Photos: First Look at The Public Theater and Bushwick Starr's DARK DISABLED STORIES in Rehearsal

The Public Theater Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director and Patrick Willingham, Executive Director) and The Bushwick Starr (Noel Allain, Co-Founder and Artistic Director and Sue Kessler, Co-Founder and Creative Director) have released rehearsal photos for the upcoming World Premiere of DARK DISABLED STORIES written by Public Theater Creative Rebuilds New York Resident Artist Ryan J. Haddad and directed by Jordan Fein.

Check out the photos below!

After appearing in The Public's Under the Radar Festival with his solo play Hi, Are You Single? and the cabaret Falling for Make Believe, Haddad returns with his latest autobiographical work: DARK DISABLED STORIES. Performances will begin in The Public's Shiva Theater with a Joseph Papp Free Performance on Tuesday, February 28 and run through Sunday, March 26. DARK DISABLED STORIES will officially open on Thursday, March 9.

Acclaimed writer and performer Ryan J. Haddad makes his Off-Broadway playwriting debut with the hilarious and audacious DARK DISABLED STORIES. Haddad's newest autobiographical play is a series of unforgiving vignettes about the strangers he encounters while navigating a city (and a world) not built for his walker and cerebral palsy. Directed by Jordan Fein, DARK DISABLED STORIES probes implicit ableism and the assumptions we make about people we'll never really know.

The cast of DARK DISABLED STORIES will include Ryan J. Haddad, Dickie Hearts, and Alejandra Ospina.

The production will feature scenic and costume design by dots, lighting design by Oona Curley, sound design by Kathy Ruvuna, and video design by Kameron Neal. Andrew Morrill will serve as the Director of Artistic Sign Language and Alison Kopit will serve as the Accessibility Consultant. Melanie Lisby will serve as the production stage manager and Miriam Rochford will serve as the Interpreter Coordinator and stage manager. Peter Royston will also serve as stage manager.

In an effort to make this production as accessible as possible to disabled and d/Deaf individuals, DARK DISABLED STORIES will feature American Sign Language, open captions, and audio descriptions integrated into every performance. The Public has also expanded wheelchair and mobility access for this production. Additionally, The Public strives to create an inclusive and welcoming space where audience members can be free to be themselves for this production, and expectations about audience etiquette are relaxed at this performance.

While The Public Theater and Bushwick Starr have a history of collaborating on shows for The Public's annual Under the Radar Festival, this production of DARK DISABLED STORIES marks the exciting first co-production between the two organizations to take place on The Public's mainstage. The Public is proud to be presenting this important story alongside The Bushwick Starr and supports its commitment to nurturing artists and producing bold new works.