Long Island native and Broadway producer Ben Holtzman’s new play “How to Dance in Ohio” opens on December 10, offering a fascinating, emotional and intimate look into individuals with autism, a community that is often underserved and greatly misunderstood.
But what is truly groundbreaking about the production is the fact that the seven autistic leads themselves are played by autistic actors, opening a door that was previously tightly shut for more neurodiverse casting on Broadway.
“How to Dance in Ohio” is based on the Peabody Award-winning HBO documentary of the same name, with the plot centering on a counseling center for young adults with autism in Columbus, Ohio where Dr. Emilio Amigo – the psychologist that runs the center – plans a spring formal dance as a therapy tool for his clients.
The play then follows the seven autistic clients as we learn about their lives while they are tasked with preparing for the formal – asking someone out, learning to dance, dress shopping, and the like – hurdles that run contrary to their typical daily routines.
“We’re really honing in on these seven young adults and how this experience is against their normal, everyday routines and how it breaks them out of what they’re normally comfortable with in order to grow and change,” Holtzman said.
In act two, there’s a big plot twist when Dr. Amigo invites a few reporters to learn more about the upcoming spring formal, and an article is published that misrepresents the group, the center, and the doctor himself.
“Everything sort of blows up in his face,” Holtzman said. “I don’t want to give away the ending, but after that everyone must come back together and figure out how to move forward. It’s a show about human connections, about growing up, about the classic American rites of passage that we all go through. We all know how hard it is to ask someone out, and for young adults with autism that presents additional challenges, but I think the show highlights how we’re all more alike than we are different.”
“How to Dance in Ohio” initially opened for previews at the Belasco Theater on 44th Street in New York City on November 15th and will officially open on December 10th, at which time it will be running eight times a week.
Ben Holtzman. Photo Credit: Amanda Crommett
Holtzman said that his desire to break into showbiz has been very much a driving force in his life ever since he was a young child.
“I’ve always wanted to be part of the industry. I went to college at Syracuse University to study theater with all intentions of working on Broadway, and when I graduated in 2013 I moved to New York City and embarked on an acting career,” he said. “I was able to perform both in New York and around the country. I also toured internationally with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, but shortly after being on that tour I realized that I was more interested in being a part of the productions rather than being in them.”
“I figured out in college that producing was more what I wanted to do because I realized I’d been essentially producing my entire life,” Holtzman continued. “I helped put a lot of shows together, bringing collaborators together, and putting on productions at various levels all through my youth and my time at college.”
Making the decision to transition to producing, Holtzman turned to Daisy Prince – a professor from his college that he was close to – who in turn introduced him to her father, Hal Prince, widely hailed as one of the most prolific Broadway producers and directors of all time.
“In 2015 Daisy set me up with a meeting with her dad. I went in and met Hal for the first time and we ended up spending three hours together,” he said. “We talked about theater and all the various thoughts we had about the industry. We really hit it off, and the next day he fired his assistant and hired me.”
After cutting his teeth with his mentor, Holtzman started out on his own with his producing partner Sammy Lopez; starting in 2017, the two put on several productions that garnered great critical acclaim, with the duo winning a Tony award two years ago for their efforts.
Later, in 2020, the two would launch P3 Productions along with their third partner, Fiona Howe Rudin.
“How to Dance in Ohio” represents their first time ever lead producing a production. The idea to tackle autism within the context of a live theatrical work came from their composer, Jacob Yandura, who had watched the eponymous HBO documentary their play is based on while researching his own sister’s autism. Yandura was profoundly impacted by the documentary, which seemed to him to be the perfect subject matter for a musical; when he pitched the idea to Holtzman, Lopez, and Rudin, they were immediately on board.
For the next year and a half, a collaborative effort was formed, although the idea of casting didn’t come up early on because they were focusing on what the play was going to be and how they were going to adapt a documentary into a dramaticized musical.
As things started to take form in the summer of 2021, Holtzman noted that the decision to retain the authenticity of the documentary by casting actual autistic actors was a natural one.
“There was no question about whether we would cast the show with autistic actors playing autistic roles,” he said. “We knew that was how it had to be done.”
Half of the cast of “How to Dance in Ohio” is autistic, making up seven out of the play’s 14 characters; there are also seven other neurotypical characters played by non-autistic actors.
The process of auditioning and casting autistic actors for autistic roles – a community that typically isn’t openly invited to participate in Broadway productions – required a fairly unique form of outreach. With the assistance of autistic creative consultant Ava Rigelhaupt, Holtzman and Lopez crafted a campaign that was clear about what they were looking for.
“Ava worked hard with the casting director on exactly how the notice was worded, such as the types of songs that the characters would sing, being very descriptive and very specific, the qualities that are being looked for, and so on,” Holtzman “From there, we released the notice through all the normal Broadway channels, but we also did a really grassroots approach on social media and through cold emailing, and also reached out through a lot of relationships we have.”
Their efforts paid off, as they received hundreds of submissions; Holtzman said that they found their seven actors from that initial search.
Holtzman said he feels a great sense of pride and satisfaction from not only having embraced his life’s passion and made it a viable and successful career, but also for the opportunity it gives him to provide a voice for important causes and underrepresented communities as well.
“This show has been the most rewarding experience of my life. It feels like what I am meant to be doing,” he said. “I believe that theater has the power to change people’s minds and that it’s the most comprehensive and effective form of storytelling. It’s just such a powerful way to take in a story. So, to be able to share this story on a Broadway stage and break the stigmas of what people may or may not think is possible for these people, and to create a story that unifies us as human beings instead of dividing us…I feel overwhelming gratitude.”
To find out more about “How to Dance in Ohio” and order tickets, please visit https://howtodanceinohiomusical.com.
