Lots of kids imagine what life will be like in the future, but Ryan Hadadd scripted it. The actor and playwright was performing classic Disney films like “Snow White,” “Cinderella,” and “Sleeping Beauty” when he was just a toddler. From age 3 to 13, he formed the Haddad Theatre with his family members. Being the star of the show was just the beginning—he adapted scripts to fit his actors, produced, directed and even served as prop master, all while taking acting classes. “I just knew that I wanted to perform and be in the stories I saw on screen and stage,” he shared.
Haddad, who attended Ohio Wesleyan University, found a deeper connection to his personal narrative writing style through a series of workshops in college presented by internationally acclaimed performance artist Tim Miller. In the initial workshops, the participants were asked to craft and share personal stories. Haddad’s story had so much heart that it moved everyone to tears. Miller took him aside and said, “You’re really good at this. This is what you’re supposed to be doing.” When Haddad countered that no one saw him as the star he saw in himself, Miller replied, “You are a performer if that’s what you want to be and you don’t have to wait around. The character of Ryan is compelling.” This conversation was life-changing.
A decade later, Haddad, who won an Obie Award, the highest honor for Off-Broadway shows, is continuing to write and star in his own productions, doing, as he said, “exactly what I’m meant to be doing…I feel most in my power as a performer because it comes from my life.” But no man is an island, and Haddad crafts and shapes his work alongside collaborators who support him in reaching the finish line.
In his newest play, Hold Me in the Water, Haddad takes the audience on a sweeping romantic adventure of first love and the dreams, joys, and insecurities that go with it. “This is the first time Ryan the man and the character have encountered the possibility of real love with a person who has the potential to reciprocate my feelings,” explained Haddad. He described the show as a thrilling ride with a lot of twists and turns and an old-fashioned romantic story. “The audience locks in with the character Ryan for all the joy and passion as well as the romantic bumps and cracks until they get ahead of him…It’s really juicy.”
In each of the stories he tells on stage, Haddad upholds the legacy of those who fought for accessibility protections provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act, ensuring that the performances are accessible and inclusive of different lived experiences and needs. All the performances are relaxed, wheelchair accessible, and captioned. But Haddad also partnered with his current venue, Playwrights Horizons, to go beyond what is required. He wanted to have options for anyone “who wants to experience the show in a meaningful and accessible way,” including masked performances, sign language interpretation, audio descriptions, and a performance featuring a touch tour. Both love and access—in many ways, one and the same—are in the air.
Read all 35 stories of the New York-based leaders profiled in our ADA 35 edition.