BUM BUM (or, this farce has Autism)
EPIC Players, New York’s leading neuroinclusive theater company, presents the world premiere of BUM BUM (or, this farce has Autism); a sharp-witted, genre-bending comedy by award-winning Autistic playwright Dave Osmundsen.
Set during a chaotic live telethon benefiting “Singing and Hearing Autistic Greatness” (aka SHAG or SAHAG), the play follows three Autistic performers as they’re pressured to deliver sanitized, “palatable” routines for a mainstream audience. Lisa is going to perform a little ballet. Sean is going to do a family-friendly comedy routine. And Jason is going to perform with his trusty ventriloquist dummy, Gil McGillicuddy. But the three can only take condescending press reps, problematic pop stars, and the widescale infantilization of Autistic people for so long. When they band together to take over the broadcast and perform their less “appropriate” routines, hijinks (naturally) ensue.
Blending farce, satire, and social critique, BUM BUM is a radical, hilarious takedown of how media and society package neurodivergence for mass consumption. EPIC’s neurodivergent cast brings authenticity and bite to this bold new work, continuing the company’s mission to challenge stereotypes, increase representation, and center Disabled artists as creative leaders. And, in a perfectly meta turn, EPIC holds a mirror to the industry and joyfully dismantles the very tropes they’ve spent years replacing.
Farce meets authenticity in this wild, subversive, and deeply personal satire of performance, representation, and what society really wants from its “inspirational” Disabled artists.
Location: HERE Arts Center, DOT Theatre, 145 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY
Performances:
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Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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Friday, December 5, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 2:00 PM
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Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 2:00 PM
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Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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Friday, December 12, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM
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Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
EPIC Players is a New York City-based, neuroinclusive theatre company dedicated to creating professional performing arts opportunities for neurodivergent and disabled artists. Through mainstage productions, cabarets, educational programs, and community partnerships, EPIC works to break down barriers to the stage and redefine what inclusive theatre can look like. Founded in 2016, EPIC (Empower, Perform, Include, Create) is committed to artistic excellence, authentic representation, and radical access—showcasing the talents of disabled artists while challenging societal perceptions.
EPIC’s professional ensemble of Disabled and Neurodivergent actors collaborate with directors, designers, and teaching artists to create work that is artistically excellent, socially impactful, and radically inclusive. From reimagining Shakespeare and Sondheim to developing new work by Disabled creators, EPIC’s productions challenge perceptions, spark dialogue, and celebrate the talents and perspectives of historically excluded communities. In addition to performance, EPIC offers skills-based training, career development, and public workshops, building a supportive pipeline for Neurodivergent and Disabled artists across all levels of experience. By centering disability as a creative force, EPIC is redefining what theatre can be, and who gets to take the stage.
Dave Osmundsen (He/Him/His) is an Autistic playwright and dramaturg whose work explores the Autistic Experience in America, or rather, an Autistic Experience in America. Holding an MFA from Arizona State University, his plays have been seen and developed at KCACTF Region 8, the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop, the Great Plains Theatre Conference, Purple Crayon Players, Florida Studio Theatre, B Street Theatre, the William Inge Theatre Festival, the Midwest Dramatists Conference, Phoenix Theatre Company, Clamour Theatre Company, Premiere Stages, the Valdez Theatre Conference, and more. A recipient of the Blank Theatre and Ucross Foundation’s inaugural Future of Playwriting Prize, his play Light Switch (w.p. Spectrum Theatre Ensemble 2022) enjoyed a Jeff Award-winning Chicago premiere at Open Space Arts in 2024. Other productions and workshops include More of a Heart (BLUEBARN Theatre, 2024) My Brother Jake at the Tank (2023), and Light Switch (Upcoming, Island City Stage, 2026). Publications include Light Switch (Broadway Play Publishing), Un(Scripted) (Concord Theatricals, Theater Masters Take Ten Anthology Volume VII), My (Diagnosed) Self (Jelly Bucket), Making Friends Remotely (Exposition Review) Make Way (Canyon Voices, 2020), and A Firework Unexploded (The Dionysian). He lives in New Jersey with his partner.