You can catch musician and actor Michael Stray, 30, of Century City, in Dear Evan Hansen, which opens at the Artscape next month

Billed as a musical drama focusing on themes of acceptance, mental health, and the longing for connection as characters navigate the digital world with its isolation and our need for human connection, it stars Fleur du Cap Theatre Award winner Stuart Brown, of Hout Bay, in the title role. Greg Karvellas directs while Kurt Haupt, of Bellville, is the musical director.

Stray plays troubled teen Connor Murphy in the production. It’s a role that resonates with him, he says.

“When I was younger, I also felt quite a bit of isolation and loneliness, but I overcame it.”

Originally from Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, Stray taught himself to play the guitar and sing, and he performed on cruise ships for about four years.

He spent time in New York, where he watched Broadway musicals, and “fell in love” with theatre, he says.

After graduating from the Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy (Lamta) in Camps Bay, at 27, he worked on several productions including Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Dead At The Box Office, and Abraham Lincoln (The production).

“I always believed that life will work out the way it should, and this career found me, I guess,” he says.

Aspiring actors should realise the career is all about passion and vulnerability, but they shouldn’t be too hard on themselves, he says.

His goal is to help the audience “escape life a little bit and live in the moment”, he says, and he feels Dear Evan Hansen will do just that.

“This show is to help inspire those living with mental illness, to show them that they are not alone, and that they can overcome their battles one step at a time instead of giving up.”

The production is a chance to learn from people he looks up to in the industry and is a “dream come true”, he says.

Dear Evan Hansen is at the Artscape Theatre from Wednesday February 12 until Sunday March 9. Visit showtime.co.za or hownowbrowncow.co.za for tickets, which range from R150 to R500. Visit www.artscape.co.za for more information. For discounts on group bookings, contact Jill Somers, from 9am to 5pm, at 079 218 1658 or email sales @showtime.co.za

Due to mature themes and strong language, this production is not recommended for children under 12.