The Shared Story of Wonder

To support the development of Wonder’s musical adaptation, Dina Zuckerberg, Matthew S. Joffe, and Pat Chibbaro were engaged to advise about the experiences of those with craniofacial conditions. Over the last several years, they have amplified the casting calls for Auggie, taken part in the production’s developmental workshops, and facilitated conversations with the cast about difference.

The world-premiere musical Wonder shares the story of Auggie Pullman, a middle schooler with a facial difference, and his family as they navigate what it means to belong. Since the beloved novel was published in 2012 and the hit movie was released in 2017, the Pullmans’ story has reached countless people through many different forms. Their journey has had a deep and wide impact on students and families across the globe, and now the musical adaptation of Wonder will bring their story to new audiences.

“It was the first book that I really resonated with because there really wasn’t any other story like it before Wonder,” said Dina Zuckerberg, Director of Family Programs at myFace. Zuckerberg was born with a cleft lip, hearing loss, and no vision in one eye. “I resonated even from the beginning when Auggie talks about wishing he had a magic lamp. I remember on my birthday, when I was blowing out the candles, wishing I could look like the other kids so it’d be a little easier for me.”

Zuckerberg leads the Wonder Project at myFace, a New York-based organization dedicated to transforming the lives of children and adults with craniofacial differences. By using Auggie’s story to teach students the importance of empathy, inclusivity, and standing against bullying, myFace has reached over 100,000 young people at over 350 schools across the country to date.

Zuckerberg recalls a particularly impactful moment shared with a young student who felt represented by Auggie’s story. “I had one student who wore double hearing aids. When I shared that I had a hearing aid and I showed him, he got so excited because he’d never met a young person who had hearing aids like he did. It was right when Little Wonders, the picture book [version of the middle-grade novel], came out. I had it with me, and I have a great memory of this student reading the book to his classmates. You could see he was just beaming with pride.”

“The history of disability-themed plays is limited, and the opportunity to reflect on the hard questions can only begin after the play is seen and the tapestry of ideas are shared,” said Matthew S. Joffe, former Director of Outreach and Education at the Wellness Center at LaGuardia College/CUNY in New York. “Seeing the [musical] developed was, for me, gut-wrenching. Each time I saw a complete run through, it was overwhelming; I was unable to speak. Wonder is a gift that will keep on giving.”

“This story has been a game changer, and it’s been incorporated into everyone’s work around the country,” said Pat Chibbaro, former Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at the myFace Center for Craniofacial Care at NYU Langone Health. “I had worked with kids for years and years who would beg me [to write them] letters to get them out of going to school because of all of the bullying that they faced. Then after Wonder, they felt like the kids were more accepting of them, and that they could go back to school,” added Chibbaro, who now serves as Senior Program Officer for Outreach and Hospital Liaisons at myFace.

“There’s power in shared stories and knowing you’re not alone,” Zuckerberg said. “When Wonder came out, it allowed people to then share their own stories who never felt they could.”

Madeleine Wright is the Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator.