Nobody's Perfect Press Kit - The John F. Kennedy Center for the ...

Presents
Based on the children’s book by
Marlee Matlin and
Doug Cooney
Adapted for the stage by
Doug Cooney
Music by
Deborah Wicks La Puma
ASL Translation by
Alexandria Wailes
Directed by
Coy Middlebrook
Originally co-commissioned with VSA arts and produced at the Kennedy Center.

Two girls look beyond the surface in a new musical
based on a book by Oscar ® winner Marlee Matlin!
presents
Based on the children’s book by
Marlee Matlin and
Doug Cooney
Adapted for the stage by
Doug Cooney
Music by
Deborah Wicks La Puma
ASL Translation by
Alexandria Wailes
Directed by
Coy Middlebrook
Originally co-commissioned with VSA arts
and produced at the Kennedy Center.
NOBODY’S PERFECT: Florrie Bagel as Bethany, Jennifer Irons as Alexis, Omoro Omoighe as
Keisha, Rachel Brennan as Cindy. Photo by Carol Pratt.
Fourth grade is not easy and after spending a year
planning her “positively purple” birthday party, Megan
finds herself at odds with new student Alexis. To Megan,
Alexis has it all: beauty, brains, and athletics—she’s practically
perfect in every way. Though Megan tries to be nice to her,
Alexis is anything but friendly, making Megan wonder, “Does
she not like me because I’m deaf?” When they’re forced to
collaborate on a science project, Megan discovers Alexis’s
secret. Based on the children’s book by Academy Award ®
winner Marlee Matlin (Best Actress, Children of a Lesser God)
and Doug Cooney, this exciting new musical—performed
simultaneously in spoken English and American Sign
Language—is an important reminder that despite first
impressions, nobody’s perfect.
An affiliate of the Kennedy Center, VSA arts is an international
nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean
Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities
learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides
educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to
support arts programming in schools and communities. For more
information visit vsarts.org.
Kennedy Center touring productions feature a comprehensive
package of educational programs and materials designed to
enhance the educational values of our productions for young people,
teachers, and families, including Cuesheet performance guides,
ArtsEdge online content, and post-performance question-and-answer
sessions with the company.
Theater at the Kennedy Center is presented with the
generous support of Stephen and Christine Schwarzman.
Additional support for the Kennedy Center Performances for Young
Audiences is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
The U.S. Department of Education supports approximately one-third
of the budget for the Kennedy Center Education Department.
The contents of this document do not necessarily represent the
policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not
assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
For booking information, please contact:
KENNEDY CENTER THEATER FOR
YOUNG AUDIENCES ON TOUR
P.O. Box 101510
Arlington, VA 22210
Telephone: (202) 416-8840
Fax: (202) 416-8876
E-mail: kctyaontour@kennedy-center.org
Web site: www.kennedy-center.org/kctyaontour

About the Touring Program
2009­2010
Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour is delighted to announce our 2009–2010 touring season!
The 2009–2010 touring season debuts the national tours of Chasing George Washington: A White House Adventure, Mermaids,
Monsters, and the World Painted Purple, and Nobody’s Perfect. Chasing George Washington: A White House Adventure is the
Kennedy Center’s second collaboration with the White House Historical Association. When three kids accidentally knock
George Washington out of his portrait and into real life, their White House tour turns into a musically fun adventure.
Mermaids, Monsters, and the World Painted Purple, short stories inspired by Hispanic folklore, uses color and the imagination
to capture the vibrant spirit of the Latino community. Nobody’s Perfect, based on the book by Academy Award® winner
Marlee Matlin (Best Actress, Children of a Lesser God) and Doug Cooney, is an exciting new musical—simultaneously
performed in spoken English and American Sign Language — and is an important reminder that, despite first impressions,
nobody’s perfect.
Nobody’s Perfect was a joint world premiere with VSA arts, which is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974
by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and
enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in
schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access
to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide
network of affiliates and in 55 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts. For more information visit www.vsarts.org.
For more than 15 years, Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour has been a leader in brining imaginative
and original works around the nation. By the end of the 2008–2009 season, more than 30 tours will have played hundreds of
cities in 49 states as well as parts of Canada. More than 2 million children, teachers, and parents will have been part of these
audiences. Many of the students who see these productions may never have the chance to visit the nation’s performing arts
center, but can still experience the professionalism and talent that has become the trademark of Kennedy Center Theater for
Young Audiences.
The tours begin with a fully mounted production and engagement at the Kennedy Center for Washington, DC metropolitan
area audiences. Prior to the touring season, the shows are re­worked specifically for the road, complete with performing
company and production staff. Many works are specifically commissioned by the Kennedy Center and affiliates in order to
contribute to the development of new plays and musicals for young audiences. It is our belief that supporting the creation of
new works for young audiences is critical to the ongoing revitalization of the field.
Tour highlights include: Alice in Wonderland; The Snow Queen; Little Women; a dance/theater adaptation of The Nightingale; a
musical adaptation of Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; an opera version of The
Emperor’s New Clothes; Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse; Walter Dean Myers’ Harlem; Color Me Dark; Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka;
Alice by Whoopi Goldberg adapted for the stage by Kim Hines; Katie Couric’s The Brand New Kid; The Phantom Tollbooth;
and Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major—a Kennedy Center collaboration with the White House Historical
Association.
Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour program includes a comprehensive education package to
complement your season. Curriculum connections made through Cuesheets, study guides highlighting different activities and
information for students for use before and after the performance, and the Kennedy Center’s ArtsEdge educational website
are featured components of our national touring program.
From a White House field trip adventure to a journey through Latino folklore to a perfect purple party, come join Kennedy
Center Theater for Young Audiences as we reveal new worlds of excitement, education, and entertainment.
For more information about Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences On Tour, please contact our touring offices at:
(202) 416­8840 or kctyaontour@kennedy­center.org.

Author‐ Marlee Matlin
2009­2010
Marlee Matlin received worldwide critical acclaim for her film debut in Paramount Pictures’ Children of a Lesser
God, for which she received the Academy Award® for Best Actress. Since then, Marlee starred in numerous
features, including, The Player, Hear No Evil, in the AIDS drama It’s My Party, and most recently in the
independent feature hit, What the Bleep Do We Know.
For the last seven years, Marlee guest starred on NBC’s award­winning drama, The West Wing, and most recently
executive produced Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook Off for the Disney Channel. In 2008, Marlee broke new ground,
joining the sixth season cast of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
Marlee currently serves as national spokesperson for The American Red Cross and in 1992, was instrumental in
getting legislation passed in Congress in support of Closed Captioning. She also serves on the boards of a number
of charitable organizations including The Children Affected by AIDS Foundation and Easter Seals. She has
received numerous awards for her charity work and was chosen as America On Line’s “Chief Everything Officer”
in 2006. Simon and Schuster published the sequel to Marlee’s 2003 novel for children, Deaf Child Crossing, entitled
Nobody’s Perfect in 2005. Her second sequel, Leading Ladies, came out in 2007.
Marlee makes her home in the Los Angeles area with her husband and their four children, Sarah, Brandon, Tyler,
and Isabelle.

Stage Adaptations‐ Doug Cooney
2009­2010
Doug Cooney is a Los Angeles based playwright, screenwriter and novelist. His plays and musicals include
Nobody’s Perfect (Kennedy Center), Imagine (South Coast Rep), The Beloved Dearly (Lincoln Center Institute), The
Very Persistent Gappers of Frip (Kirk Douglas Theatre), and The Legend of Alex (Mark Taper Forum). Additional
productions include Battledrum (Eckerd Theater Company), Here and Now (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park),
Long Story Short (Florida Stage), Innocent Until (Florida Stage) and The Final Tour (Sundance Theatre Labs).
He is the author of several books for young readers, including The Beloved Dearly, published by Simon & Schuster
Books for Young Readers, as well as books co­written with the actress Marlee Matlin, Nobody’s Perfect, Leading
Ladies and the forthcoming Deaf Beth.
Cooney has written screenplays and television scripts for Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Films, SONY
Pictures, SONY Animation, Disney Channel and Fox Television. He is a member of the Writers Guild of
America and the Dramatists Guild, and is represented by Harden­Curtis Associates. www.dougcooney.com

Composer‐ Deborah Wicks La Puma
2009­2010
Deborah Wicks La Puma's musicals for adults and children have been seen across the country at the Kennedy
Center, Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, Maryland’s Olney Theatre, Washington, DC’s
Studio Theatre, and the White House. Her awards include the Jane Chamber Playwriting Award, the Robert M.
Golden Award, a National Endowment for the Arts’ New American Works Grant, a Helen Hayes nomination for
Outstanding Musical Direction, two Parent’s Choice Awards, and two­time Actor’s Playhouse National Children’s
Theatre Festival Winner.
Her musicals for young audiences include: Einstein is a Dummy, Nobody’s Perfect (based on the book by Marlee
Matlin and Doug Cooney), Walking the Winds: American Tales, Ferdinand the Bull, Chasing George Washington: A
White House Adventure and Looking for Roberto Clemente.
Ms. La Puma, a Mexican­American, received her MFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, her BA from Stanford
University, and studied folk music with Alfredo Lopez, musicologist at la Universidad de Baja California. She is an
active musical director, orchestrator and performer, and lives in Los Angeles with her biggest fans: her husband
Chris and three beautiful daughters: Rosie, Julia and Cece.

Director‐ Coy Middlebrook
2009­2010
Coy Middlebrook’s directing credits include the world premiere of the new musical Nobody’s Perfect at The
Kennedy Center, as well as several other productions including NY premieres of Tennessee Williams’ Spring
Storm (Lobo Theatre) and Lee Blessing’s The Roads That Lead Here (Epic Repertory), Edward Albee’s The Zoo
Story (Deaf West Theatre) and Orphans (Lobo Theatre), just to name a few. Coy has directed main stage
productions, readings and developed new works for The Actors Studio, Adobe Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre,
Music Theater International, The Neighborhood Playhouse, and The Stamford Performing Arts Center.
Alongside Director Jeff Calhoun, Coy was the Associate Director for the highly acclaimed production of Big River
at Deaf West Theater, which was remounted in both Los Angeles and on Broadway where it was nominated for
best revival and won the 2004 Tony Award for Excellence in the Theater. Big River also toured internationally in
2004­2005. Coy recreated the Deaf West Theater production of Big River at The Ford’s Theatre in Washington,
DC. Additional associate directing credits include the Broadway musical, Brooklyn, the Broadway revival of Bells
are Ringing and the Disney Theatrical Productions’ workshop of When You Wish.
Currently, Coy is the associate director for the American, United Kingdom and Australian Tours of Disney’s High
School Musical.

About the Production
2009­2010
It’s not easy being a fourth grader, but Megan is handling it well despite being the only deaf student in her class.
After spending a year planning her “positively purple” birthday party, she finds herself at odds with new student
Alexis. To Megan, Alexis has it all: beauty, brains, and athletics—she’s practically perfect in every way. Though
Megan tries to be nice to her, Alexis is anything but friendly, making Megan wonder, “Does she not like me
because I’m deaf?” When they’re forced to collaborate on a science project, Megan discovers Alexis’s secret.
Based on the children’s book by Academy Award® winner Marlee Matlin (Best Actress, Children of a Lesser God)
and Doug Cooney, this touching new musical—performed simultaneously in spoken English and American Sign
Language—is an important reminder that despite first impressions, nobody’s perfect.