backstage pass

Ryan J. Haddad’s Broadway dream role, cast recording obsessions, & onstage chemistry

Actor Ryan J. Haddad
Ryan J. Haddad. Photo by Stephen K. Mack

Disabled actor and playwright Ryan J. Haddad is wowing audiences and critics this spring with his latest work, Dark Disabled Stories. Co-starring Deaf actor Dickie Hearts and disabled actor Alejandra Ospina, the trio guides audiences through the challenges and triumphs of navigating life in New York City, dating, and the occasional kinky hook-up.

Haddad, whose past shows include Hi, Are you Single? and Falling for Make Believe, possesses uncanny comedic timing and dry wit and creates what Queerty critic Ryan Leeds called “a remarkable theatrical experience.”

The theater experience has also been reimagined to become more inclusive for every type of audience member by providing integrated access, including American Sign Language, captioning, and audio description at every performance.

“We’ve been starved for stories about us,” Haddad told the New York Times. “What I’m telling, what I’m giving is a really honest portrait. And it’s a portrait of me.”

Queerty caught up with Haddad between performances (the show has been extended twice and runs through April 9) to get his quick take on queerness, dream roles, and other inspiring theatermakers.

Ryan J. Haddad and Dickie Hearts in Dark Disabled Stories
Ryan J. Haddad, left, and Dickie Hearts in ‘Dark Disabled Stories.’ Photo by Joan Marcus

The key to humor is…

Self-awareness.

The gayest thing about me…

I went to see Donna Murphy in Dear World on my night off and then listened to “I Don’t Want to Know” on repeat for 24 hours. As I type these answers, I am listening to the original Broadway cast recording of Merrily We Roll Along in anticipation of the Broadway revival. [An Off-Broadway transfer starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez.]

A teaser of the story I’d love to include in Dark Disabled Stories, Part II

On a subway platform one afternoon, all of these people who did not appear to be disabled piled into an elevator and didn’t leave any space for me, so I waited. The doors closed, and the elevator went up. When it came back down, the people were still inside. It kept going up and down without letting them off, and we could see them all panicking through the glass walls. I felt vindicated.

Performer Dickie Hearts and performer and playwright Ryan J. Haddad in The Public Theater and The Bushwick Starr's production of Dark Disabled Stories
(l to r) Ryan J. Haddad and Dickie Hearts in ‘Dark Disables Stories.’ Photo by Joan Marcus

At my dressing table, you’ll find...

Mouthwash, toothbrush, hairbrush, and a spray bottle to wet my hair.

When _____________ happened in rehearsal, I knew we were onto something…

When Dickie Hearts and I had immediate chemistry and synchronicity.

Performer Dickie Hearts and performer and playwright Ryan J. Haddad in The Public Theater and The Bushwick Starr's production of Dark Disabled Stories
(l to r) Dickie Hearts and Ryan J. Haddad in ‘Dark Disables Stories.’ Photo by Joan Marcus

Revive _____________, so I can star in it!

The Drowsy Chaperone. (I just need to age a *little* more to play the Man in Chair.)

The queer theatermaker everybody should be paying attention to right now…

Jordan Fein, the brilliant director of Dark Disabled Stories.

Dark Disabled Stories plays Off-Broadway at The Public Theater through April 9.

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