Mickey Rowe Q&A

Catching Up with Mickey Rowe Mickey Rowe first appeared at Syracuse Stage in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time in 2017.

He returned this season to portray Mozart in Amadeus.

Syracuse Stage intern Sharee Turpin caught up with Mickey to find out what he has been up to since then.

ST: What have you been doing since the last time you were here?

MR: I started a theatre company called National Disability Theater. We have been partnering with regional theatres across the country to try to educate and excite them into employing more artists with disabilities. 50 percent of college graduates who are on the autism spectrum are unemployed, which is just a crazy statistic. And since we know that in America 20 percent of the population has a disability, disability is equal opportunity.

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ST: What opportunities have been created or come along for you since The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time?

MR: I have had so many wonderful opportunities because of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I’ve gotten to do a lot of public speaking since then. I had the honor of keynoting at the Kennedy Center’s LEAD Conference and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, at Yale School of Drama, and I got to speak at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway. So those

 MICKEY ROWE.

are all opportunities that came only because of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime right here at Syracuse Stage.

ST: What’s the importance of theatre allowing space for people with disabilities?

MR: I think inclusion in the arts leads directly to inclusion in life. I think in general that

“I think in general that inclusion in the arts is so important and representation is so important because who we see on stage, who we see on TV, who we see in our movies is a value statement.”

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“Syracuse Stage was the first theatre [with Indiana Repertory Theater] to produce Curious Incident with an autistic person cast as Christopher. It was the first time, and one of the very first times ever an autistic person had been cast in an autistic role like that professionally.” inclusion in the arts is so important and representation is so important because who we see on stage, who we see on TV, who we see in our movies is a value statement.

And when we don’t see certain people on stage, we don’t see certain people or bodies in movies and on TV, it is making a value statement about those people and about those bodies that we then internalize and take out into our everyday life. Representation is so vital on stage because it has such real and traumatic real-life consequences, I think.

ST: How have you seen it change over the course of the past few years?

MR: There has been so much change I’m so excited to say.

Syracuse Stage was the first theatre [with Indiana Repertory Theater] to produce

Curious Incident with an autistic person cast as Christopher.

It was the first time, and one of the very first times ever an autistic person had been cast in an autistic role like that professionally. Since then, many more regional theatres have done The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and most of the time they have realized that they need to cast an autistic actor in the role because there are so many autistic actors out there.

I’m just so thrilled to say that change is happening, and it is on its way and that more and more people are listening to autistic voices.

ST: How do you balance making colleagues aware of your autism but at the same time being treated equally?

MR: I don’t know the answer, I wish I had an answer. But

 MICKEY ROWE AND CONSTANCE MACY IN THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME AT SYRACUSE STAGE. PHOTO BY MICHAEL DAVIS.

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“I think part of the reason why Mozart irritated Salieri to insanity in our production is because Mozart just doesn’t fit into any box. He doesn’t know how to fit into the box and in a world that is so much about the rules and the social hierarchy.”

I think it’s different in every situation. I think what is important is being brave and asking for what you need and I think what’s even more important than that is for our non-disabled allies to listen to what we say. The hard part is convincing people to believe what we say. If I say, “yes I can do this, no problem, please don’t worry about me,” believe me. And if I say, “I need a little extra help with this, or I need this tweaked,” believe me then as well. It’s getting people to understand that people with disabilities are the experts on their own lived experience.

ST: This is your second time at Syracuse Stage. How do you feel about playing Mozart?

MR: I’m so excited and having so much fun similarly to

when I played Christopher.

I feel like Mozart is just one of those roles where I just get to be myself. This whole play is about how much Salieri is angered by Mozart’s existence.

And I think part of the reason why Mozart irritated Salieri to insanity in our production is because Mozart just doesn’t fit into any box. He doesn’t know how to fit into the box and in a world that is so much about the rules and the social hierarchy. Mozart doesn’t understand the social rules, doesn’t care about the social rules, even if he wanted to care about them he wouldn’t understand them and does not understand or care about that social hierarchy. He just cannot understand. That is outside of his skill set. For someone like Salieri who has built his entire career out of being proper, doing the right thing, knowing

 JASON O'CONNELL AND MICKEY ROWE IN THE SYRACUSE STAGE PRODUCTION OF AMADEUS. PHOTO BY MICHAEL DAVIS.

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all the rules, and respecting the hierarchy, the fact that Mozart is a musical genius is unbearable. He writes music in a way Salieri can’t and he doesn’t understand any of the things that Salieri thinks are so vital and essential. This make Salieri mad as hell, which is so true in real life.

their job right, everyone can see a little piece of themselves in that performance. When we come to the theatre, I hope we all get to be understood.

ST: You said you found sanctuary as an audience member in theatre. What’s your message to anyone who feels the same?

MR: I think that our country is slowly understanding more how discrimination works and slowly fighting against discrimination, but disability seems to be the one last place that people still feel not only that you can discriminate but

ST: What do you aim to see soon, beyond theatre, in any workplace in the acceptance of people with disabilities?

Be brave. Be yourself and know that you are valued. I think if a good actor is doing

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“I think what this play does such a beautiful job of is showing that Mozart could not have done it without Constanze, his wife. I know I relate to that so much. I think in this play you see Mozart struggle with that executive function, and it is his wife Constanze who steps up and really manages Mozart’s life and allows him to only think about music.” that you should discriminate.

Nationally, there is still no minimum wage if you have a disability, and I think that people often think that they are right to consider whether or not a person with a disability can do any particular job. So, I think in that way we need to educate the public that people with disabilities are professional, are sexy, and are ready and able to do fierce incredible work.

MR: I am so excited to see where the future takes me and what the future holds.

The other thing I have to say, because she does not get enough credit in this play, is I think what this play does such a beautiful job of is showing that Mozart could not have done it without Constanze, his wife. I know I relate to that so much. I think in this play you see Mozart struggle with that executive function, and it is his wife Constanze who steps up and really manages Mozart’s life and allows him to only think about music. Without her, Mozart would not have been anything compared to what he was and we probably wouldn’t even know about him today.

ST: You’ve accomplished many things. You’re a father, you’ve raised awareness and promoted change, and you’ve made theatrical history. Do you feel you’ve fulfilled your purpose or is there more to come?

 LISA HELMI JOHANSON AND MICKEY ROWE IN THE SYRACUSE STAGE PRODUCTION OF AMADEUS. PHOTO BY MICHAEL DAVIS.

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