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The Public Theater Covid Protocol

This venue has additional Covid-19 safety measures in place to ensure the health and well-being of the staff, performers, and guests.

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Dark Disabled Stories

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Company may offer programs whereby the Company would make available certain features of the Services when you share information about the Services through an SNS or click on the “Unlock without sharing” button in the Application.  When you are considering purchasing a ticket for a specific show or after you purchase a ticket, if you select the “Share” button in the Application, Company will make available to you a personalized link to a Digital Property with text stating, for example, “Check out {show} on TodayTix! I’m thinking of going…” or something similar, which you may choose to share with your friends via SNS.  Once you have shared the personalized link through an SNS using the Application or selected the “Unlock without sharing” button in the Application, Company will make available to you the RUSH feature, which will provide you with otherwise unavailable offers for tickets to live events occurring in the next week.  The opportunity to take advantage of these offers is only available to users who share a personalized link to an SNS through the Application or select the “Unlock without sharing” button in the Application.

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Dark Disabled Stories - NYC

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The set for [*Dark Disabled Stories*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26013-dark-disabled-stories-tickets), created by the design collective dots, is anything but dark. At the beginning of the play, (mostly) offstage performer Alejandra Ospina describes it in a clarion voice: “The set is a long shallow box raised 16 inches above the floor. Rectangular in shape and light pink. Very, very pink: Benjamin Moore’s Island Sunset Pink.” The platform is flanked with sequin-wrapped poles and topped with big, pillowy bubble letters that spell the show’s title. It’s a bright, stark contrast to the show’s content, which exposes the harsh reality of everyday experiences for disabled people.

The 75-minute autobiographical show, written by and starring Ryan J. Haddad, probes ableism and his experience as a gay man with cerebral palsy living in New York City. The co-production between the Bushwick Starr and [The Public Theater](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/public-theater) features vignettes of his stories of dating, working, and getting from place to place. The beachy set transforms the Public’s Shiva Theater space into a gay bar, a bus, a subway, an apartment, and even a barn. 

Ospina’s audio descriptions are just one of the show’s integrated accessibility elements. Captions appear on the back wall of the set, and Dickie Hearts, a Deaf performer, transcribes the show in American Sign Language alongside Haddad. Each performance is relaxed, with dimmed house lights, and there’s an offstage movement space for patrons, complete with tactile samples of the plush letters on the set. And while the show is accessible to disabled people, its message targets non-disabled people.

“I try to make disability funny so that non-disabled people can understand it and open themselves to it... Not tonight. I don't feel like it,” Haddad explains at the outset. “I'm not saying I won't make you laugh at all. I'll probably make you laugh a lot. I'm a naturally comedic person. But not everything is accessible to us, so why should we try to make our experiences accessible to you?”

Indeed, the writer-performer makes the audience laugh a lot. He has an endearing charisma, knock-your-socks-off confidence, and tip-top comedic timing. He’s open about his sexuality, and some of the funniest scenes begin with a declaration of feeling horny. Haddad shares his universal stories of first-date jitters, business-meeting nerves, and airport security anxieties. His cerebral palsy and use of a walker only heighten these experiences.

Haddad and Hearts don crewneck sweaters with “Ryan” embroidered on the front. But Hearts’s onstage role is threefold: he acts out scenes as Haddad in ASL, performs as himself in one portion, and takes on other characters, including bus drivers, nosy neighbors, and Grindr dates. Hearts is also an onstage companion, offering Haddad a hand to hold and a shoulder to lean on. In one scene, when Haddad talks about his glasses sliding off while using a public restroom, Hearts manually glides Haddad’s spectacles down his nose. He’s an ebullient and energetic presence.

Jordan Fein’s skillful direction balances the laughter with a well-paced dosing of the grim truth — New York City, like the world, is not built for disabled people. Media often represents the disabled experience as monolithic, but *Dark Disabled Stories* includes a variety of lenses. In addition to Haddad, Hearts and Ospina share their life experiences.

In one scene, Haddad assumes the role of audio describing. Ospina takes center stage to talk about the challenges of navigating New York City’s public transportation with a power chair, recounting several times a lack of working subway elevators and unhelpful staff kept her trapped underground. Hearts contributes a story about the challenges of dating as a Deaf person:  “I want a partner; I want intimacy. Intimacy is rarely accessible to me because of the language barrier. But it's bigger than just a language barrier. Are men willing to make an effort?”

Are non-disabled people willing to make an effort? That’s a main throughline, one Haddad drives home through vulnerability and pointed takeaways. Haddad’s previous solo shows *Hi, Are You Single?* and *Falling For Make Believe* balanced humor with education about the disabled experience. *Dark Disabled Stories* goes a step further, interrogating the audience: What are you doing to make the world more inclusive?

[*Dark Disabled Stories* is at The Public Theater through April 2. Get *Dark Disabled Stories* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26013-dark-disabled-stories-tickets)

*Photo credit: Ryan J. Haddad and Dickie Hearts in Dark Disabled Stories. (Photo by Joan Marcus)*

'Dark Disabled Stories' review — a challenge to create a more inclusive world

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Off-Broadway

Read our four-star review of Ryan J. Haddad's *Dark Disabled Stories*, which is currently in performances off Broadway at The Public Theater through March 26.

Joseph Papp founded The Public Theater in 1954 as the Shakespeare Workshop. The organization moved into its current home on Lafayette Street in Lower Manhattan in 1967.

The Public Theater building was under risk of demolition until the Public persuaded the city council to sell them the building for use as a theatre. As a result, the building was granted New York City landmark status in 1965, and architect Giorgio Cavaglieri converted it into a theatre in 1967.

The company’s inaugural production in its new home was the world premiere of *Hair*, which also marked its first non-Shakespeare offering. The building is comprised of five performance spaces: the Anspacher Theater (which has a 275-seat capacity), LuEsther Hall (160 seats), Martinson Theater (199 seats), Newman Theater (299 seats), and Shiva Theater (99 seats).

The Public complex also include office spaces; the restaurant and bar The Library; and Joe’s Pub, a cabaret-style venue used for smaller musical revues and soloists. The company also operates the [Delacorte Theater](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/delacorte-theater) in Central Park, which has been home to free Shakespeare in the Park productions during the summer since 1954.

## How to get to The Public Theater off Broadway

The Public Theater is closest to the Astor Place subway stop on the 6 line and the 8 St - NYU stop on the R and W lines. The closest bus stop is Lafayette St./Astor Pl. on the M1 line.

## Restaurants near The Public Theater

Popular restaurants near The Public Theater include Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, Vic's (Italian), and Atla (Mexican). The Public also has an in-house bar and restaurant, The Library (American).

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