Elements of experience: An interview with James Caverly and Ryan Haddad

Despite growing momentum for staging musical theatre with disabled characters and performers on Broadway and elsewhere, industry professionals continue to remark that there is still much work to be done behind the scenes. In March 2025, Melissa Lin Sturges spoke with the Deaf performer and director James Caverly and actor and writer with cerebral palsy Ryan Haddad, to explore the ways in which Deafness and disability respectively influence their professional and creative lives. Among other insights, they shared their experiences with directors, audiences and other members of the theatre community to help others make informed decisions in the rehearsal room. Each with a palpable love for classic musical theatre, these two practitioners graciously shared how their upbringings led to a career in musical theatre, while at the same time bringing to light new truths and realities about what it means to be a Deaf and/or disabled artists in an industry that likes to talk a big game about accessibility – but sometimes falls short of empowering some of its most vital players on stage and off.