From Syracuse to Broadway, ‘How to Dance in Ohio’ is making history
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Conor Tague never saw himself in the characters onstage growing up. When there were attempts to incorporate neurodivergent characters in TV shows or movies, they always felt like poorly attempted caricatures and rarely, if ever, were they played by a neurodivergent actor.
That was a reality he came to accept in the theater industry. Then, “How to Dance in Ohio” entered the conversation.
“I was skeptical at first because of how autism was being represented. I decided I’m going with my gut, I’m going to try this out,” Tague said. “I eventually got a callback and was cast as Tommy … Then, over the summer, we got the call. I will never forget that day that we found out.”
It was mid-June this year, and “How to Dance in Ohio” was going to Broadway. Tague would make his Broadway debut — and history — all at the same time.
The musical, which had its world premiere at Syracuse Stage last fall, broke barriers by casting nine neurodivergent actors to play neurodivergent characters for the first time in history, the creative team said. On Oct. 18, the cast and crew celebrated their official box office opening ahead of previews in November. Next, they’ll open on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre in December.
The musical, which is based on the 2015 HBO documentary of the same name, follows seven young neurodivergent adults who attend the same group therapy program. Throughout the show, the doctor leading the group plans a spring formal dance to further their social skills therapy and give the teenagers the chance to have “normal” high school experiences.
As the audience watches the young adults prepare for the dance, they also witness the coming-of-age story that accompanies it, complete with joy, heartbreak and humanity.
Bob Hupp, the artistic director at Syracuse Stage, said he always had a feeling “How to Dance in Ohio” was something special, even in its earliest workshop days.
As a regional commercial theater, bringing the production to life at Syracuse Stage made sense, Hupp said. The theater has experience bringing a play to Broadway with “Thoughts of a Colored Man,” which started at Syracuse Stage in 2018 and made its Broadway debut in 2019. It’s also an urban location with much lower risk than a New York City theater.
Courtesy of Marc J. Franklin
‘How to Dance in Ohio’ made history on Broadway by representing the neurodivergent community. The cast includes nine neurodivergent actors playing autistic characters.
Courtesy of Marc J. Franklin
“Folks from (New York City) can come back and forth with ease,” Hupp said. “But we are far enough away from the city and under the radar enough that the New York Times is not going to come up here to review if your play may not be ready for a New York Times review.”
Hupp said that when he saw the workshop for “How to Dance in Ohio,” he wanted to bring it to Syracuse for more than the ticket revenue or even the prospect of Broadway.
The mission of “How to Dance in Ohio” represents the legacy he wants to leave on the theater, Syracuse and the industry. As Syracuse Stage celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023, that legacy is only more important.
“A musical like ‘How to Dance in Ohio’ helps us to define and talk about the future of Syracuse Stage and the future of our field,” Hupp said. “It’s thrilling for me to know that audiences in central New York got the opportunity to see something for the very first time that will become part of our artistic vocabulary moving forward.”
If there was any question about how audiences would respond to the new musical, its world premiere in Syracuse answered them, Hupp said. Audiences were enthralled, they fell in love with the characters’ stories and, most importantly, the neurodivergent community who saw the show felt respected and represented.
For two of the show’s producers, Ben Holtzman and Fiona Rudin, the outpouring of love “How to Dance in Ohio” received in Syracuse was their greatest goal and achievement. They said they knew the community, like Tague, had been taught to have low expectations for authentic representation.
If they were going to do this, they needed to do it right. And, after Syracuse, it became clear they were.
“We try to be guided by the mantra ‘Nothing about us without us,’” Holtzman said. “If we’re gonna do this thing, let’s make sure that we’re bringing autistic voices to the table right away so that we can bring the community in on every level that we possibly can. The fact that we had autistic actors in the show is powerful enough to make it a success on its own.”
Like Tague, “How to Dance in Ohio” will be both Holtzman and Rudin’s Broadway debut. Holtzman got the call from the Shubert Organization offering them the Belasco Theatre on June 16th — his 32nd birthday.
Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of emotions, rehearsals and a nagging sense of anxiety from doing something that’s never been done before, Rudin said. But, ever since the beginning, Rudin knew the story of “How to Dance in Ohio” needed to be shared.
“When you hear of something that kind of arrests you, that can almost feel like a bad idea, that’s something I always pay attention to. Because it’s telling you that you haven’t seen or heard it before,” Rudin said. “For me, that was this show. Instantly when I first heard about it, I was like, ‘I need to dig deeper into that story.’ It stopped me in my tracks.”
Director Sammi Cannold was on the treadmill while on a much-needed vacation when she got the call that “How to Dance in Ohio” was Broadway-bound.
The news was a lifelong dream coming true. She was excited, but she was also grateful that, of all the projects she will work on throughout her career, “How to Dance in Ohio” will be her Broadway debut.
“For me, it’s really meaningful to try to make art that is also advocacy. That also has a mission to it,” Cannold said. “I’m really grateful that the piece that I take to Broadway is one that, to me, is equal parts art and advocacy.”
Yet, telling stories like “How to Dance in Ohio” also presents unique challenges and pressures, Cannold said. The show has a responsibility to the neurodivergent community. If that community resonates with it or an audience member’s empathy grows, she’s done her job.
“I think that, to me, the ultimate victory of the show is it’s on Broadway. We have this platform to tell this story,” Cannold said. “Anything that comes after will be icing on the cake.”
As the cast and crew look ahead to tech rehearsals and their first preview on Nov. 15, they don’t feel afraid or intimidated. They feel ready and confident doing something that’s never been done before and are excited to share that with a Broadway audience. The show exists and, for them, that’s enough.
“I think that just by the show existing and not forcing these ideas down people’s throats, it is advocacy because it allows the audience to observe and think and view and make decisions for themselves,” Holtzman said. “Which, I think, is what theater has the power to do.”
