Playwrights Horizons' world premiere of Ryan J. Haddad's solo show, Hold Me in the Water, begins previews Off-Broadway April 10.
Directed by Danny Sharron, the production will officially open April 23 for a limited engagement through May 4 in The Judy.
Following his Obie-winning play Dark Disabled Stories at the Public Theater, Haddad comes to Playwrights Horizons with his latest work, which is about falling in love for the first time.
In Hold Me in the Water, Ryan finds himself ready for the romance of his dreams鈥攚ith someone he鈥檚 only just met. As their connection grows, he learns that new heights of joy can bring deep insecurities to the surface.
READ: In Dark Disabled Stories, Actor Ryan J. Haddad Does Not Want Your Pity
About the new play, which unfolds over the course of a year, Haddad said in an earlier statement, 鈥淚t鈥檚 the first time I ever allowed my walls to
come down with someone and let myself be open to the possibility of a
real romance, as opposed to the fantasy of one鈥t felt
once-in-a-lifetime because this had never happened to me before, and I
felt like I waited a really long time, or at least longer than society
tells us it should take for romance to occur in our lives.鈥�
Director Sharron added, 鈥淲hen we begin working on a new piece, Ryan the character versus Ryan the person are pretty close to each other. But as time progresses, the two versions of Ryan separate, inch by inch, and we start being able to talk about 鈥楻yan鈥� in the abstract. That's when we can really begin shaping the play, once there鈥檚 enough distance.鈥�
The production also has scenic design by dots, costume design by Beth Goldenberg, lighting design by Cha See, and sound design by Tosin Olufolabi. Alison Kopit is the access dramaturg.
At Hold Me in the Water, components of relaxed performance and integrated access are present at every show. Open captioning is also available at every performance, and there will be select mask-required performances.
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