Watch the First Autistic Actor to Play Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’s Lead Role in Rehearsal

Mickey Rowe is the first autistic actor to play the character with autism—and here’s how he does it.

Playbill learned back in May that autistic actor Mickey Rowe would play Christopher Boone in the regional co-production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from Indiana Repertory Theatre and Syracuse Stage.

The Tony-winning Best Play tells the story of Christopher, who has autism, and his quest to determine how his neighbor’s dog wound up dead. Rowe’s casting marks a milestone moment in the theatre—a milestone he wrote about for Playbill.

Read More: THE FIRST ACTOR TO PLAY CURIOUS INCIDENT’S AUTISTIC LEAD SPEAKS OUT

Now that performances have begun at Indiana Rep, CNN’s Great Big Story and their Human Condition series reveals Rowe’s rehearsal process and how he feels about progress for actors with disabilities.

“It’s really hard for people with any disability to get a large role in a professional theatre, but for the first time in my life I’m getting to star in a major professional production,” he says in the video above.

Rowe wants producers, casting directors, and the public to understand that people with autism can be great actors. “I’ve had to be an actor my whole life to pass as neurotypical,” he says. “Being an actor comes naturally to me. I use scripting in my daily life.”

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time plays at Indiana Repertory through October 14 and then at Syracuse Stage in New York October 25–November 12. For more information about the production, click here.

