The stars of 'How to Dance in Ohio' on exploring connections among autistic adults

Transcript

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Amna Nawaz: A new musical recently debuted on Broadway that puts the stories of seven autistic young adults front and center as they face the challenges of leading independent lives.

Adapted from a documentary, Jeffrey Brown talks to the creators behind the musical and some of its stars. It's for our arts and culture series, Canvas.

(Cheering and Applause)

Actor: Welcome! We are going to do a show for you.

Jeffrey Brown : It's a musical with an unusual opening, in which the cast members introduce themselves.

Actor: The show is based on things that actually happened, but parts have been embellished for dramatic purposes.

Jeffrey Brown : Seven autistic Actors playing seven autistic characters with a message about their community.

Actor: There is the saying, if you have met one autistic person, you have met one autistic person. You are now meeting seven autistic people.

(Cheering and Applause)

Madison Kopec, Actor: It's nice to have that little connection with the audience at first and just be like, this is what's going on.

Imani Russell, Actor: We're also establishing that this is a place where neurodivergence is welcome and accepted.

Jeffrey Brown : Twenty-year-old Madison Kopec and 27-year-old Imani Russell, both with autism, are two of the stars of "How to Dance in Ohio."

Imani Russell: The experience of being autistic is so different from person to person. And you see that in the show and people connect with that in the audience. But it is really important to understand that, like, whatever ideas that people might have going into the show about what it means to be autistic, we're here to be like, that's one idea. That's one example.

Actor: When I'm out, I don't talk much. I have trouble making facial expressions. It's not that I don't care about what you're saying. Sometimes, I don't.

(Laughter)

Jeffrey Brown : One common thread here, the challenges of navigating daily life and making social connections, especially as they strive to be more independent as young adults.

Madison Kopec, who was diagnosed with autism at age 17, portrays Marideth, who often turns to facts to avoid emotions and potentially disturbing personal contact.

This focus on social interaction and the difficulties of that...

Madison Kopec: Yes.

Jeffrey Brown : ... that, you're familiar with?

Madison Kopec: Yes, I'm very familiar with difficult social interactions. I wish I could be like Marideth sometimes, where she just kind of says, no thanks and leaves.

And I do, to a point. But, also, I think the journey she goes on is really important, because she tends to, like, block herself out from having any sort of, like, interactions because she's afraid.

Documentary participant: A lot of times, people can't read my emotions because I don't put any expression into my face.

Jeffrey Brown : The characters and story are based on a 2015 HBO documentary of the same name by director Alexandra Shiva, which captured a real-life counseling clinic for teens and young adults with autism in Columbus, Ohio, as they prepared to hold a spring formal dance.

For composer Jacob Yandura, himself from Ohio and with a younger sibling with autism, turning it into a musical was deeply personal.

Jacob Yandura, Composer: My sister Maria has been a part of this for -- since the beginning. I mean, she was the first person I told about, like, there's this documentary. I think it's a musical. And we watched it together, because it was right around when I was home for the holidays.

And we immediately cried. And she was like: "Jacob, now the world can understand what it's like to be me," you know? That's what I hope. And it's the most -- it's been the most beautiful gift, the show. And I'm getting emotional thinking about it.

Jeffrey Brown : When she said that, you thought, I have got to make this musical.

Jacob Yandura: I have to make this. Yes, I have to make this.

Jeffrey Brown : For director Sammi Cannold, who also has an autistic sibling, making accommodations for the autistic Actors and some members of the larger team meant adjusting her role.

Sammi Cannold, Director: The main piece of feedback in terms of direction that I got from mostly our artistic performers was that what they wanted from me was very clear and very specific direction, not can you go over there by the door? Can you go to eight and turn left and then go to 10? So very, very specific.

And that...

Jeffrey Brown : Makes it easier for them to follow the script.

Sammi Cannold: The script, yes.

And I think that absolutely is an extra level of work and preparation on my end, but it's work and preparation that I'm thrilled to do, because it allows our performers to do their best work.

Jeffrey Brown : In fact, the two Actors told us that acting and following a script are plenty familiar to them. It's how they and many autistic people get through even the most routine interactions.

Imani Russell: Even, like, with friends being like, OK, I got to practice what I'm going to say. I'm going to make up a little script before I go hang out with people just so I have something prepared.

Madison Kopec: People would always ask, how can you perform in front of this huge crowd of people and then be scared to perform in front of three family members when asked?

Jeffrey Brown : Or even go to the store or...

(Crosstalk)

Madison Kopec: Or go to the -- yes, exactly.

Jeffrey Brown : Yes, and know how to order.

Madison Kopec: Because I know what I'm doing when I go on the set, mostly. I know this character that I'm playing. And even when it does come down to a little bit of improv, which I have gotten more comfortable with over the years, like, I have still got this character. So I have a basis for how she would react in certain situations.

Imani Russell: And it's not like we don't know how to adapt. We have had to adapt for our entire lives.

Madison Kopec: Right.

Imani Russell: The world is not necessarily built for us.

Madison Kopec: Yes.

Imani Russell: I don't know. Also, I just think that I'm, like, theater brings us joy. I don't like going to the store. It doesn't bring me any joy.

(Laughter)

Madison Kopec: That's true, yes.

Imani Russell: But I love to perform.

Jeffrey Brown : For this show, accommodations are also made for the audience with the availability of aids and cool-down spaces for those who need to step away due to sensory sensitivities.

Imani Russell hopes "How to Dance in Ohio" not only helps people in the autistic community feel represented, but also fuels change in theater inclusivity more broadly.

Imani Russell: We're really doing something that is connecting with people who are coming and being like, I have never thought that I could do this. And seeing the seven of you on stage is giving me hope that I can do this, that theater, which already feels like a home to a lot of autistic people, but that they can actually do it, which feels really, really important to me.

Jeffrey Brown Je: In that sense, says director Sammi Cannold, this is entertainment-plus, also a form of advocacy.

Sammi Cannold: What's important is that I think, when people hear the word advocacy, they think maybe people picketing on the street or, like, someone lecturing at you about what you should care about.

And I think that what I love about art like this is that, if you come into it off the street and you know nothing about it, you're probably not going to leave and say, I just saw advocacy, right? But you are going to leave with a better understanding of a community that you may not have had an understanding of before. Or, if you are a member of that community, you may leave feeling you have seen yourself on stage.

Jacob Yandura: Represented.

Jeffrey Brown : "How to Dance in Ohio" is now on Broadway with an open-ended run.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jeffrey Brown in New York.

Amna Nawaz: Great to see those stories on a big, joy-filled stage.