Ryan J. Haddad is an actor and playwright. He made his off-Broadway playwriting debut at The Public Theater with a sold-out, extended run of Dark Disabled Stories, co-produced by The Bushwick Starr. The production earned him the Obie Award for Best New American Play, along with Lucille Lortel, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle nominations. Additional stage credits include his autobiographical solo play Hi, Are You Single? (Woolly Mammoth/IAMA, Helen Hayes nomination), american (tele)visions (NYTW/Theater Mitu, Lortel nomination), The Watering Hole (Signature), and his cabaret Falling for Make Believe (Joe’s Pub/Under the Radar). TV: “A Murder at the End of the World” (Hulu) and “The Politician” (Netflix). Haddad received the Drama Desk’s 2023 Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award, Vineyard Theatre’s 2021 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, and a 2020 Disability Futures Fellowship. His writing has been published in the New York Times, Out Magazine, and Alice Wong’s anthology Disability Intimacy. He is an alum of The Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group and a former Queer|Art Performance and Playwriting Fellow, under the mentorship of Moe Angelos. @ryanjhaddad
Danny Sharron is a theater director with a focus on developing new plays and musicals, dedicated to elevating the stories of the LGBTQ+, Jewish, and Arab communities. Over the past sixteen years, he has developed and directed work with The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Roundabout Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theatre Club, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Woolly Mammoth, Ars Nova, LAByrinth, Primary Stages, Ma-Yi, and New York Stage and Film. He is currently the US Associate Director on the Broadway revival of Cabaret. Prior to that, he spent five years as the Senior Associate Director on Dear Evan Hansen, overseeing four companies: Broadway, West End, Toronto, and the 1st National Tour. Danny was recently named a TV/Film Directing Fellow with The Drama League. He is also a recipient of New York Theatre Workshop's 2050 Fellowship, Williamstown's Bill Foeller Fellowship, The Drama League's New York Fellowship and Next Stage Directing Residency, and is an alumnus of the Ars Nova Director's Troupe. He is a NYTW Usual Suspect. Proud husband, father, and SDC member.
When Ryan falls for a man he just met, he’s ready for the romance of his dreams. But as their connection grows, Ryan learns that new heights of joy can bring deep insecurities to the surface. Disarmingly vulnerable and playfully provocative, Hold Me in the Water is a funny and tender solo play about the passion and intimacy of first love.
Hold Me in the Water runs approximately 70 minutes with no intermission.
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Hold Me in the Water was commissioned and developed by Noor Theatre.
Hold Me in the Water has received generous support from the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation, the RuthMary S. Westfall Foundation, and Kamil R. Shields.
Tantalizing! A deliciously funny romantic comedy!
Haddad is a master of the gay yarn, peppering his tale with self-effacing jokes and witty asides.
Haddad redefines what intimacy looks like in storytelling.
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Scenic DesignCha See
Lighting DesignBeth Goldenberg
Costume DesignTosin Olufolabi
Sound DesignAlison Kopit
Access DramaturgAlyssa K. Howard
Production Stage ManagerRegarding Relaxed Performances:
At Hold Me in the Water, components of relaxed performance and integrated access will be present at every performance. We all exist in public space in different ways. And sometimes, when in a theater, we may feel like we have to contain certain parts of ourselves. At Hold Me in the Water, we invite you to react as you need, make sounds, and move around in ways that feel comfortable to your body. People may have different reactions and ways of moving and expressing themselves. We welcome this. Here are some elements of relaxed performance and access you can experience at every performance:
- House lights on dim instead of full blackout
- Audience permitted to come and go as needed
- A break and movement space located on floor 1M outside the theater
- Open captioning
- Open audio description
An enhanced Relaxed Performance will be Saturday, May 3rd, at 2:30PM.
- At this performance, trained staff and volunteers will be available to assist in meeting individual needs.
Access the Know-Before-You-Go Guide for Hold Me in the Water
Regarding Mask Required Performances:
The company of Hold Me in the Water aims to provide opportunities for disabled and immunocompromised members of the community to be more safely welcomed at the theater. Mask required performances occur on the following dates:
- Wednesday, April 16th, 7:30PM
- Saturday, April 26th, 2:30PM
- Wednesday, April 30th, 7:30PM
- Saturday, May 3rd, 2:30PM
For these dates, we ask that you please wear a mask to help protect you, those around you, and the company. If you do not have a mask, one can be provided by any member of the theater staff.
Regarding Audio Description:
Audio description provides a live verbal commentary on the visual elements of a production. Open audio description is integrated into every performance of Hold Me in the Water
Other components of access geared towards patrons who are blind or low vision are as follows:
- A digital and screenreadable version of the program will be available at all performances.
- Braille and Large Print Programs may be obtained from the Audience Services Desk upon entering the lobby of the attending performance.
An enhanced Audio Described Performance will be on Thursday, April 24th, at 7:30PM.
- At this performance, an onstage Touch Tour will precede the show. A trained guide will invite audience members to the stage, allowing them to engage with the cast and partake in a hands-on experience with significant sets, costumes, and props.
- A professional describer will provide additional Audio Description throughout the performance, broadcast through a headset. Delivered around the dialogue, this audio description describes action that is essential to the understanding of the story, as well as information such as the set, costumes, facial expressions, and visual jokes that might otherwise be missed.
Regarding Open Captioning:
Open Captioning is available at every performance of Hold Me in the Water.
- Open Captioning will be displayed on the proscenium of the stage.
- Captions are NOT visible from the first 4 rows, but are visible from row E onwards.
ASL interpretation will be available at the following performances:
- Saturday, April 12, 2025, 7:30PM
- Tuesday, April 15, 2025, 7:30PM
- Saturday, April 26, 2025, 2:30PM
- Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 7:30PM
The interpreter will be located onstage with Ryan for all ASL-interpreted performances.
Performance dates are subject to change.
Read More:
Content Transparency
Age Recommendation: Due to adult language and subject matter, this play is best suited for ages 16+. For more details, please reference our Content Transparency section. *May contain plot spoilers.
For a description of topics and sensory experiences that audiences may find distressing or inaccessible in advance of attending Hold Me in the Water, please click here to read our Content Transparency Statement. If you have any additional questions about content, age-appropriateness, or stage effects (such as strobe lights) that might have a bearing on patron comfort, please utilize our Audience Services Form or email audienceservices@phnyc.org.
Want the insider experience?
Patrons and Gen PH Members get exclusive benefits such as early booking (four weeks before the public), zero fees, unlimited exchanges, access to sold out performances, events with our artists, and more!
Join now to attend our Members’ Night with playwright and performer Ryan J. Haddad and director Danny Sharron on April 17, 2025.
