A Local Theater Production Brings Mental Health Conversations to Buffalo Youth and Families

Buffalo youth have few safe, nonclinical settings for mental health conversations, leaving teens feeling disconnected while families and schools seek more ways to support them. A board member at Creekside Performing Arts reached out to LOR with a solution: produce a local rendition of “Dear Evan Hansen” with pre-show messaging and post-show conversations led by mental health professionals. LOR’s funding will help Creekside Performing Arts cover licensing and royalty fees and contract a musical director, choreographer, and suicide-prevention specialists. The specialists will moderate the conversations, guide safe-messaging practices, and support youth performers throughout the production. The project will give Buffalo youth and families a community space to engage with mental health topics, build connection, and leave with awareness of local resources.