US stage actor with autism makes Broadway debut

Pearce (centre) defies expectations on Broadway, proving that people with autism can shine in the spotlight. Photos: Instagram/Liam.Pearce

Liam Pearce discovered a passion for singing and theater while growing up in Charlotte, North California, the United States. Now, he’s found his way to one of the world’s most coveted stages.

Pearce, 24, recently starred on Broadway in the musical, How to Dance in Ohio. Based on the award-winning 2015 documentary of the same name, the musical follows the adventures of seven autistic young adults in a counseling group, as they prepare for a spring formal dance.

Each of the show’s leads are authentically cast with autistic actors - a first for Broadway.

That includes Pearce, who was diagnosed at five but didn’t share it widely until he was in college.

The production, which began its Broadway run last November, ended last month. But Pearce’s journey with the show goes back nearly two and a half years.

With the support of his cast members, Pearce (second from left) can showcase his talents on Broadway.

From rock to musical theater

Pearce got his start performing with School of Rock, an afterschool music program, with locations in Charlotte as well as sites around the country.

“It changed my life,” said Pearce, who participated from nine to 16, developing skills on guitar, bass and voice. He excelled and went twice on national tour as part of the program’s AllStars group, which features the top 1% of School of Rock students in the country.

Pearce loved performing and wanted to explore it more, so he auditioned for Northwest School of the Arts (NWSA) in Charlotte. The school doesn’t have a rock music track so Pearce opted for musical theater, something he already enjoyed.

He got in and became immersed in the program.

Studying musical theater for half the day at school was exciting and inspiring, Pearce said. Soon he started performing in community theater productions, too, including at Theatre Charlotte which was only a 10 minute walk from home.

“I would not be the performer I am or the person I am today without the opportunities I had in Charlotte,” said Pearce, who was twice nominated as Best Actor for The Blumey Awards, the Charlotte region’s high school musical theater awards competition, hosted by Blumenthal Arts, a not-for-profit, multi-venue performing arts complex located in Charlotte.

Inclusive environments nurture the artistic skills within individuals with autism.

A new world

After high school, Pearce studied musical theater at New York’s Pace University. He first got involved with How to Dance in Ohio during his senior year.

But in the beginning, no one knew what was in store for this new musical.

He was busy auditioning and snagging roles while simultaneously working a day job at Barry’s Bootcamp, a fitness studio in New York.

He spent July 2022 in St Louis, Missouri, performing in Legally Blonde at The Muny, the country’s oldest and largest outdoor amphitheater. The following summer, he performed in Rent at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse, a Tony award-winning regional theater.

Pearce says theater has allowed him to boost his confidence and social skills.

That’s when things really started to heat up with How to Dance in Ohio.

Pearce was in his dressing room in between the matinee and evening performances of Rent, when he jumped on a Zoom call with the How to Dance in Ohio production team. Ostensibly to schedule some New York city promotional events and discuss plans for recording a four-track promotional EP (extended play), the producers suddenly announced the show would be heading to Broadway in the fall.

“It was crazy. Everybody was crying. I immediately called my mom and my best friend and then told some of my close friends in the cast that I was working around at the time.”

Life changing moment

For Pearce, the show’s unique story and approach to casting has also been an essential part of the experience.

“How to Dance in Ohio brings people into a neuro-divergent world as opposed to having autistic people bend the way that they see the world and bend the way that they want to interact, according to neuro-typical norms.”

That’s something that has clicked with many audience members, too.

“It’s been incredible to see young autistic people at the stage door. I can’t believe how much I resonated with what you were doing on stage. I’ve never seen myself represented in any way like this before, which has been so beautifully overwhelming.”

That sometimes includes kids as young as eight.

“When I was eight, I never would have, like, dreamed of saying that,” he said. “It’s so heartwarming to know that the show is opening so many doors and making people who are similar to me feel so much more comfortable in their skin and in their brains to just express that part of themselves to anybody and everybody. Which I just love.”

Pearce didn’t share much publicly about being autistic while growing up. He and his family knew how to manage it and address certain needs, he said. But at the time, he also realised there were misconceptions about autism and a potential stigma of being labeled as such.

‘You never know the future and I’m prepared for anything,’ says Pearce (second from right).

“I didn’t want that attached to me when I knew that I can function on my own and just, like, deal with the world on my own, in my own way,” he said.

Building social skills with other kids was one area that was especially challenging growing up. Getting involved in musical theater at school and in the community definitely helped.

“I think theater really brought that out of me a bit,” Pearce said. “I really was able to connect a lot more with people because I was learning about connection on stage.”

In college, Pearce started being more open in sharing about being autistic. Being part of the How to Dance in Ohio production has given him a deeper understanding and appreciation of himself and his brain.

“It is so affirming to ... be in a room with all of these other autistic actors,” he said. They have similar access needs and can openly talk about resources or challenges, he added. That’s something Pearce used to simply deal with internally when he was younger.

Pearce hopes the show will help springboard him into other roles and opportunities. He’d love to keep creating new works, develop his own music career and even perform on TV and film.“I just want to keep working and I never want to have to work a desk job again,” he said.

“You never know the future and I’m prepared ... for anything. But the hope is that this is just the beginning of a lot more to come.” – By LIZ ROTHAUS BERTRAND/The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service