TOWN IN 2021

In response to COVID-19, Dayton Live has revised its initial 2020-2021 lineup. The originally announced local premieres of “Come From Away” and “Mean Girls” are gone but the local premiere of the critically acclaimed “Dear Evan Hansen,” which won six 2017 Tony Awards including Best Musical, has been added to the previously announced offerings.

Written by the Academy, Grammy and Tony Award-winning songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land,” “The Greatest Showman”), “Dear Evan Hansen” tells a contemporary, social media-infused story of a teenage outcast.

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“‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is such a statement about current times especially for teenagers,” Sutton explained. “The fact that you can find something in a musical that really talks about how social media and technology impacts teenagers as well as the expectations that are put on teenagers is important. Right now, the lives of so many teenagers have been turned upside down especially because of the pandemic. In terms of dealing with a lot of difficult topics, ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is a really beautiful and impactful show. I’m really excited for our audiences to see it. I think it’s an incredibly well-done show on top of everything else.”

2020-2021 Premier Health Broadway in Dayton Season:

Jesus Christ Superstar 

Jan. 12-17, 2021 – Schuster Center

Fiddler on the Roof 

Feb. 9-14, 2021 – Schuster Center

The Band’s Visit 

March 9-14, 2021 – Schuster Center

Disney’s The Lion King 

May 6-23, 2021 – Schuster Center

Dear Evan Hansen 

June 8-13, 2021 – Schuster Center

New Dates:

Cats

July 6-11, 2021 – Schuster Center

Anastasia 

July 20-25, 2021 – Schuster Center

For more information, visit daytonlive.org

Dayton Live COVID-19 Ticket Guarantee 

Organizers say they are excited to present such a strong lineup of shows over the next two seasons but are well aware of current health concerns.

“We are eager for our venues to reopen and welcome you to life-inspiring performances,” Sutton explained. “But we want each of our patrons to feel safe and comfortable attending performances in our fabulous venues. Rest assured, we will be doing everything in our power to make your experience with our venues feel positive and safe, from extended cleaning regimens to observation of all state and federal guidelines. As these recommendations and requirements become clear, we will communicate them to you.”

To this end, Dayton Live has issued at COVID-19 Ticket Guarantee. If, once Dayton Live's venues are open and performances are again filling the calendar, a patron feels COVID-19 conditions make it unsafe to attend a performance or event, they'll have several options starting 30 days before the performance. For more details, visit daytonlive.org/ticket-guarantee.

“We’re going to have to follow the medicine, follow the local recommendations of local leadership,” Sutton said. “This isn’t about just putting on shows. We are still hoping things go well. We are confident people want to get back to shows. We’re following South Korea as a model. They’ve never stopped doing shows. ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ has continued to play there throughout the pandemic with certain precautions. So, that will be a part of our plan as we move closer to reopening. But we’re excited about thinking about doing shows even though it’s six months away. For most of our subscribers and ticket buyers, this announcement is going to be really reassuring. We have a plan and this is what the plan looks like in terms of feasibility.”

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