Seven autistic actors will make their Broadway debuts in How to Dance in Ohio, the neurodiverse musical by Jacob Yandura and Rebekah Greer Melocik. Performances start on 15 November 2023 at the Belasco Theatre ahead of a 10 December opening night. Sammi Cannold will make her Broadway directorial debut helming the production.
Also making their Broadway debuts will be the show's writers, composer Jacob Yandura and book writer and lyricist Rebekah Greer Melocik. They've adapted the work from Alexandra Shiva's 2015 HBO documentary, which follows the challenges faced by a group of autistic young adults at a counselling center in Ohio.
Deaf Broadway will present a free performance of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company on 2 August at Damrosch Park. Part of Lincoln Center's Summer for the City series, the show will be performed entirely by Deaf actors in American Sign Language.
The live performance will be accompanied by a simultaneous projection of the 2011 Lincoln Center concert version of Company, starring Tony winners Neil Patrick Harris and Patti LuPone, and will serve as the auditory soundtrack. The performance will also be accessible via English captions and audio description.
The cast will feature Deaf Broadway Artistic Director Garrett Zuercher as Bobby, Heba Toulan as Sarah/Marta, Jules Dameron as Harry, Jackie Roth as Joanne, Hector Reynoso as Larry, Zavier Sabio as Peter, Raquel McPeek Rodriguez as Susan/Soloist, Neil Sprouse as David, Dickie Hearts as Lenny/Andy, Christopher Tester as Jamie/Theo, and Andrew Morrill as Paul.