Dickie Hearts is paving the way for a rainbow of Deaf stories
Dark Disabled Stories at the Public Theater in New York City, which ran through April 9. The autobiographical play by and starring Ryan J.
Haddad is an unflinching look at Haddad’s life as a gay man with cerebral palsy in a city designed without accessibility in mind.Both Hearts and Haddad played the role of Ryan, working together to make Haddad’s story as accessible as possible: Hearts provided ASL interpretation throughout the show, which also featured live captioning, audio description, a movement space within the theater for any audience members who need to move, stim, or sit during the performance, and “relaxed” practices (meaning less dramatic lighting and sound and the freedom for audience members to come and go as they please).
Put it all together and Dark Disabled Stories was a night at the theater that truly anyone could experience.Though the show was based on Haddad’s own life and disability, Hearts has said its themes and storytelling are universal for disabled folks operating in an ableist world.“Obviously, each disability is different,” Hearts told INTO. “Ryan has cerebral palsy, and I’m Deaf.
But at the core, the emotional experience is very similar.”A post shared by Dickie Hearts (@dickiehearts)Most of Dark Disabled Stories was pulled from Haddad’s life, but he also asked Hearts to bring his own experience with sex and dating as a Deaf man to the table.
