#spectrum club 7

[ashleywool]

Some thoughts and lessons from my first week on Broadway

(in no particular order)

Insecurities don't magically disappear when you hit The Big Dream. But the Big Dream has made it clearer than ever that my default instinct to downplay my achievements is kind of ridiculous. I need to accept that there's just no casual way to talk about my life right now. There is no pretending that any of this isn't a big deal. It's a huge freaking deal, and I earned it, and it's awesome, and I am no less deserving of its awesomeness than anybody else.

Autistic people have more allies out there than we realize. In advocacy circles, we tend to get rather cynical about what people don't understand, or don't want to understand. But there really are so many people who think we are worth listening to, learning from, and amplifying. There are so many people rooting for us, and actively seeking ways to include and affirm everything we are. They know they aren't going to get everything "right" immediately, and they know we won't always have the emotional energy for the hard conversations, but they are THERE, and they are there because they WANT to be. Yes, even on Broadway.

Fun fact: my first survival job was "Starbucks barista." (Other fun fact: the day I made my Broadway debut, Starbucks Workers United announced a massive strike for the very next day.) One thing that my time on Broadway has with my time at Starbucks is that I never seem to have enough Sharpies. At Starbucks, the Sharpies were for marking cups by hand (yes, I'm that old), and on Broadway, they're for signing Playbills at the stage door. (Like I said, there's no casual way to talk about this stuff.)

I honestly underestimated how much Broadway performers have to eat. It's easy to think most Broadway performers tend to be predominantly thin/buff just because the industry is fatphobic--and don't get me wrong, it totally is--but I also don't think most people really understand how athletic it is to do a full musical eight times a week, and what you have to do offstage to make sure you have the strength and stamina for it. It's genuinely harder than I thought it would be to make sure I'm not at a calorie deficit--and my less-than-stellar autistic interoception means that I can't always rely on "hunger cues" the way most people can. I really do have to PLAN to eat. And eat more than I would usually think I need.

I'm getting a lot better at doing my own wig prep. And I'm very excited about how pretty my hair looks at the end of the night when I release it from the pincurls.

Thanks to Mayte Natalio and Team Choreo, I'm also getting a lot better at learning choreography without a mirror. Poor proprioception is common in autistic people and it's one of my biggest insecurities, so it is always very stressful and overwhelming for me to learn choreography without a mirror, especially if I'm in a large group. It's difficult for me to visualize where I am in space and what my movement looks like in relation to others. But the choreo team knows this about me and helps me find other ways to learn and feel confident in the moves without constantly needing immediate visual proof. And that's something I never thought was possible before.

If I had the authority, I would ban pedicabs. Those things are like sensory assault. And they're RIGHT outside our show (and my bedroom window) every night with their lights flashing and their subwoofers blaring. But as a consolation prize to the drivers, I would equip each of them with a food truck. Let them solicit us and our patrons with chicken shawarma and Nuts 4 Nuts instead. That'll certainly get more business from patrons coming out of a show about autistic people.

[jewish-fanboy]

something i really really love about htdio is how the members of spectrum club 7 cope with thoughts/feelings/situations with their special interests cuz hey i do that too! and i feel like it reflects a part of the autistic experience that is ignored a lot

marideth (my favorite!!) deals with the questions from her dad that she doesn’t want to answer about the dance and the uncomfortable situation in the diner by reciting facts about australia (leading into the song unlikely animals). she also thinks about her feelings for drew through the lens of continents and geography (in the song drift) which makes it easier for her to deal with. AND the way that she ends up talking to drew about her feelings for him is also through facts, when she talks about the history behind formal dances

caroline thinks a lot about her relationship with her boyfriend in terms of her interest in royalty and historical figures (like how all the costumes in the song slow dance are very historical)

jessica plans her conversations with tommy to be about dragons, instead of directly having to talk about her feelings, and she spends a lot of time thinking about dragons and fantasy (“don’t get me started on dragons,” and the way she gets a sword as her prize for being the intergalactic superhero of the formal)

drew talks about his feelings about change and marideth and social situations through the lens of engineering (in the song waves and wires) and especially his thoughts about emotions (“light is made of waves, sound is made of waves, feelings come in waves)”

remy talks a lot about their feelings about identity through his cosplays (especially in the song nothing at all) and how they express all the different facets of their identity and feelings as other people (“when i am sherlock the world makes perfect sense”)

tommy talks about independence and what he wants through his focus on driving (in the song chevy silverado)

mel uses their interest in reptiles to get a promotion in their job and their interest in quotes and literature to make friends (during their conversations with ashley)

i just think it’s really cool to see this kind of thing represented!!

[betterwithbooksthanwithpeople]

happy comic sans meme day to those who celebrate

[thesquirrelqueer]

What is HTDIO?

How to Dance in Ohio or HTDIO is a musical about 7 autistic young adults in a counseling group getting ready for a spring formal. All 7 of them are played by autistic actors. It is based off of a documentary of the same name. The show focuses on the relationships between characters as they prepare for the formal as well as face some of their biggest social fears.

The show had a short run at Syracuse Stage back in 2022 and started previews on Broadway on November 15th, 2023. It is set to officially open at the Belasco Theatre on December 10th, 2023.

Who are the characters?

Remy (played by Desmond Edwards) - The youngest of the group, a genderqueer cosplayer with a budding TikTok channel and a love of fashion. 16, any pronouns.

Caroline (played by Amelia Fei) - A bubbly college freshman who is just getting into her first real relationship. Best friend of Jessica. 19, she/her.

Marideth (played by Madison Kopec) - The newest member to the group, very shy but loves geography and Australia. Oh and just like fun facts in general. 18, she/her.

Drew (played by Liam Pearce) - A senior in high school preparing for college. Loves electricity and electrical grids. 18, he/him.

Tommy (played by Conor Tague) - The "class clown" of the group. Uses humor to cope with being self-conscious. Wants to get his drivers license. 22, he/him.

Jessica (played by Ashley Wool) - The confident best friend of Caroline. Loves fantasy stories, especially ones with dragons in them. 20, she/her.

Mel (played by Imani Russell) - The oldest of the group and the one who has been there the longest. Works at a local pet shop and loves reptiles and self-help books. 24, they/them.

Dr. Emilio Amigo (played by Caesar Samayoa) - The therapist in charge of the group, trying his best to get his clients to break out of their shells. he/him

Ashley Amigo (played by Cristina Sastre) - Dr. Amigo's daughter. Used to be a dancer but due to an injury is back in Ohio helping out with the group. she/her

Johanna (played by Darlesia Cearcy) - Caroline's mother. she/her

Terry (played by Haven Burton) - Jessica's mother. she/her

Where can I listen to/watch it?

Currently there are no video recordings of the show available (yet), but they did release an EP with 4 of the songs on it on Spotify which you can check out here

[dezeart]

Is it fanart if you're in the show?

Here's one of my cast mates in the new musical How to Dance in Ohio which is coming to Broadway this fall! It has autistic, trans, queer, disabled, fat, and poc representation which is pretty cool

[azrantimes]

Posting my silly little edit on here

[morg-among-the-stars]

A few lyrical moments in HTDIO where they just Get It

"So much can go wrong tomorrow by simply being me." - "So Much in Common"

"When I mess it up, when I mess it up..." - "Butterflies" (my favorite HTDIO song at the moment omg)

"But if it's hard, then its worth doing it right!" - "Butterflies"

"Do I only exist on this planet to make someone else feel inspired?" - "Nothing at All"

"If you stay, which people don't normally do." - "Drift"

“Try to decipher each new impossible rule.” - “Under Control”

“Taking authority, some recognition.” - “Under Control”

[abbygrabska]

What I would get the How To Dance In Ohio characters for their birthday!

Marideth: Native Scentless Soap, both the bar and the liquid one, with a receipt so she can return the form of soap she doesn't like, since she thinks soap shouldn't smell like anything at all. and a $100 gift card for Barnes and Noble

Jessica: This fucking book. You know that girl loves dragons, and the color pink

Tommy: Model car kit, this one is just an example of what they look like

Caroline: this one I'm not totally sure about, but she mentions the death of royals a bunch of times in the show so. I'd also place reservations at a cat cafe in Ohio, one close to where she lives

Drew: Stuff to make circuit boards, we know he loves it

Mel: field book about reptiles

Remy: I'd get bestie some sewing supplies so they can elevate the cosplays, and that includes the max amount of money you can put on a Joann's gift card

Just gonna tag the actors that are on Tumblr so they can tell me if these are good

@ashleywool

@wakanda-never

@indigogirl420

@traderjoesfan2008

[thetisming]

so im pretty bored and decided to make this look like an old timey photo for some reason

[ashleywool]

Possible fanfiction prompt:

A reboot of Gilligan's Island, but the seven castaways are the Spectrum Club 7 from How to Dance in Ohio.

Gilligan = Tommy (friendly, means well, tries hard, but kind of chaotic and likely to ruin things, usually seen in red)

Skipper = Drew (charismatic, good leader, but knows how to delegate when necessary, usually seen in blue, also I just like the idea of him clonking Tommy on the head a lot)

Professor = Marideth (more intellectual than emotional, has a vast knowledge of facts about pretty much everything, most likely to figure out how to do anything...except fix the boat)

Thurston Howell III = Remy (highly influential and well-connected, could be morally corrupt but chooses not to be, the most likely to pack an absurd amount of "necessary" possessions to keep with them on a three-hour tour)

Eunice Howell = Mel (stronger than they seem, wiser than you expect, protective maternal energy, also I just like the idea of Mel and Remy being married because probably what happened is Remy got rich and famous from influencer income and married Mel so that they could afford to leave Paws & Claws and have a better life with adequate healthcare and that's the wholesome queer aro/ace love story we deserve)

Ginger Grant = Jessica (is a star, knows she's a star, knows that you know she's a star, acts accordingly)

Mary Ann = Caroline (sweet, wholesome, has a toxic ex, bffs with Jessica, and people totally like her better than Jessica, but don't tell Jessica)

cc: @traderjoesfan2008 @indigogirl420 @wakanda-never

[betterwithbooksthanwithpeople]

incorrect spectrum club 7 quotes

(things my neurodivergent siblings have said edition)

Drew: “Imagine being in the top 5% [on this test] in the country and not caring.”

Marideth: “Gotta love the Bolivia Salt Flat that you can see from space.”

Caroline: “Ughh, my glittery soul.”

Jessica: “That hurt so bad, but for dramatic effect it was worth it.”

Mel: “I am indifferent, as I am to many things.”

Tommy: “Okay, I got us lost because I didn’t know where we were going.”

Remy: “That’s not a throwback. That’s me right now.”

bonus - Ashley: “I’m unemployed and uneducated. Nothing touches me.”

[ashleywool]

I'm never going to get sick of How to Dance in Ohio fandom content gracing my Tumblr dashboard.

I love seeing HTDIO become to a cluster of Tumblr users what Rent was to me and a cluster of LiveJournal users back in the day.

I love seeing people delight in something that we took such deep delight in creating, but for years only had each other to delight in it with.

I love seeing people find community in their shared love of something that was created within a community of shared love.

It's genuinely the greatest honor of my life.

This isn't what I came on Tumblr to do today but it sure did make my day. Happy Today Is Friday In Ohio Friday to everyone. Grandma Millennial loves you very much.

happy today is friday in ohio friday

[thesquirrelqueer]

the rest of the spectrum club seven: *singing about the person they like*

tommy: i want to curl up and diiiiie

[officialrapunzelfitzherbert]

hi everyone while im thinking a lot abt fantasy high and htdio is this the right platform to share my spectrum club 7 as the bad kids agenda im going to do it anyway

(no spoilers for junior year in this post but there is a junior year exclusive character bc there are only 6 bad kids)

drew: gorgug thistlespring. gentle. tinkerer using his talents to show his love for others. non confrontational but learning how to stand up for himself. the greatest wizard of his age.

tommy: fabian aramais seacaster. confident to an icarus degree. the future of dance. like if a jock was also a theater kid. chevy silverado is the hangman.

mel: adaine abernant. forging their own path. always working hard. kind and quick witted. finds comfort in animals. forgiving on their own terms.

caroline: kristen applebees. hopeless romantic. a little bit chaotic and impulsive but follows her heart and always means well. will do anything for her friends.

jessica: riz gukgak. strategic. will make up an entire relationship to keep up with her friends. book smart. afraid of change.

remy: fig faeth. loves being other people, still getting comfortable as themselves. deeply passionate about what they believe in. rebelling against the system.

marideth: mary ann skuttle. on her puter. same hoodie every day. 900 hours of minecraft. small. everyone is both terrified of her and deeply in love with her.

do you see my vision here

[cobaltsoulsearcher]

Okay deeply apologize for the length of this individual analysis and if I get anything wrong BUT

I felt represented by that song in a way no other autism media has before,

Because so often autistic people are seen as needing structure and control but it’s terrifying

Terrifying that the world is so not-made-for-us that we only feel safe in such a limited space

Everything under control can mean so much—can mean agency, can mean help, can mean stagnation, can mean limits—but above all it means safety

And it sucks so many autistic people don’t have this safety—have caretakers or medical situations that take control from them, or a level of disability that means they can’t be or are perceived as unable of being in control—but even for us lucky ones who the world accepts more and who have been aided to face the world in controlled environments, there’s still a disconnect. We still can’t live freely in this world; we have been trained to control ourselves to fit in it, to limit ourselves to what STAYS under control.

It doesn’t feel like an accomplishment to hide parts of yourself to seem different from other members of a group you’re a part of, even if you’re praised for it.

Drew hasn’t figured all of it out, yet, but the song is about lateral ableism—about how systems of oppression hurt the model minority—as much as it is young people wanting an adventure. It’s about fighting to be yourself in a way that isn’t a patronization.

Saying maybe I don’t need to be controlled is terrifying and radical.

“be the poster child for ‘if he can then you can!’” hits me like a fucking brick every time

[ashleywool]

Is there anything about Drew that changed throughout the development of How To Dance in Ohio? Sorry it's just that he's my fave character and I'd love to learn more about him!

I think out of the seven of us, Drew's story actually changed the least, he just became more fully fleshed-out as a human being instead of a "plot device."

To be more specific: the core idea of Drew being the one to initiate the Second Chance Dance was always present, and "Building Momentum" was always the song that set that idea in motion and brought the overarching theme of "nothing about us without us" full circle. But at that time, Amigo's evolution was more central to the plot, and the writers were looking to shift the "A story" more to Drew and Marideth, and that required giving Drew a moment early on in the play to get the audience inside his head.

Between the first reading in October 2021 and our pre-Syracuse workshop in June 2022, Rebekah and Jacob created that moment, and called it "Under Control."

I'll never forget the energy in that rehearsal room when we all heard Liam singing it for the first time. It was a "where have you been all my life" song for every person in that room. While Drew sings the majority as a solo, it quickly became established as the group's collective "I want" song, and that set the tone for Drew believably emerging as the "captain" of the group.

I also think it was important to add the story element of Drew's father, Kurt, being the one who was singularly focused on getting his son into the University of Michigan--so much so that Drew's feelings about the situation are used as a metric for Kurt to judge Dr. Amigo's overall performance as a therapist. This adds a lot more weight and motive to Dr. Amigo crafting a "rite of passage" for his clients, as well as his ultimately overstepping by calling Michigan on Drew's behalf after Drew had already declined. And as such, it adds a lot more poignancy to the scene where Drew confronts Dr. Amigo at the otherwise-empty spring formal. Drew is not shy about calling out Dr. Amigo's overstepping, but he also acknowledges that Dr. Amigo has helped him develop the agency to realistically evaluate and commit confidently to his own decisions. Dr. Amigo might have screwed up, but he also did the important part of his job as a therapist--and by extension, the spring formal did its job as a therapy tool.