Koger Center brings Broadway hits to Columbia, “Dear Evan Hansen” opens tonight

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — The Koger Center for the Arts is bringing a string of Broadway hits to its stage — with “Dear Evan Hansen” opening Wednesday night.

The show will close out its five year tour at the Koger Center on July 2nd.

Anthony Norman portrays Evan Hansen, a high school student struggling with loneliness and anxiety, whose therapist encourages him to write about “why today will be a good day.”

“Especially in the age of social media, we see everything that we’re not a part of and everything that we’re missing out on, and you really, even though you may feel like it. You aren’t alone,” says Norman.

Alaina Anderson plays Zoë Murphy. She and Anthony have traveled with the show for over a year.

“How do we feel? Excited, nervous, bittersweet. Because this is our last stop of the tour which is really emotional!” Anderson says.

Another end of an era is happening at the Koger Center next week. All 2,256 seats will be removed and replaced with brand new ones.

Koger’s Director Nate Terracio says the seats that have been there since 1989 have started to have a voice of their own.

“They’ve just gotten worn out the springs, the metal rubs against itself and it squeaks. And it started as a cute, kind of background noise, and now it’s turned into its own symphonic performance depending on how quiet the show is. So we’re really looking forward to not only having them be more comfortable but also quiet for the audience,” says Terracio.

After the three month renovation is complete, the Koger Center will bring a slew of big Broadway shows to Columbia audiences continuing its “Broadway in Columbia” 2023-2024 schedule, which includes “Hamilton,” “Mean Girls,”  and “Pretty Woman.”

“We’re trying to change the culture here in Columbia to say you don’t just have to come to the same things you’ve always come to. There’s new and exciting shows that you may not have thought you want to see, but give it a chance because we think everything we’ve got is going to be fantastic,” says Terracio.

Patrons can sponsor one of the brand new seats and have a name plaque placed on the back — costing between $250 and $1,000.

In the meantime, catch “Dear Evan Hansen” at the Koger Center starting Wednesday night.

“As it says on our poster, “You will be found.” Right? This idea that nobody is truly alone. There will always be people out there who want to see you and understand you, you just have to hold out for them,” says Anderson.