The Public Theater and The Bushwick Starr's upcoming world premiere co-production of Ryan J. Haddad's Dark Disabled Stories will begin previews Off-Broadway February 28. Directed by Jordan Fein, the new play will officially open at The Public's Shiva Theater March 9 and continue through March 26.
Haddad will lead the cast, sharing the stage with Dickie Hearts (Tales of the City) and Alejandra Ospina (Great Race Through Time and Space!).
The autobiographical work, which serves as Haddad's Off-Broadway playwriting debut, is described as a "series of unforgiving vignettes" about the strangers Haddad encounters in a world not built for his disability.
Check out photos from rehearsals for the premiere below:
Dickie Hearts, Jordan Fein, Dylan Geil, Ryan J. Haddad in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: Dickie, a performer with olive skin and dark chocolate-colored curly hair, stands with his pointer finger stroking his chin. He writes with a pencil on his script, which sits on a music stand. He wears a yellow and blue plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and black and brown cowboy boots. Jordan, who is light-skinned and has black hair and a black beard, stands next to him with his elbows bent and fingers stretched widely. He wears black pants, a black sweater, black shoes, and a black face mask. His nails are also painted black. Dylan stands behind him wearing gray and orange sneakers, light wash denim jeans, a green, yellow, and brown sweater zipped up halfway and a grey tee shirt underneath. He is light-skinned and wears brown, round glasses with brown hair. He communities in ASL. Ryan, a Lebanese American man with short black hair, brown eyes, and round, tortoiseshell glasses, sits in a chair next to Dylan and looks at Jordan to his right. He holds a script in his lap. He is wearing a red, yellow, and green plaid flannel shirt with blue jeans and black sneakers on.
Alejandra Ospina and Dickie Hearts in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: A black and white shot of Alejandra, a light-skinned Latina with short dark hair that is slicked back, sitting in her wheelchair in the background. She wears a headband, round glasses, a long-sleeve blouse, and a face mask. She looks at her script. Dickie, a performer with olive skin and dark chocolate-colored curly hair, stands in the front and center communicating in ASL. He has a music stand in front of him with his script. He looks forward, intensely. He wears a plaid flannel shirt and jeans.
Dickie Hearts and Ryan J. Haddad in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: A black and white shot of Dickie, a performer with olive skin and dark chocolate-colored curly hair, standing and smiling widely. He holds on to the two chairs in front of him. Ryan, a Lebanese American man with short black hair, brown eyes, and round, tortoiseshell glasses, sits in the third chair in front of Dickie with his script in his hand and smiling. A pole is on the other side of Ryan. Both actors wear plaid flannel shirts and jeans.
Alejandra Ospina in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: Alejandra, a light-skinned Latina with short dark hair that is slicked back, sits in her motorized wheelchair in front of a table with her iPad propped up and a microphone in front of her. She wears a grey wool knit cap, glasses, a black face mask, and a baby blue long-sleeve blouse. Her eyes look to the right. Her hands are intertwined together resting on her chest.
Jordan Fein in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: Jordan, who has black hair and a black beard, sits and points to the cast. He wears a black sweater and a Public Theater lanyard. His mouth is slightly open. His nails are painted black and he holds a face mask in his hand.
Ryan J. Haddad, Dickie Hearts, and Alejandra Ospina in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: Ryan, a Lebanese American man with short black hair, brown eyes, and round, tortoiseshell glasses, is blurry in the front of the photo, sitting and leaning forward holding on to a pole. He wears a red, yellow, and green plaid flannel shirt. Dickie, a performer with olive skin and dark chocolate-colored curly hair, stands behind him, also leaning forward with his left shoulder facing the viewer. He wears a yellow and blue plaid flannel shirt. He smiles with his mouth open. Alejandra, a light-skinned Latina with short dark hair that is slicked back, sits behind them and watches them in the background of the photo. She wears a grey wool knit cap, glasses, a black face mask, and a baby blue long-sleeve blouse. She has a microphone sitting at the table in front of her in her motorized wheelchair.
Dickie Hearts in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: Dickie, a performer with olive skin and dark chocolate-colored curly hair stands with his left leg on the chair and his right leg planted on the ground. His left elbow sits on his left knee and touches his face in a pensive pose. His eyes look to the right. He wears a yellow and blue plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and brown and black cowboy boots. A black music stand is in front of him.
Dylan Geil and Jordan Fein in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: Dylan Geil has short brown hair and wears brown, round glasses. He wears an olive-green jacket over a grey tee shirt and light-wash jeans. He is communicating in ASL. Jordan Fein has black hair and a black beard. He wears a black sweater and black pants. He holds a script in front of him and points to the actors. His nails are also painted black and he holds a face mask that is black.
Ryan J. Haddad in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: Ryan J. Haddad, a Lebanese American performer and playwright with short black hair, brown eyes, and round, tortoiseshell glasses, sits cross-legged in a chair with his script open in front of him on his lap. He sports a red, yellow, and green plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans. He holds a pen, preparing to write, and listens to director Jordan Fein, softly smiling.
Andrew Morrill in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: Andrew Morrill has auburn-colored hair with grey streaks in it and wears green, round glasses. He has an auburn beard and wears a black button-down tee shirt with gold and brown patterns across it. Andrew also wears a black face mask around his ear. He is communicating in ASL.
Ryan J. Haddad and Dickie Hearts in rehearsal for Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: Ryan J. Haddad, a Lebanese American performer and playwright with short black hair, brown eyes, and round, tortoiseshell glasses, sits with his script in his hand looking up at Dickie Hearts with a smile. Ryan sports a red, yellow, and green plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. Dickie Hearts, a performer with olive skin and dark chocolate-colored curly hair, stands next to him with his hand on his hip and his other hand holding on to a metal pole that separates them. He wears a yellow and blue plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and brown and black cowboy boots. He has a music stand in front of him. Dickie crosses his left foot in front of his right foot and looks down at Ryan and smiles.
Dickie Hearts, Ryan J. Haddad, and Alejandra Ospina in rehearsal Dark Disabled Stories
Image Description: Ryan J. Haddad, Dickie Hearts, and Alejandra Ospina sit next to each other in the rehearsal room with black floor and a white wall. The room is lit with florescent lighting with folding chairs. Ryan is a Lebanese American man with short black hair, brown eyes, and round, tortoiseshell glasses. He wears a red, yellow, and green plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. He is softly laughing, holding his script, and his walker is in front of him. Dickie Hearts sits two seats down. Dickie has olive skin and dark chocolate-colored curly hair. He smiles widely, wearing a yellow and blue plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and brown and black cowboy boots. He has a music stand in front of him and is communicating in ASL. Alejandra Ospina sits next to Dickie on his right. She is a light-skinned Latina with short dark hair that is slicked back. She wears a grey, wool knit cap, round glasses, and a black face mask. She wears a baby blue long sleeve blouse and is holding her iPad with the script. She sits in her black motorized wheelchair with a grey blanket.
"When Noel Allain asked what project I might like to bring to The Bushwick Starr, I had this collection of stories in mind, but never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned the production we are embarking to make," shares Haddad. "Dark Disabled Stories is about disparate moments in my life, but when each of them happened, I was just hoping to have a regular day, until someone, somehow, either directly or indirectly reminded me that I was disabled, as if I wasn't already aware. They're ordinary, sometimes funny stories that turn dark because of the ways the world is taught to interact with disability, or the measures people take to avoid and ignore disability entirely. I'm excited for audiences to balk, laugh, and cringe with me about the ways strangers can be very strange."
Great lengths are being taken to ensure the production is as accessible as possible to audience members with disabilities. All performances will feature open captioning, ASL, and audio descriptions integrated into the performance rather than relegated to special evenings. The Public has also expanded wheelchair and mobility access.
The production will feature scenic and costume design by dots, lighting design by Oona Curley, sound design by Kathy Ruvuna, and video design by Kameron Neal. Andrew Morrill will serve as director of artistic sign language, with Alison Kopit as accessibility consultant. The production stage manager is Melanie Lisby with Miriam Rochford serving as interpreter coordinator and stage manager. Peter Royston will also serve as a stage manager.
Haddad previously developed his solo play Hi, Are You Single? as part of the Public's 2017 Under the Radar: INCOMING! series, and the work later played D.C.'s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. He recently appeared in New York Theatre Workshop's american (tele)visions and The Watering Hole at Signature Theatre. He's been seen on screen in The Politician and Retreat.
