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WILD: A Musical Becoming

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Artistic Director’s Welcome

Welcome to WILD: A Musical Becoming!

Musicals usually take years to reach full production on stage, but as the climate crisis continues to escalate we couldn’t wait any longer to share this story. We are thrilled to bring you this concert performance, scripts in hand, and invite you to let your imagination run wild as you experience our musical fable.

Young people are leading the charge for change, and the creative team led by V (formerly Eve Ensler), Justin Tranter, Caroline Pennell, and Idina Menzel has been deeply inspired by the work of the global youth climate movement. Young voices are at the heart of this musical, and we are very excited to be collaborating with the Boston Children’s Chorus. During rehearsals we have also been in dialogue with student activists from the Sunrise Movement, Mass Audubon Youth Climate Leaders Program, and Harvard University Office for Sustainability, and we have partnered with the Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs on the curation of the youth-created artworks on display in our lobby. 

One of the A.R.T.’s core values is to embrace regenerative practice in order to promote the health and vitality of our planet, our theater, and each other. That value has guided our approach to the design of this concert. We have staged WILD on the same set that has been transformed for four different productions this fall, and if you had a chance to experience our project at the Arnold Arboretum, you may recognize the sculptures on stage. You can read more in this program about the ways our design team has created costumes using second-hand, recycled and repurposed materials. I also encourage you to read about the local organizations we have been working with, and how you can get involved in climate advocacy, conservation, and sustainability.

We’re encountering the devastating effects of climate crisis on a daily basis, and the news cycle can be overwhelming. Theater engages our hearts and minds to imagine a different future. Created and performed by this extraordinary company of artists, we hope WILD will inspire a spirit of collective humanity and a shift in consciousness.

Thank you for following the COVID safety protocols that have allowed us to be back in the theater this year, and for joining our musical becoming!

Diane Paulus, A.R.T. Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director

American Repertory Theater
Presents

WILD: A Musical Becoming

Book by V (formerly Eve Ensler)
Music by Justin Tranter & Caroline Pennell with contributions by Eren Cannata
Lyrics by Justin Tranter, Caroline Pennell & V (formerly Eve Ensler)
With contributions by Idina Menzel
Choreography by Chanel DaSilva
Directed by Diane Paulus

 

With the participation of Boston Children’s Chorus
Production Support through the Incubator Fund: Allison Johnson
Additional Production Support: Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards
First performance at the Loeb Drama Center on December 5, 2021
American Repertory Theater 2021/22 Programming support is provided by Harvard University, The Barr Foundation, The Bob and Alison Murchison New Work Development Fund, The Shubert Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Bank of America, Barton & Guestier, Meyer Sound, and JetBlue.
A.R.T. 2021/22 Programming is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which receives support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
A.R.T. 2021/22 Programming is dedicated to the memory of Karen Mueller in recognition of her many contributions to the theater.
Runtime: 90 minutes with no intermission
This production contains fog, haze, loud music, and flashing/moving lights.
 

Biographies

Creative Team

Book and Lyrics

V (formerly Eve Ensler)

V (formerly Eve Ensler) Headshot

Book and Lyrics

V (formerly Eve Ensler)

V (Formerly Eve Ensler) (she/her) is the Tony Award-winning playwright and author of the Obie Award-winning theatrical phenomenon The Vagina Monologues, (translated into 48 languages and performed in 140 countries) along with many other plays. She is the author of a number of books including her latest bestsellers The Apology (translated into more than 15 languages) and In the Body of the World, as well as the New York Times bestseller I am an Emotional Creature. She starred on Broadway in The Good Body, and most recently Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club in the critically acclaimed In the Body of the WorldWILD is her third production at The American Repertory Theater originating new work, following O.P.C. and In the Body of the World. During the COVID-19 pandemic she helped create That Kindness: Nurses in Their Own Words, a tribute to nurses presented by Brooklyn Academy of Music in accordance with theaters all across the country. Film credits include The Vagina Monologues (HBO) and What I Want My Words to Do to You (Executive Producer, Winner of the Sundance Film Festival Freedom of Expression Award, PBS) and Mad Max: Fury Road (Consultant). She is founder of V-Day—the 23-year-old global activist movement which has raised over 120 million dollars to end violence against all women (cisgender and transgender), those who hold fluid identities, nonbinary people, girls, and the planet—and founder of One Billion Rising, the largest global mass action to end gender-based violence in over 200 countries, as well as a co-founder of City of Joy. She writes regularly for The Guardian.

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Music and Lyrics

Justin Tranter

Caroline Pennell

Music and Lyrics

Justin Tranter

A.R.T.: Debut. Justin Tranter (they/them) is one of the most in-demand songwriters, producers, and collaborators in music today, an ACLU Bill of Rights Award-winning activist, and founder of Facet Records & Facet Publishing. With over 50 million single sales, 40 billion streams on Spotify and Youtube alone, multiple diamond-certified songs, and dozens of honors including GRAMMY® and Golden Globes® nominations, 14 total BMI Pop Awards and two consecutive “Songwriter of the Year” titles at the BMI Pop Awards, Tranter has lent their talents to several of the most iconic albums in recent memory, including Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next (2019), Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia (2020), Lady Gaga’s Chromatica (2020), The Chicks’ Gaslighter (2020) and Selena Gomez’s Rare (2020). Across the past few years they have written regularly with some of the biggest names in music such as Demi Lovato, The Jonas Brothers, King Princess, Camila Cabello, Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds, Kesha, and more, co-written two television theme songs with Shea Diamond for the HBO original shows “We’re Here” and “Equal,” appeared as a mentor on NBC’s “The Voice,” and served as the executive producer for the soundtrack to Happiest Season, the acclaimed film that smashed records as Hulu’s most-watched original movie debut ever. Tranter currently has several major film, TV, and theater projects in development.

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Music and Lyrics

Caroline Pennell

A.R.T.: Debut. Caroline Pennell (she/her) is a 25-year-old songwriter from New Jersey. She writes pop music for artists such as Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Ava max, G-Eazy, and more. She also releases her own music under the name Carol Ades. WILD is the first theater production she has ever worked on!

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With contributions by

Idina Menzel

With contributions by

Idina Menzel

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Menzel rose to fame for her role as Maureen in RENT, and her career took off when she won a Tony Award for her role as Elphaba in Wicked. She was previously seen on Broadway in the original production If/Then, for which she earned her third Tony nomination. Other theater appearances include Hair (Sheila), Encores!; Aida (Amneris), Broadway; See What I Wanna See, Public Theater; The Vagina Monologues; Skintight, Roundabout Theatre Company/Geffen Playhouse. Menzel’s voice can be heard as Elsa in Disney’s Oscar-winning Frozen, the second-highest grossing animated film of all time. The film’s song “Let It Go,” voiced by Menzel, became an instant international phenomenon, winning the Oscar for Best Original Song (where Menzel performed it at the ceremony) and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Other film/TV: Frozen 2 (Elsa), Uncut Gems, Beaches, Enchanted, RENTAsk the Dust, “Glee.” Recording: multiple cast albums and the solo albums Still I Can’t Be Still, Here, I Stand, idina., Holiday Wishes, Christmas: A Season of Love. Concerts, including accompaniment by world-renowned symphonies, include Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony, sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall & Radio City Music Hall, and the national anthem at Super Bowl XLIX. Philanthropy is also important to Menzel, who co-founded the A BroaderWay Foundation in 2010, dedicated to offering girls from underserved communities an outlet for self-expression and creativity through arts-centered programs.

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Director

Diane Paulus

Director

Diane Paulus

(she/her) Diane Paulus is the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. A.R.T.: 1776, WILD: A Musical Becoming, Gloria: A Life, Jagged Little Pill, ExtraOrdinary, The White Card, In the Body of the World, Waitress (film available online, French-language production in Quebec summer 2024), Crossing, Finding Neverland, Witness Uganda, Pippin (Tony Award, Best Revival and Best Director), The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Tony Award, Best Revival; NAACP Award, Best Direction), Prometheus Bound, Death and the Powers: The Robots’ Opera, Best of Both Worlds, The Donkey Show. Other work includes Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna, Invisible Thread at Second Stage, and the Public Theater’s Tony Award-winning revival of HAIR on Broadway and London’s West End. As an opera director, her credits include The Magic Flute, the complete Monteverdi cycle, and the trio of Mozart-Da Ponte operas, as well as the upcoming Carmen (2024 Glydenbourne Festival). Paulus is Professor of the Practice of Theater in Harvard University’s English Department and Department of Theater, Dance & Media. She was selected for Boston magazine’s 2023, 2022, 2020, and 2018 lists of Boston’s most influential people, the 2014 Time 100, Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and as one of Variety’s “Trailblazing Women in Entertainment for 2014.”

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Choreographer

Chanel DaSilva

Choreographer

Chanel DaSilva

(she/her) ART: Moby Dick, The Black Clown. Commissioned works on The Joffrey Ballet, Parsons Dance Company, Gibney Company. Honors: 2011 Princess Grace Award, 2004 Presidential Scholar in the Arts, 2019 IRNE nomination for Best Choreography (The Black Clown), 2004 PBS Documentary “American Talent,” Education/Training: BFA, The Juilliard School.

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Music Supervisor, Music Contributions

Eren Cannata

Music Supervisor, Music Contributions

Eren Cannata

A.R.T.: Debut. Eren Cannata (he/him) is an Emmy Award-winning songwriter, producer, and musician. Signed to Warner Chappell / Facet House under world-renowned songwriter Justin Tranter, he’s working with today’s biggest artists, writers, and producers on major pop records as well as writing/producing TV/movie soundtracks, musicals, and audio art installations. Currently, Eren is working on the TV soundtrack for “Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies” (Paramount+) and the artist phenom everyone’s talking about, Jake Wesley Rogers.

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Orchestrator & Arranger

Daniel Crean

Orchestrator & Arranger

Daniel Crean

A.R.T.: Debut. Daniel Crean (he/him) is a drummer, arranger and music producer from Boston, MA. He has worked with Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, Pink, Courtney Love, Lego Batman, and Andrea Bocelli.

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Music Director

David Freeman Coleman

David Coleman Headshot

Music Director

David Freeman Coleman

(he/him) A.R.T.: WILD: A Musical Becoming, We Live in Cairo, Miss You Like Hell, Wig Out!, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Best of Both Worlds. Music direction for SpeakEasy, Wheelock Family Theatre, Lyric Stage, Reagle, and The Huntington Theatre. Four Elliot Norton Award nominations and one win for Outstanding Music Direction. Performances with the Boston Pops, BSO, Mariah Carey, Ryan Gosling, Patti Labelle, Bobby McFerrin, Phish. Performances at The White House, Carnegie Hall, Vatican.

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On the set of Macbeth In Stride, designed by

Dan Soule

Dan Soule headshot

On the set of Macbeth In Stride, designed by

Dan Soule

(he/him) A.R.T.: Macbeth in Stride, Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic. Off-Broadway: for all the women who thought they were Mad, Soho Rep; Drunk Shakespeare, vol. I-III, Brass Jar. Regional: The Amen Corner, The Shakespeare Theatre Co.; An Iliad, Long Wharf Theater; Othello, Trinity Rep. Exhibition: Definition: An Installation Experience, Bushwick Starr; Camp: Notes on Fashion (Design Associate), Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute. Educational: Head of Scenic Design Training, NYU-Tisch Dept. of Drama. Education: MFA, NYU-Tisch Dept. of Design.

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Costume Designers

SiiGii

Roy Caires

Tommy Cole

Costume Designers

SiiGii

(they/them) A.R.T.: Debut. SiiGii is a New York based artist. Merging sculpture with fashion, their artworks explore healing and escapism from a limited tangible world. Siigii is a native of Barcelona, Spain, where they earned their bachelor’s degree in fashion design at BAU University of Design. Alongside their visual art career, SiiGii has also gained extensive experience in costume design, having created pieces for artists including Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino, Britney Spears, and more. With a signature dedication to challenging limits, SiiGii’s art has been featured in Hypebeast, PaperMagazine, Dazed, Hypebeast Japan, Dezeen, Elle, and many more.

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Roy Caires

Costume Designers

Roy Caires

(he/him) A.R.T.: Debut. Roy Caires has been working in the Fashion Industry for 20+ years. Fashion Design, Styling and Costume Design. Co-owner of Brooklyn based fashion boutique ALTER since 2007. Education/Training: BFA, Fashion Design, MassArt (class of 2002).

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Costume Designers

Tommy Cole

(he/him) A.R.T.: Debut. Tommy Cole has been working in the fashion design and styling industry since 2001. Co-owner of Brooklyn based fashion boutique ALTER since 2007.

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Lighting Designer

Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew

Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew headshot

Lighting Designer

Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew

A.R.T.:Ayodele Casel: Chasing MagicExtraOrdinary. Off-Broadway: Gloria: A Life; Fruit Trilogy; Relevance (Projection Design); Poison; Informed Consent (Projection Design); Nutcracker Rouge (Drama Desk nominations), Company XIV. Regional: Vietgone, Smart People, Denver Center; Top Girls (Projection Design), Huntington Theatre Company; Pinkolandia, Two River Theater; OR, Shakespeare & Company. International: The Ugly One, From the Fire! (Projection Design). Other: KPOP! (Lortel and Drama Desk Nominations), Oneohtrix Point Never’s MYRIAD, Park Avenue Armory. Awards: 2018 Henry Hewes Lighting Design Award, 2017 LIT Design Award (Theater Performance), Bel Geddes Design Enhancement (2015 & 2017), NEA/TCG Career Development Program recipient.

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Sound Designer

Alex Giorgetti

Sound Designer

Alex Giorgetti

(he/him) A.R.T.: Macbeth in Stride, Ayodele Casel: Chasing MagicJack and the Beanstalk (Sound Supervisor and Recording, Mixing, Mastering Engineer)A.R.T. Institute: Dying For It, Loeb Drama Center. Alex is the sound supervisor at Oberon and has designed a wide range of shows there since 2013 including Cirque of the DeadGhost QuartetBlack Light, and The Bitter GamePrior to working at A.R.T., Alex toured with Average White Band from 2012-2013 and was the house engineer at music venues all over the New York City metro area including Bowery Electric, Fairfield Theater Company, and the Highline Ballroom.  He is a musician, producer and audio engineer who has worked on dozens of records and loves to be in the studio.

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Featured Visual Artist

Daniel Callahan

Daniel Callahan Headshot

Featured Visual Artist

Daniel Callahan

(he/him) A.R.T.: The Arboretum Experience. A multimedia artist, filmmaker and designer, Daniel Callahan merges a plethora of mediums to create immersive experiences that explore human resilience and mysticism. A graduate of the UPenn School of Design, and Emerson College, where he received an MFA in Film and Video, Daniel and his work have been featured at the Museum of Fine Art, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Queens Museum, The New Orleans Museum of Art. danielcallahan.com

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Casting Director

Stewart/Whitley

Casting Director

Stewart/Whitley

Duncan Stewart CSA/Benton Whitley CSA. A.R.T.: WILDMoby-Dick,The Black Clown, Great Comet of 1812, The TempestPippin. Broadway/NY: Hadestown (Artios Award), Chicago the Musical, Paradise Square, Rock of Ages, Lightning Thief,Great Comet of 1812, Elf, On the Town, Pippin, La Cage aux Folles, Radio City Christmas Spectacular. TV/Film: Netflix, 20th Century Fox, NBC, Lionsgate, Disney Channel. West End/U.K.: Hadestown, Thriller Live, Menier Chocolate FactoryTours: Hadestown, Hairspray, Waitress, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, Into the Woods, We Will Rock You. Regional: Berkeley Rep, Alley, Bay Street, For The Record, TUTS, Hollywood Bowl, McCarter, Signature, RCCL. Follow: @stewartwhitley and stewartwhitley.com.

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Production Stage Manager

Hope Villanueva

Production Stage Manager

Hope Villanueva

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Off-Broadway: Who’s Your Baghdaddy?. Regional: Rock of Ages Hollywood, The Bourbon Room; Singles in Agriculture, Bristol Riverside Theatre; BLKS, Woolly Mammoth; Twist Your Dickens, Second City/Kennedy Center; Hand to God, Choir Boy, The Big Meal, Studio Theatre; Our Town, Awake and Sing!, Olney Theatre Center; Endgame, Baltimore CenterStage; The Vagrant Trilogy, Paper Dolls, Queens Girl in Africa, Mosaic Theatre; National Tour: Rock of Ages, My Fair Lady, Ringling Bros. Bellobration. Education: UC Santa Barbara.

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With the participation of

Boston Children’s Chorus

With the participation of

Boston Children’s Chorus

Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) was founded in 2003 by Hubie Jones, a civic leader who has worked for six decades to address the social problems facing Boston’s underserved children and communities. Named Boston’s “Ambassadors of Harmony” by The Boston Globe, BCC harnesses the power of music to connect Boston’s diverse communities, cultivate empathy, and inspire social inquiry. BCC choir programs include 13 choirs with singers from 110 different zip codes in and around Boston. BCC presents over 50 performances per season in a wide range of public and private events. They have performed in venues from Boston Symphony Hall, and Royal Albert Hall in London, to Sydney Opera House, and the White House. BCC is supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.

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Cast (in alphabetical order)

Oak

Brittany Campbell

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: The Civil War, A Christmas Carol. Off-Broadway: For the Last Time (Mariam). Chicago: Hamilton: An American Musical (Schuyler Sisters standby). Regional: My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolittle, Helen Hayes nomination), Once on This Island (Ti Moune). Opera: Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Eugene Onegin, Stiffelio, Rusulka. TV: “Master of None,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” “Law and Order,” “Chicago PD.” Studio Albums: Stay Gold (2018), Heroes (2014, Ourstage Award, Best Pop Vocalist). Education/Training: Carnegie Mellon University. Special Thanks to Stewart Talent (Chi) and Danielle Lenniger of Luber Roklin. Love you, Mommy. Instagram: @brittanycampbellmusic

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Mrs. Maybe

Deborah S. Craig

Mrs. Maybe

Deborah S. Craig

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Deborah S. Craig’s makes her joyous A.R.T. debut fresh off the feature films Me Time opposite Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlburg (writer/dir. John Hamburg) Meet Cute opposite Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson (dir. Alex Lehmann),  and The Tiger’s Apprentice (Henry Golding, Sandra Oh) for Paramount Animation. She can also be seen in the upcoming final season of “Grace and Frankie” opposite Jane Fonda. Broadway: Deborah originated the role of Marcy Park in the Tony Award winning musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Based on her own over-achieving childhood, it earned her critical acclaim, a Drama Desk Award and the distinction of creating the first Korean American character on Broadway. Off-Broadway: Gone Missing with The Civilians (dir. Ken Russ Schmoll), Encores! Off Center; WaVe (dir. Will Pomerantz), Ma-Yi; Pericles (dir. Jesse Berger), Red Bull; The Karaoke Show (dir. Diane Paulus), Project 400. TV: “The Emperor of Malibu” from Kevin Kwan (Crazy Rich Asians), David Sangalli, Warner Brothers and CBS opposite Ken Jeong; Awkafina is “Nora From Queens” (Comedy Central) and recurring roles on “The Blacklist” (NBC), “Transparent” (Amazon), “Hart of Dixie” (CW),  and “Six Degrees” (JJ Abrams/ABC),  “Better Things” (Fx),  “Workaholics” (Comedy Central), “Bull” (CBD), “Instinct,” (CBS), “Elementary” (CBS), “Son of Zorn” (Fox),  “Almost There” (DirectTV), and “Dog With a Blog” (Disney). Regional: West Coast Premiere of Adam Gwon’s Ordinary Days (SCR / dir. Ethan McSweeney), My Scary Girl (BSC / dir. Andrew Volkoff), and new work for The Public, CTG, OSF, NYTW, WTF, The Civilians, LJPH, Chalk Rep, Soho Rep, The Lark, New Dramatists, The Blank, and IAMA Theatre Company, where she is a proud member. Film: A Nice Girl Like YouPoor Greg DrowningThe Outfield (dir. Eli Gonda), Kiss Me, Kill Me, and Ghost Town. You can currently stream Deborah in The Un-Princess Bride, from playwright Qui Nguyen, Vampire Cowboys, and MTC. Alumna, Ma-Yi Writers Lab. Thank you to Diane, V, Justin, Caroline, Stewart Whitley and A.R.T.; for my Father. Instagram: @TheDeborahSCraig

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Forte

Paravi Das

Forte

Paravi Das

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Ohio-born and Los Angeles-based, Paravi Das is a singer, songwriter, and artist with an audience of 2 million followers as well as over 100 million views and 10 million streams. Majoring in musical theater at UCLA, Paravi turned to social media at the onset of the global pandemic. Initially, she posted a short vocal cover of BØRNS’ “Electric Love” from her bathroom. Gaining traction, she recorded a full version on GarageBand with a $15 microphone from Amazon and uploaded it to DSPs without any expectations. It eventually gathered 4.8 million-plus Spotify streams. Maintaining this momentum, Paravi continued to build an audience with her covers of Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed” and Beach Bunny’s “Cloud 9” on TikTok. Signing to RCA Records, Paravi continued to carefully craft a style of her own, alternating between moments of vivid vulnerability and vocal vitality above organically warm production. She utilizes this sound to tell a new story for pop music.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Possible

Luke Ferrari

Possible

Luke Ferrari

(they/them) A.R.T.: Debut. Regional: Young Frankenstein, Annie, 42nd Street, Oliver, White Christmas, Smithtown Performing Arts Center. Educational: Heathers: The Musical (J.D.), Pippin, On The Town, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, The Noel S. Ruiz Theatre; Shrek: The Musical, Frozen Jr., Smithtown Performing Arts Center; Cinderella, Jekyll & Hyde, It’s a Wonderful Life, Smithtown High School East; Elegies, Rider University.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Josh Lamon Headshot

Mr. Rail

Josh Lamon

Josh Lamon Headshot

Mr. Rail

Josh Lamon

(he/him) A.R.T.: Finding Neverland. Broadway: The Prom*, Groundhog Day*, Finding Neverland*, ElfHair*, Wicked. Off-Broadway: Into the Woods, Shakespeare in the Park; A New BrainLittle Miss SunshineLittle Me!Emojiland*; February House, Public Theater. TV/Film: “Here Today” (Dir. Billy Crystal), “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Blacklist,” “The Good Fight,” “30 Rock,” “Deadbeat,” “Inside Amy Schumer.” Podcast: “Josh Swallows Broadway,” Broadway Podcast Network. JoshLamon.com (*Original Cast Recording).

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Kingsley Leggs Headshot

Mayor Maybe

Kingsley Leggs

Kingsley Leggs Headshot

Mayor Maybe

Kingsley Leggs

(he/him) A.R.T. : Fingersmith. Broadway: Pretty Woman, Sister Act, The Color Purple, Miss Saigon. Off-Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors. Touring/International: The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Sister Act, Miss Saigon, Ragtime. Regional: Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Baltimore Centerstage, Ford’s Theatre, Seattle Rep, Goodman Theatre, Alliance Theatre. Film: Hello Again. TV: “The Americans,” “The Good Wife,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “One Life to Live.” Education: Bachelor of Music, Benedictine College.

 

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Bea

Idina Menzel

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Menzel rose to fame for her role as Maureen in RENT, and her career took off when she won a Tony Award for her role as Elphaba in Wicked. She was previously seen on Broadway in the original production If/Then, for which she earned her third Tony nomination. Other theater appearances include Hair (Sheila), Encores!; Aida (Amneris), Broadway; See What I Wanna See, Public Theater; The Vagina Monologues; Skintight, Roundabout Theatre Company/Geffen Playhouse. Menzel’s voice can be heard as Elsa in Disney’s Oscar-winning Frozen, the second-highest grossing animated film of all time. The film’s song “Let It Go,” voiced by Menzel, became an instant international phenomenon, winning the Oscar for Best Original Song (where Menzel performed it at the ceremony) and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Other film/TV: Frozen 2 (Elsa), Uncut Gems, Beaches, Enchanted, RENTAsk the Dust, “Glee.” Recording: multiple cast albums and the solo albums Still I Can’t Be Still, Here, I Stand, idina., Holiday Wishes, Christmas: A Season of Love. Concerts, including accompaniment by world-renowned symphonies, include Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony, sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall & Radio City Music Hall, and the national anthem at Super Bowl XLIX. Philanthropy is also important to Menzel, who co-founded the A BroaderWay Foundation in 2010, dedicated to offering girls from underserved communities an outlet for self-expression and creativity through arts-centered programs.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Mr. Custom

Javier Muñoz

Mr. Custom

Javier Muñoz

(he/him) A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Javier Muñoz is best known for starring as Alexander Hamilton in the cultural phenomenon musical Hamilton and as Usnavi in In the Heights. Film/TV: he has appeared on “Shadowhunters,” “Blindspot,” “Quantico,” “Full Frontal with Samatha Bee,” and the indie feature Monuments. Recent theater includes The New Englanders, MTC; and A Sign of the Times. Javier is also an outspoken activist for LGBTQ+ rights and serves on the boards of both GMHC and BC/EFA.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Sophia

YDE

Sophia

YDE

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. YDE (EE-dee) is an 18-year-old, Australia-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actress. Initially, her performance instinct translated to the screen. In between starring roles on Netflix and Nickelodeon series, where she received a nomination at the Kids’ Choice Awards for Favorite Female TV star, she attracted a social audience of over 3 million fans and counting. At the same time, she continued to write music and hone her craft in sessions. Upon meeting powerhouse songwriter Justin Tranter, she not only found the perfect collaborator, but also a mentor. Tranter signed her to his label Facet records in partnership with Warner Records. In 2020, YDE debuted her first 2 singles (“Stopped Buying Diamonds” and “BlindLife”), and plans to release her first body of work in the spring of 2022.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Bicker Rail

Michael Williams

Bicker Rail

Michael Williams

(he/him) A.R.T.: Debut. Regional: Secret Garden (Dickon), Mary Poppins (Bert). Educational Performances: Les Misérables (Jean ValJean), Besl Theater. Opera: Amahl and the Night Visitors (Amahl). Film/TV: NBC’s “The Voice” (Top 10). Recorded Media: The Romeo and Juliet Project Demo Recording (Romeo, Music by Pat Benatar), See You Again (All streaming platforms). Awards: Cappies (Best Male Vocalist 2019). Training: Nick Jonas (Vocals), Trelawny Rose (Vocals).

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Understudies

Sam Faulkner

(he/they) A.R.T.: Debut. Credits: NBC’s Hairspray Live! (I.Q,); Billy Elliot (Billy), Ogunquit Playhouse, North Carolina Theatre; Sweet Gwen Suite, City Center; 2021 Met Gala. Education/Training: recent graduate of the University of Michigan. Thank you Nicolosi & Co, Powerline Entertainment, WILD team, and Stewart/Whitley! Instagram: @samfaulkner5678

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Jonathan Gallegos

A.R.T.: Debut. Regional: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Musical Theatre Southwest; A Christmas Carol, Landmark Musicals. Educational: A Grand Night For Singing, Boston Conservatory at Berklee; Into the Woods, New Mexico State University. Education: MFA, Musical Theatre Vocal Pedagogy, Boston Conservatory at Berklee; BM, Vocal Performance, New Mexico State University.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Crystal Monee Hall

A.R.T.: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic. Crystal Monee Hall is a singer/songwriter, composer, vocal arranger and producer and music director based in New York City. Her varied career has included roles on Broadway (RENT and Kristen Chenoweth’s For the Girls), sold-out tours with Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead) and Ben Platt, and guest appearances on the CW’s “Walker” and HBO’s “High Maintenance.” She has released three original albums, with work from her recent EP If You Breathe called “riveting” by Billboard Magazine. Website: crystalmoneehall.com / Social media @crystalmonee / https://linktr.ee/crystalmonee

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Kira Sarai Helper

A.R.T.: Macbeth In Stride. Kira Sarai Helper is a board-certified music therapist and has an MFA in musical theater from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She is incredibly excited to be making her A.R.T. Debut! Special thanks to David Coleman, her mom Kim, and the entire cast and crew of MIS. Regional: #MATTER (Kim), Barrington Stage Company; The Elm Tree (Hades/Eurydice), Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theatre; All Shook Up (Sylvia), Hackmatack Playhouse. Off-Off Broadway: Damn Yankees (Lola), AMAS. Commercials: Behave Bras LaunchThe Power of Women, Healthworks Fitness; The Table is Set, Primark, and the Boston Globe.

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Actors’ Equity Association member

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Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement for the appearance is made at the time of the performance.

Band

Serena Jade Miller Headshot
Serena Jade Miller Headshot

Guitar

Serena Jade Miller

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Performances with Rye Performing Art Center Pit Band. Education: Currently studying at Berklee College of Music. Instagram: @serenajades

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Drums

Jordan Carter

A.R.T.: Macbeth In Stride. Jordan Carter developed an unshakable passion for percussion by the age of five and began playing for local churches in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio before landing a recurring gig with the internationally acclaimed “Singing Angels”. Carter’s acute focus on music led to his enrollment at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in 2010. Since his stint at Berklee, Carter’s knack for playing various styles and genres has solidified him as one of Boston’s most sought-after session drummers. Most notably, he can be heard on Marilyn Wright’s Give Me A Clean Heart, which was nominated for multiple gospel awards upon its release. Although Jordan Carter has adopted Boston as his second home, he has toured more than eight countries and played drums for globally recognized cruise lines. When he’s back in the states, Carter can be seen recording with or playing for artists including: Mark Marren, Torrence Nelson and Bquiz. Most recently, Carter plays for Sing, Oompa and the Phase 2 in the midst of accepting the Musical Director position for one of Boston’s burgeoning stars, Marcela Cruz. Carter has committed himself to acquire the skills and network to make a sustainable living as a full-time musician, thus allowing him to present his own band, “The confirmation band” to the world. He’s stated that he owes his mother, Glennis Carter, countless praise for preserving his passion, which has evidently blossomed into a very promising career in music.

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David Coleman Headshot
David Coleman Headshot

Keys

David Freeman Coleman

(he/him) A.R.T.: WILD: A Musical Becoming, We Live in Cairo, Miss You Like Hell, Wig Out!, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Best of Both Worlds. Music direction for SpeakEasy, Wheelock Family Theatre, Lyric Stage, Reagle, and The Huntington Theatre. Four Elliot Norton Award nominations and one win for Outstanding Music Direction. Performances with the Boston Pops, BSO, Mariah Carey, Ryan Gosling, Patti Labelle, Bobby McFerrin, Phish. Performances at The White House, Carnegie Hall, Vatican.

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Drums (Sub)

Vancil Cooper

Drums (Sub)

Vancil Cooper

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Boston Children’s Chorus

Angus Abercrombie, Julie Al-Beirouty, Celeste Alcalay, Josephine Almond, Chinweikem Anyanwu, Brandon Baskin, Didi Batchvarov, Chora Bayer, Caleb Belizaire, Ailie Bell, Susanna Buckley, Mariana Chango Gassett, Marina Chen, David Cho, Isaiah Choi, Isis Contreras, Levi Corcoran, Anthony Curioso, Aashna Dialani, Magdalena Dolorico Francoeur, Chineze Egbunike, Sarah Farelli, Lauren Farelli, Christina Frederique, Tristan Goodell, Maia Grammatopoulos, Sarah Han, Deshawndra Harston, Sarah Hernandez-Rodriguez, Camilla Herrera, Jordan Herring, Yifeng Hu, Fiona Huang, Simone Isabelle, Nicholas Jaffer, Klara Jamro, Sadie Keesbury, Sabrina Kogan, Ameya Kothandaraman, Matt Kromm, Becca Lapham, Kristinne Lapop, Fae LaVallee Manson, Adam Lawrence, Rory Li, Hurielle Louis, John Lucas Hopkins, Julianna Marchese, Savannah Martin, Grainne McBride, Henry McDonald, Katie McFeeters, Riya Mehrotra, Saurahya Milien, Sarina Miller, Liana Min, Owen Molway, Kyla Murray, Lucy Norman, Leonard Page, Olivia Pappas, Jack Peterson, Kelsey Raymond, Amelie Richardson, Beatrice Riley, Sam Ringrose, Graciela Rodriguez, Gustavo Rodriguez, Greta Rubenstein, Lily Rush, Jillian Ryan, Olivia Ryan, Neve Sahni, Neha Saravanan, Julia Sax, Lily Scott, Laura Scoville, Shreya Sharma, Matilda Sherman, Mara Stein, Hannah Takahashi, Liz Thomas, Amari Vadhan, Ella Vargas, Anna Wadsworth, Erica Weinreich, Ben Wilkinson, Fiona Wolfe, Lena Wollam, Luke Zermani

 

Additional Staff

Dramaturg

Ryan McKittrick

Dramaturg

Ryan McKittrick

Ryan McKittrick is the Director of Artistic Programs & Dramaturg at the American Repertory Theater. He received a Master of Theater Arts in Dramaturgy from the A.R.T./Moscow Art Theatre School Institute for Advanced Theater Training and a B.A. in History and Literature from Harvard College. He is Lecturer and Head of Dramaturgy in the Theater, Dance & Media concentration at Harvard and Assistant Professor of Theater Arts at Brandeis University. At the A.R.T., he has served as dramaturg on numerous plays, operas, and musicals, over half of which were world premieres.

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Assistant Director

Kaycee Swierc

Karina Cowperthwaite

Assistant Director

Kaycee Swierc

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Jagged Little Pill (Assistant Director). Regional: The Bowels, Timebomb, Webster’s BitchStar or Plane (Director), National Women’s Theatre Festival; OTHELLO (Associate Producer), NWTF/Play On Shakespeare; The Vagina Monologues (Director), Queer Theatre Texas; Daddy Longlegs (Assistant Director), Inhuman Productions; Educational: CabaretAlmost, Maine. Special Assistant to the Artistic Director and Executive Team at A.R.T. Education: BFA, Theater, Texas State University.

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Assistant Director

Karina Cowperthwaite

A.R.T.: WILD: A Musical Becoming (Assistant Director). Regional: A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical (Assistant to Producer), Emerson Colonial. Educational: Ugly Feelings (Director and Writer), Legally Blonde (Director), Asian Student Arts Project at Harvard University. Education: BA, English and Theater, Dance & Media, Harvard University.

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Assistant Choreographer

Christiana Hunte

Christiana Hunte headshot

Assistant Choreographer

Christiana Hunte

(she/her) A.R.T.: Moby-Dick (Assistant Choreographer). Christiana Hunte is a born and raised Brooklynite. She began her dance training at Creative Outlet Dance Theater of Brooklyn. Thereafter, she continued her education at LaGuardia High School. During her senior year, Christiana joined the National YoungArts Foundation as a Winner in Modern Dance. She is a 2018 graduate from SUNY Purchase College, receiving her BFA in Dance with a minor in Arts Management. She is currently a company member of Antonio Brown Dance and the former Programs Manager for MOVE|NYC|. She aspires to travel the world dancing and impacting the lives of the next generation in ways that will change the art of dance.

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Assistant Stage Manager

John Meredith

Assistant Stage Manager

John Meredith

(they/them) A.R.T: SIX (ASM & PSM sub), Waitress (Child Supervisor). Regional: Fun Home, Small Mouth Sounds, Men on Boats, SpeakEasy Stage; A Guide for the Homesick, after all the terrible things I do, Huntington Theatre Company; Wig Out!, Shockheaded Peter, We Are Proud to Present…, Company One; Camp Strangewood, Sparkhaven Theatre. John also leads trainings on transgender inclusion in the arts with Gender Explosion. Education: Stage & Production Management B.F.A., Emerson College. Learn More: johnmeredithstage.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Production Assistant & Assistant Stage Manager (Sub)

Jamie Carty

Jamie Carty

Production Assistant & Assistant Stage Manager (Sub)

Jamie Carty

(she/her) A.R.T.: Proclamation 7: Freedom Acts (Stage Manager), OBERON. Regional: Hurricane Diane, We All Fall Down, Indecent (Assistant Stage Manager), Huntington Theatre Company; Sherlock’s Last Case, Fall, Skeleton Crew, Bad Dates, Tartuffe, Merrily We Roll Along, (Production Assistant), Huntington Theatre Company; Cry It Out (Stage Manager), Geva Theatre Center; The Audacity: Women Speak (Stage Manager), Sleeping Weazel; The America Plays (Assistant Stage Manager), Plays in Place. Education: Stage and Production Management BFA, Emerson College.

 

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Music & Dramaturgy Assistant

Julia Riew

Music Assistant

Ian Chan

Script Assistant

Connor Riordan

Producer for V (formerly Eve Ensler)

Tony Montenieri

Producer for V (formerly Eve Ensler)

Tony Montenieri

(he/him) A.R.T.: OPC, In the Body of the World. Tony Montenieri has worked with the Tony Award-winning playwright V (formerly Eve Ensler) and V-Day, a global activist movement to end violence against all women (cisgender and transgender), those who hold fluid identities, nonbinary people, girls and the planet, for over 19 years. He is Executive Producer of Lotus Productions while also serving as V-Day’s Campaigns Director. He has worked both on and off-Broadway, including on Emotional Creature, The Secret Life of Girls Around the World (Associate Producer) at the Signature Theater and most recently, In the Body of the World (Producer for Eve Ensler) at Manhattan Theatre Club and Fruit Trilogy (Producer) with Abingdon Theatre Company. He holds a BS from Skidmore College and an MA in Arts Administration from Goucher College, where he now serves as a faculty member in the MA in Arts Administration program, teaching Art and Activism for Social Justice.

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Voice and Text

Erika Bailey

Voice and Text

Erika Bailey

A.R.T.: Life of Pi; 1776; WILD: A Musical Becoming; Jack and the Beanstalk; Gloria: A Life; Moby-Dick; We Live in Cairo; Endlings; Othello; ExtraOrdinary; The Black Clown; Jagged Little Pill; WARHOLCAPOTE; Burn All Night; The Night of the Iguana; Trans Scripts, Part I: The Women; Fingersmith; In the Body of the World; Waitress; O.P.C. Broadway: Mary Stuart. Regional: Vanity Fair, Central Square Theater; New Electric Ballroom, Gloucester Stage Company; Arms and the Man, Guthrie Theatre; The Foreigner, Cabaret, To Kill a Mockingbird, Kansas City Repertory Theatre. As Head of Voice and Speech at A.R.T., Erika also teaches in the Theater, Dance & Media concentration at Harvard as well as coaching public speaking skills across the university. Education: MA, Voice Studies, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama; MFA, Acting, Brandeis University.

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Facet House Head of Operations

Jimmy Knehans

Casting

STEWART/WHITLEY
Duncan Stewart, CSA & Benton Whitley, CSA
Joey Montenarello, CSA; Micah Johnson-Levy
Afsheen Misaghi; Samantha Walsh

 

Special Thanks

Diane Borger, Michelle McNulty, Range Media Partners

Esther Cull-Kahn, Navin Sai Durbhakula, Adam Gould, Natalia Jacobs, Sophia Kozart Ludtke, Ollie Mae, Dora Stodolsky

Additional Sound Equipment provided by PRG

Actors’ Equity Association 1913The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

SDCThe Director and Choreographer of this production are members of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union.

IATSE IA United Scenic Artists Local USA 829United Scenic Artists represents the designers and scenic painters for the American Theatre.

AFM American Federation of Musicians United States CanadaThe musicians employed in this production are members of the American Federation of Musicians.

Staff, Boards, & Donors

Production Overhire

Hair and Makeup Coordinator: Sarah C. Tupper
Stitcher: Brittany Meehan
Head Dresser: Brian Choinski
Follow Spot: Conor O’Brien
Electricians: Swati Agrawal, Carmen Alfaro, Kevin Barnett, Michaela Bocchino, Ryan Lemay, Conor O’Brien
A1/Mixer: James Zaner
A2/Deck Sound: Marisa Clemente
Sound Technician: Jessica Hawkins
A3/Monitor Mixer/: Daniel Gonzales
Stage Crew: Bernadette Benoit
Stage Load-In Crew: Caitlyn Buja, Errick Jersey, Bill O’Donnell, Crispin Trubiano

Access

ASL Coach: Stephanie Hakulin
ASL Interpreters: Leo Beaulieu, Jeannette Welch
Audio Describers: Gamalia Pharms, Jill Robbins-Silver
Open Captioning: c2
Relaxed Performance Consultants: Spectrum Theatre Ensemble

Songs

Songs

Mouths to Feed

Promises Promises

Things We Love

Dear Everything

Paradoxical Dilemma

Panic

Human

Searching for Sophia

Take Us With You

Becoming

Ocelot

Animal Song

Bea Get Your Daughter in Order

If I Could Be an Elephant

Do You Remember

Wild

Dear Everything Reprise

Becoming Reprise

Explore

A Note from the WILD Costume Design Team

The costumes for WILD were made using exclusively second hand, recycled, and repurposed materials. Jeans are one of the most polluting garments in the world to fabricate; as the WILD costume design team we are making a statement by using repurposed denim to create the majority of the designs.

We are excited by the ways in which disposable fashion can be replaced by the resourceful and innovative use and alteration of existing garments to become new ones.

To create these looks we searched our local thrift store and vintage warehouses for items that we could use as materials to represent the hard-working farmers in the story. Denim overalls, plaid work shirts, and a wide variety of random accessories and objects have taken on a new life to represent the individual style and uniqueness of each character.

We hope audiences are inspired by our designs and look deep into their own closets to see how they can reuse and repurpose their own clothing.

Tommy, Roy & SiiGii

“But if we change all of our ways – We don’t lose the things we love” – OAK

 

 

Read more about A.R.T.’s winter programming in the latest issue of the Guide.

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WILD: A Musical Becoming

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