APB’s Mickey Rowe Will Debut Inspiring Autobiography in March
03 Dec 2021
Sometimes just one small action can change a life. For APB speaker Mickey Rowe, Founder and Artistic Director of National Disability Theatre, it began when he was introduced to Seattle Children’s Theatre by his grandmother. Rowe, who is autistic and legally blind, was told that he could never enter the mainstream world. Acting changed all of that. In his new autobiography, Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor's Journey to Broadway's Biggest Stage, which was just called “immensely inspiring” by Publishers Weekly and will be available in March, Rowe tells the story of how he made it to The Great White Way.
As an autistic and legally blind person, living in a society designed by and for non-disabled people, it was always made clear to Rowe the many things he was apparently incapable of doing. But Rowe did them all anyway—and he succeeded because of, not in spite of, his autism. He became the first autistic actor to play the lead role in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, landed the title role in the play Amadeus, co-created the theatre/philanthropy company Arts on the Waterfront and founded the National Disability Theatre. Rowe faced untold obstacles along the way, but his story ends in triumph.
Many people feel they are locked out of the world of autism—that it’s impossible to even begin to understand. In Fearlessly Different, Rowe guides listeners to that world while also helping those with autism to feel seen and understood. And he shows all people—autistic and non-autistic alike—that the things that make us different are often our biggest strengths.
National Disability Theatre works in partnership with Tony Award-winning companies such as La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and more. National Disability Theatre productions re-imagine disability and universal design as key storytelling and design elements showcasing that people can be successful not just in spite of their challenges, but also because of them. National Disability Theatre's productions feature only professional artists, artisans and designers with disabilities.