Broadway Musical 'How to Dance in Ohio' Features Seven Autistic Actors in Autistic Roles

Before the main action of the Broadway musical "How to Dance in Ohio" begins, its seven autistic actors step onstage as themselves and explain to the audience what is about to unfold. "If you've met one autistic person, you have met one autistic person," one of them says, drawing laughter.

Director Sammi Cannold said the moment is one she loves. In a culture where saying "I'm autistic" can carry embarrassment, shame or stigma, she said, it works as "a moment of undoing."

The musical has deep Ohio roots. Librettist Rebekah Greer Melocik and composer Jacob Yandura are both originally from the state. They met in 2009 at New York University's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and became close collaborators. Years later, Yandura went looking for something to watch on HBO and came across a documentary titled "How to Dance in Ohio." Its synopsis mentioned Columbus, his hometown, and his sister had recently been diagnosed with autism. Within the first five minutes, he said, the film "just sang to me." He emailed Melocik, who watched it right away and agreed to the project, drawn by its themes of human connection and its sense of community.

The documentary follows a life skills program for young people at the Amigo Family Counseling Center. The writers traveled to Columbus to meet Emilio Amigo, the psychologist who runs it, and several participants. One question stood out to Yandura: whether the characters would have an "autism accent," a term he had not heard before. The participants meant a stereotypical monotone voice. The writers assured them the show's purpose was to defy stereotypes.

The team first developed the show with the celebrated director Harold Prince, who had an autistic grandchild. Prince urged the writers to use the documentary as a starting point and build their own story. Yandura said they received his final notes the week before he died in 2019. Cannold then joined as director, shortly before the pandemic closed live theater. Her brother is autistic, and she said the subject matter was deeply meaningful to her.

The creators say everyone on the production team was committed to casting autistic performers in the autistic roles. Cannold said rehearsals were shaped to suit both autistic and neurotypical actors. Some company members need to step out about once an hour, she said, and others need fidget toys while rehearsing, and both are accommodated.

Liam Pearce, who plays Drew, a high school senior trying to find the courage to ask Marideth to the dance, said it felt good to portray a character he recognizes. He credited the writers and the autistic consultants for making the stories feel natural and true. Madison Kopec, who plays Marideth, described her character as very factual, someone who likes learning about real things and often ends statements with the word "Fact."

In the first act, Marideth sings "Unlikely Animals," based on a brief exchange in the film in which the real Marideth talks about animals from Australia. Melocik, the lyricist, said the character loves geography and Australia, and she saw in that a metaphor for the isolation the character feels.

Melocik said the team wanted to avoid anything too saccharine or a message that "autism is my superpower." Instead, she said, the show acknowledges struggle while also showing community, hope and joy, along with an autistic culture worth learning about, respecting and celebrating. Pearce said young autistic fans who meet him at the stage door often tell him they have never seen themselves represented onstage that way, and he hopes even more people will see the story and feel seen.