EPIC Players Presents a Neuro-Inclusive Production of RENT in NYC

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Co-director Cassidy Kaye and star Conor Tague talk RENT at EPIC Players, beginning performances in June at A.R.T./New York Theatres.

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This June, EPIC Players will present a new neuro-inclusive production of RENT at A.R.T./New York Theatres, reimagining Jonathan Larson ’s musical through neurodivergent perspectives and the experiences of artists with disabilities.

Directed by Travis Burbee and Cassidy Kaye , with musical direction by Blake Brauer and choreography by Yannick-Robin Eike Mirko , the production runs June 4 through June 20, 2026.

Now celebrating its 30th anniverdary, RENT reshaped contemporary musical theater with its portrait of artists navigating love, grief, poverty, addiction, queerness, and the AIDS crisis in New York City’s East Village. For EPIC Players, the show's themes of community and freedom of expression ring true onstage and off, as the production serves to further conversations around access, representation, and the importance of creating spaces where disabled and neurodiverse artists can thrive both onstage and in the rehearsal room.

Together, the company explores the intersections between disability, queerness, loss, and community, while also emphasizing the joy, collaboration, and artistic freedom at the center of the process. BroadwayWorld had a chance to chat with co-director Cassidy Kaye and the show's 'Roger' Conor Tague (How to Dance in Ohio) about taking on such iconic material and the power of RENT's enduring relevance.

I was really curious about the conception behind doing RENT specifically with a neurodivergent cast. I’d love to hear about where that concept originated and why this show felt right for it specifically.

Cassidy: Absolutely. EPIC is a neuro-inclusive theater company. We provide free classes and paid performance opportunities for neurodiverse folks, disabled folks, and anyone else who wants to make art with those communities. One thing we do is let our actors help select our shows. RENT had been getting written into surveys for several years. People kept suggesting it as the next show they wanted EPIC to do, and eventually the stars aligned for it to happen this season. It’s been really exciting to see an organization listen to its company members and produce work they genuinely want to do. People have wanted to perform this show for a very long time, and there’s so much excitement around it.

One thing that struck me while reading about the production was how relevant RENT still feels in conversations around class, accessibility, and the ways decision-making from on high affects communities. Was there an awareness of those larger systemic issues when approaching this production?

Cassidy: Absolutely. I’ve been saying that RENT is a story about disenfranchised communities trying to survive and connect within systems that don’t serve them. That absolutely resonates with neurodiverse and disabled communities. I don’t want to speak broadly for everyone’s experience, but I do think this production echoes the realities of stigma and systemic barriers that disabled and neurodiverse people already navigate. Those intersections are important.

At the same time, we also strongly believe that you can be neurodiverse, disabled, and incredibly talented. We want to showcase these actors in a show they’ve dreamed about doing for years. So I think it’s both things at once. And honestly, it’s impossible not to let the outside world color the work. A lot of the emotional truth of this production comes directly from our actors and what they personally bring into the room.

What do you hope this production contributes to the conversation around accessibility and inclusion in theater moving forward?

Conor: One thing I really want people to take away from this production is that everyone deserves to be accepted for who they are — their identity, their personality, everything. People should be valued for who they are on the inside and outside, not judged based on how others see them.

Cassidy: I think Conor said it beautifully. Our goal is really to uplift this incredible talent and remind people that you can’t be what you can’t see. For neurodiverse and disabled artists who may feel shut out of rehearsal rooms because of access needs, or who feel traditional theater processes haven’t worked for them, we want them to know there is community for them. There is space for them. And there’s real power in building that community together. I feel very lucky to be even a small part of it with EPIC.

Conor, can you talk about the difference between working in spaces that may not feel accommodating versus working in an environment like EPIC? How does having that sense of safety affect your process as an actor?

Conor: It changes everything. When you’re in an environment where there aren’t accommodations or where people are difficult, it becomes really stressful. It takes a toll psychologically. But when you’re surrounded by people who understand you and make you feel safe, you can actually talk about what you’re experiencing. People listen to each other. And what matters most is making sure everyone feels safe.

Conor, I wanted to ask specifically about HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO , because that was a hugely inclusive process, for the company as well as the audience. How did that experience change the way you think about visibility and representation in the industry?

Conor: It changed a lot for me. I was part of the developmental process for How to Dance in Ohio for about three years before it came to Broadway. Over that time, me and the other six principal actors really got to shape our characters and bring our own lived experiences into the show. The creative team was incredibly supportive and really listened to our ideas. A lot of those ideas eventually became part of the final script.

What made it special was that it gave representation not only to neurodivergent audiences, but also to audiences who maybe had never encountered those perspectives before. And importantly, we approached it in a way that wasn’t stereotypical. There have been a lot of portrayals of autism that felt very one-sided or inaccurate. You look at things like Rain Man or The Good Doctor — those are autistic characters played by non-autistic actors. Now we’re finally seeing more autistic actors playing autistic characters. Kayla Cromer in Everything’s Gonna Be Okay is another great example. And bringing that representation to Broadway really expanded the conversation in a positive way.

Younger generations are approaching RENT from a very different historical distance. What have those conversations been like in rehearsal?

Cassidy: We’ve had a lot of conversations about loss, historical context, and queerness throughout the process. One really meaningful experience was touring the Stonewall National Monument together as a cast and learning about the riots and activism that eventually became Pride. And one thing we’ve discussed is the idea of being viewed as a representative of your entire community every time you walk into a room.

One of our actors talked about always feeling pressure to be “nice” and “polite” because people treat them like a representative for neurodivergent people as a whole. That led to conversations about the idea of the “model minority” and the emotional burden of representation. That experience connects deeply to queerness as well — especially historically — where your mere existence could become political whether you wanted it to or not.

Conor, what has it been like for you personally learning more deeply about that time period and Roger’s experience living with HIV?

Conor: I’ve done a lot of research and watched a lot of films and projects centered around AIDS and HIV. But this role also became personal for me because I actually had someone in my family who died of AIDS two years before I was born — my Uncle Bobby. He was my mom’s Best Friend . Every time my mom talks about him, I feel like I know him even though I never got the chance to meet him myself. I’m dedicating my performance to him. If he were still here, he probably would’ve been my biggest fan. So this role feels very meaningful to me now. And honestly, I believe he’s shining a light down on me through all of this.

Roger is such a demanding role emotionally and vocally. How have you approached that challenge?

Conor: This is actually the first musical I’ve done where there’s barely any spoken dialogue. It’s really my first true sung-through musical. For a long time, I wasn’t even a huge fan of sung-through musicals. I’d watch Les Misérables or The Great Comet and think, “Why is nobody talking?” Then I saw Hamilton , and suddenly it clicked for me. That helped me understand the format in a different way.

After that, I started revisiting shows like Great Comet and eventually RENT . And honestly, the score is already perfect. The songs are iconic. So taking on a sung-through role became a challenge I was genuinely excited about.

A lot of neurodivergent people spend their lives feeling like outsiders. And RENT is fundamentally about outsiders — artists, addicts, the LGBTQ+ community, and people surviving on the margins. What has the collaboration process and rehearsal atmosphere been like?

Cassidy: I think it’s been about balancing emotional grounding with joy. RENT is obviously a show that contains tragedy and grief, but it’s also a show about radical joy — about finding joy and connection even when systems or society are trying to take that away from you.

A lot of people spend their lives being asked to perform socially acceptable versions of themselves. In our rehearsal room, we really try to create a space where people feel safe unmasking to whatever degree they’re comfortable with. And honestly, sometimes that involves unlearning habits from more traditional rehearsal spaces. There are norms in theater that people accept simply because “that’s how it’s always been done,” but not all of those norms are actually serving people. At EPIC, we invite questions. We invite feedback. We adapt the room based on what people need. It’s not a rigid structure of, “Here’s how we do things.” It’s collaborative.And one thing we’ve talked about a lot during this process is all the art that was lost during the AIDS crisis. There were so many artists whose lives and careers were cut short. I think about that alongside all the art we lose today when rehearsal rooms and institutions fail to create access for disabled and neurodiverse artists. Barrier to entry should never be the reason we lose great artists.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Exclusive-EPIC-Players-Reimagines-RENT-With-a-Neuro-Inclusive-Cast-20260530)._