Ep. 471 NEW SERIES – Death & Grief in Pop Culture: “Dear Evan Hansen” with Benjamin Kintisch

End-of-Life University

Learn how death and grief are portrayed in pop culture through this new series that analyzes theater, film and music, starting with the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to suicide and grief after suicide so use your own discretion if these are sensitive topics for you. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide and need help call or text the National Suicide Hotline at 988.

My guest Benjamin Kintisch is a cantor, hospice and eldercare chaplain, music teacher, and the creator of Life Review: The Hospice Musical. Ben and I are teaming up for a new series on Death & Grief in Pop Culture to talk about all the interesting ways death shows up in culture, what we might learn about death and grief through the lens of pop culture, and how we can utilize popular references to death and grief to increase death literacy for ourselves and others. This week we are discussing the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” Learn more about Ben’s work at his website:

lifereviewmusical.com

YouTube Channel

Listen here:

This episode includes:

• Death and grief are all around us in popular culture
• How pop culture can help us increase death literacy for ourselves and in conversations with others
• Learning how to stay present with the pain and grief of others
• The power of live theatre to touch our hearts and teach our minds
• The preponderance of orphans as characters in popular films and stories
• Death and grief in Life Review: The Hospice Musical
• The authenticity of grief depicted in Dear Evan Hansen
• Why this musical is transformative and uplifting at the end

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Register here for Hope for the Best Plan for the Rest Workshop; September 22 at 7 pm Eastern with Hsien Seow PhD and Sammy Winemaker MD
• Watch Dear Evan Hansen
• Get EOLU Podcast Merch here
• Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here
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