When I first encountered Wonder in early 2021, the world felt very small. We were deep in the pandemic; hope was difficult to locate. I wasn’t sure when—or even if—theater would return, and the loss of that possibility felt immense. Then came the invitation: Read this book called “Wonder” for a possible musical adaptation.
That invitation cracked something open in me.
The actual concept of wonder begins in a very simple place: that open-mouthed, wordless feeling when the world suddenly seems larger, more mysterious, more full of possibility than we realized. It’s not optimism yet—just awe. A kind of alertness.
Hope is what happens when wonder finds direction. When that feeling of vastness becomes a sense that something good might come from stepping toward it.
From the very beginning, Wonder offered me that. A reminder that kindness—radical, imaginative, practiced kindness—is still possible, even when the world feels harsh. Especially when it does. Wonder asks something both simple and hard: to believe in humanity. To believe that empathy can still shock us.
Working on this piece has changed me. It made me notice acts of kindness everywhere—small, fleeting, profound. Somewhere along this journey I also became a parent and met kindness in a form I had never imagined. The show has retuned my attention toward what softens us, what expands us, what connects us.
I hope Wonder meets you wherever you are—whether you’re searching for awe, for hope, for connection, or simply for a story that believes in the goodness we’re capable of.
Theater may not change the world the way teachers and politicians do, but it can change us. It can open something. It can remind us of who we want to be.
Thank you for being here. May this performance fill you with a little more wonder—and a little more hope.
Featuring music by Grammy Award-winning duo A Great Big World, this uplifting new musical for the entire family celebrates empathy, resilience, and the power of choosing kindness.
