This Year’s BroadwayCon Raises the Curtain on Mental Health

Watching a Broadway musical can be an overwhelming experience — to say nothing of the actors performing in it.

“If you die onstage, or your character’s screamed at, your body believes that’s really happening to you every night,” said Hannah Cruz, who made her Broadway debut this spring in the women’s suffrage musical “Suffs.”

For decades, the industry fostered a “suck it up” culture of steely toughness. But one focus of this year’s BroadwayCon, which will draw thousands of theater lovers to the New York Hilton Midtown from Friday through Sunday, is to facilitate conversations about how performers deal with mental health, both on and offstage.

The planned discussions and events address a variety of topics, including the challenges of staying sober while working in the business and increasing accessibility for autistic audiences. Here are six events you’ll want to catch.

Autism and accessibility discussions

Theatergoers who want to share their experiences being on the autism spectrum, know someone who is or just want a safe space to learn more can take part in this event hosted by Skylar Reiner, a longtime Broadway fan.

“Autism and Broadway: What It Means To Be a Fan While on the Spectrum,” Friday, 10 a.m.

Five autistic performing arts professionals — including Conor Tague, Desmond Luis Edwards and Madison Kopec, who recently made their Broadway debuts in “How to Dance in Ohio” — will discuss their personal experiences with accessibility in the arts, as well as best practices for collaborating with autistic creators.