Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture

From Boland Hall to Broadway, Colleagues and Friends Produce ‘How to Dance in Ohio’

Thursday, December 7, 2023, By Kim Infanti
Share
alumniCenter on Disability and InclusionCollege of Visual and Performing ArtsSchool of EducationTaishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education

Two Syracuse University alumni are opening their first Broadway musical as lead producers, “How to Dance in Ohio,” and the Dec. 5 preview performance included close to 200 Syracuse University leaders, alumni, parents and friends. Producers Ben Holtzman ’13 and Sammy Lopez ’13, co-founders of P3 Productions, are musical theater graduates of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and met as freshman year roommates in Boland Hall. Sixteen Syracuse University alumni are involved with the Broadway production. Holtzman is the protégé of Broadway titan Hal Prince.

Individuals at panel discussion of How to Dance in Ohio

Among those attending the Dec. 5 preview performance in New York City were, from left, Syracuse Stage Artistic Director Bob Hupp; Alumnus and Producer Ben Holtzman ’13; Alumnus and Producer Sammy Lopez ’13; Professor Christine Ashby; Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education Beth Myers and Chancellor Kent Syverud.

Syracuse University’s Broadway Series is hosted by the alumni engagement and annual giving team based out of New York City’s Lubin House. The evening began with a lively dinner and panel discussion at renowned NYC eatery Sardi’s. Panelists included Holtzman and Lopez, along with Bob Hupp, artistic director at Syracuse Stage, and Beth Myers, Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education and executive director of the Taishoff Center on Inclusive Education in the School of Education. Christine Ashby G’01, G’07, G’08, professor of inclusive special education and disability studies in the School of Education, moderated an important discussion about how “How to Dance in Ohio” made its way to Broadway, and how Syracuse University is paving the way for inclusivity.

“Autistic people can be in college. Autistic people can be on Broadway. Syracuse University should be really proud of the work that’s happened over the last 70 years at our university to make that possible,” said Myers, referencing the work of the Taishoff Center and the Center for Disability and Inclusion. Syracuse University’s work in disability awareness and inclusion is groundbreaking in the field of higher education.

The set of "How to Dance in Ohio"

The set of “How to Dance in Ohio.”

“How to Dance in Ohio,” based on the award-winning HBO documentary, explores the need to connect and the courage it takes to step out into the world. At a group counseling center in Columbus, Ohio, seven autistic young adults prepare for a spring formal dance—a challenge that breaks open their routines and sets off hilarious and heartbreaking encounters with love, stress, excitement and independence. “How to Dance in Ohio” is a story about people standing on the cusp of the next phase of their lives, facing their hopes and fears, ready to take a very big first step … and dance.

“That’s why we knew this show needed to exist. It’s because it hasn’t existed before,” said Lopez, referencing that the roles of the seven autistic young adults are played by actors who identify as autistic. The production offers many accommodations for the audience to fully experience the musical, from light-canceling sunglasses to special headphones with self-adjustable volume. This production and Syracuse University offer opportunities to experience Broadway and life in general to those who were previously excluded. Everyone feels welcome.

“How to Dance in Ohio” debuted at Syracuse Stage in 2022 but was forced to close early due to COVID-19. The show opens Sunday at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway.

  • Author

Kim Infanti

  • Recent
  • Syracuse Stage Hosts Inaugural Julie Lutz New Play Festival
    Wednesday, May 28, 2025, By News Staff
  • Timur Hammond’s ‘Placing Islam’ Receives Journal’s Honorable Mention
    Tuesday, May 27, 2025, By News Staff
  • Expert Available to Discuss DOD Acceptance of Qatari Jet
    Thursday, May 22, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Syracuse University 2025-26 Budget to Include Significant Expansion of Student Financial Aid
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • Light Work Opens New Exhibitions
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By News Staff

More In Arts & Culture

Syracuse Stage Hosts Inaugural Julie Lutz New Play Festival

Syracuse Stage is pleased to announce that the inaugural Julie Lutz New Play Festival will be held at the theatre this June. Formerly known as the Cold Read Festival of New Plays, the festival will feature a work-in-progress reading and…

Light Work Opens New Exhibitions

Light Work has two new exhibitions, “The Archive as Liberation” and “2025 Light Work Grants in Photography, that will run through Aug. 29. “The Archive as Liberation” The exhibition is on display in the Kathleen O. Ellis Gallery at Light…

Spelman College Glee Club to Perform at Return to Community: A Sunday Gospel Jazz Service June 29

As the grand finale of the 2025 Syracuse International Jazz Fest, the Spelman College Glee Club of Atlanta will perform at Hendricks Chapel on Sunday, June 29. The Spelman College Glee Club, now in its historic 100th year, is the…

Alumnus, Visiting Scholar Mosab Abu Toha G’23 Wins Pulitzer Prize for New Yorker Essays

Mosab Abu Toha G’23, a graduate of the M.F.A. program in creative writing in the College of Arts and Sciences and a current visiting scholar at Syracuse University, has been awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for a series of essays…

School of Architecture Faculty Pablo Sequero Named Winner of 2025 Architectural League Prize

School of Architecture faculty member Pablo Sequero’s firm, salazarsequeromedina, has been named to the newest cohort of winners in the biennial Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers, one of North America’s most prestigious awards for young practitioners. “An…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.