2 | betweenus When I was seven, against all odds, my uncle scored tickets for the Jackson 5 Reunion Tour. My first concert! I’ll never forget the joy, the ecstasy of hearing that music live on stage. When I was 14, against their better judgement, my parents let my friend Rob and me head to the Spectrum in Philly (on our own!) to see David Bowie. Again, I will never forget the immediacy of that music, the spectacle of that show. There is just something about our first concert experiences. Something profound. Something lasting. A great one (like, say, the Jackson 5 or David Bowie) can alter the course of your life and inspire you for years to come. So, what if this play is the first rock ’n’ roll concert for some of our audience members? This is a responsibility we couldn’t take lightly. We knew we needed to capture the energy and spectacle of a rock ’n’ roll show. To create an experience that would move audiences with the same frenzy that you’d find at a Tina Turner concert. To move them in ways that might captivate their imaginations for a lifetime. That this music is performed by a colony of Naked Mole Rats makes that all the more likely! How could you possibly forget a headbanging, wrinkled, naked mole rat rocking out like there’s no tomorrow? What’s more, how could you possibly forget young Wilbur, our protagonist, bravely asking the two most provocative questions of all time; “what if?” and “why not?” Mo Willems has written a play that celebrates those who dare to question. A beautiful story that reveals that sometimes our deepest fears are unfounded. That when a courageous soul dares to ask those provocative questions, it can create room for deeper understanding and acceptance among the rest of the community. But fear not, this is not some dry morality tale. This is Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience! This is a play that in Mo’s own words should be “fun, raw, and silly.” Just like the best rock ’n’ roll songs. A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom! Christopher Moses Dan Reardon Director of Education & Associate Artistic Director
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