‘How you can Dance in Ohio,’ a Musical, Plans a Fall Broadway Opening

“How you can Dance in Ohio,” a poignant new musical a few group of younger autistic adults gearing up for a spring dance, will open on Broadway late this yr, with a forged of seven autistic performers enjoying the central roles.

The musical relies on a 2015 documentary from the filmmaker Alexandra Shiva that adopted members in a social expertise remedy program for folks on the autism spectrum; the musical can be set at a remedy program, and it tells the story of younger adults making ready for a dance that they hope might assist them confront a number of the challenges they face in navigating social interactions.

The musical had a earlier run final yr at Syracuse Stage in central New York; the manufacturing schedule was lower brief when Covid circumstances arose among the many forged and crew. The assessment of the present in The Submit-Normal, a Syracuse newspaper, was headlined “The musical you’ll discuss for the remainder of your life” and referred to as it “exhilarating, groundbreaking, celebratory.”

Casting will not be but full, however will embody a number of actors making their Broadway debuts: Desmond Edwards, Amelia Fei, Madison Kopec, Liam Pearce, Imani Russell, Conor Tague and Ashley Wool. Among the many others on the invoice thus far are Haven Burton and Darlesia Cearcy.

“How you can Dance in Ohio” incorporates a e book and lyrics by Rebekah Greer Melocik and music by Jacob Yandura; it’s directed by Sammi Cannold and choreographed by Mayte Natalio. The famed director and producer Hal Prince was initially hooked up to the challenge; he died in 2019.

The musical is being produced by an organization referred to as P3 Productions, which is led by Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez and Fiona Howe Rudin, together with Stage Ahead, the manufacturing firm co-founded by Abigail Disney. It’s being capitalized for as much as $15.5 million, in response to a submitting with the Securities and Trade Fee.

The present is to start previews Nov. 15 and to open Dec. 10 on the Belasco Theater.