Dear Evan Hansen casts new star discovered on TikTok

Early this year, thousands of people posted videos of themselves singing on TikTok, hoping it could mark the start of their big break.

And, for one of them, it did.

In January producers of a UK version of Broadway sensation Dear Evan Hansen launched a nationwide hunt for undiscovered talent ahead of a tour later this year.

The multi award-winning musical, which first opened in 2016, follows Evan as he goes viral.

So it’s possibly not a surprise for that to be a key part of the auditioning process.

Director Adam Penford launched the search with – of course – a video saying his team was looking for the “next generation of talent”.

Hopeful actors uploaded audition tapes of themselves singing You Will Be Found – a pivotal song from the play – in the hope of bagging a real-life audition.

Producers say fewer than 2% of the 2,000 who applied were invited to audition.

From that final 36, Sonny Monaghan was the chosen one and was recently revealed as the understudy for the lead role.

Sonny, from East Sussex, tells BBC Newsbeat there was no way he’d have missed the opportunity.

“Evan’s a role I’ve always wanted to play since I started doing musical theatre,” he says.