B-R grad living dream acting in Broadway tour — and making history performing in wheelchair

BRIDGEWATER — Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School graduate Meredith Aleigha Wells is living a longtime dream of performing in a Broadway theater group.

A Bridgewater native, Wells is currently performing as Punky Who, a resident of Whoville, in the Broadway musical touring production of "Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas," at the Providence Performing Arts Center through Sunday, Dec. 3.

What makes this moment extra special is that Wells is also the first person who uses a wheelchair to perform in a Broadway national touring production, Wells said.

“Touring has historically been incredibly inaccessible for performers with disabilities, but I’m looking to change that,” Wells said.

Always loved performing

Wells, 28, has loved performing “for as long as I can remember” and looked for every opportunity to do so growing up — whether acting, singing, dancing or playing instruments, in school or with the Capachione School of Performing Arts in West Bridgewater, Wells said.

Some of Wells' favorite productions include Wells' first production, "Annie," in seventh grade, and "West Side Story" while attending Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School.

For Wells, who identifies as non-binary, performing at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) this season means everything has come full circle.

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It was seeing a production of "Les Miserables" at the PPAC back in Wells' junior year of high school that set Wells on this career path to be a Broadway performer.

“The dream seed was planted that day,” Wells said.

Wells, who lives in Chicago now but still has family in Bridgewater and elsewhere in the state, loves the travel aspect of being a performer because Wells didn’t ever travel out of New England as a kid.

“It’s something special for me to perform and see the world. I fell in love with the concept of being paid to perform, and also being paid to travel,” Wells said.

Unexpected diagnosis in college

After graduating from B-R high school in 2013, Wells enrolled at UMass Amherst pursuing a bachelor's in theater, with a concentration in musical theater.

About a month into studies, Wells started feeling sick and weak.

“I was in a marching band, and I couldn’t stand. That first year, I was really sick and didn’t know what was going on,” Wells said.

In 2015, Wells was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), an autonomic nervous system disorder that affects the heart rate and blood circulation. People with POTS are prone to fatigue, nausea and even fainting when they stand or sit upright.

“My legs aren’t the issue here. My body doesn’t do automatically what the average body does,” Wells said.

“I can walk for short periods, but I can’t stand in one place without fainting. And this world was not built for someone who can’t stand in one place.”

Because of POTS, Wells spends most of the time in a wheelchair.

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Not giving up on the dream

Despite the diagnosis, Wells never chose a different major, or even took a leave of absence. Wells simply re-learned dance techniques to use with a wheelchair and graduated with a degree in musical theater in four years, in 2017.

The disability only made Wells more determined and forces Wells "to reflect daily on why they chose a life in the arts,” Wells's biographical material says.

What other roles has Wells had?

Besides the national touring production of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," Wells has performed all across the U.S. in regional theatrical productions, usually with Wells' service dog, Scout, by Wells' side.

A few of Wells' most notable performances include Atina in "The Little Mermaid," at Music Theatre Works in Illinois, the Ugly Ducking in "Shrek the Musical," at the Beck Center for the Arts in Ohio, and Buck in "Teenage Dick" — a retelling of Shakespeare’s "Richard III" set in a modern high school — at the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

Another career highlight for Wells was traveling to Beijing, China in 2019 to perform in a dance troupe at the Luminous Festival, the first ever disability-led arts festival in the country.

“It was a cool moment,” Wells said.

Wells’ favorite role so far has been Sister Mary Robert in the theatrical production of "Sister Act," this summer at The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri.

“This summer was a dream come true for me,” Wells said, explaining it was an important role because it wasn’t written for a person with a disability.

“Instead, my disability brought a new layer to the role,” Wells said.

Wells was nominated for a Broadway World award for best supporting performer in a musical in St. Louis, for the role — which Wells said “affirms disability representation.”

Accessibility challenges in the theater world

Despite success, Wells continues to face challenges in the theater industry when it comes to accessibility for the disabled.

“I would say there’s this idea the theater industry, at large, is inclusive. It is, on paper, but not in practice,” Wells said.

There have been times when Wells couldn’t do an audition one because some older theaters aren’t necessarily accessible on the performance side, Wells said.

“It’s not their first thought,” Wells said.

“They will say they have accessible seating, parking, and restrooms,” but the backstage areas for performers aren’t meeting the same standards, whether its wheelchair ramps or accessible paths across the layout of the space, Wells said.

An example is the crossover, the path or hallway from stage left to stage right, during a performance, which allows the cast to travel back-and-forth and meet cues. If there is no cross-over backstage, the actors have to resort to moving via a catwalk above the stage or a pathway under the stage, via stairs. Neither of which are accessible.

Whether a national touring production or a regional production in the same venue, the challenges, Wells said, differ with each theater.

“Will I be in the same dressing room with the ensemble, or will I have a separate area because its inaccessible? It changes with every location," Wells said.

Also, how a backstage area is set up for accessibility affects the dance choreography. Wells said an inaccessible exit or crossover “means adjusting choreography so that all my exits and entrances come from the same side as the dressing room.”

Affecting the industry

This is Wells' third season performing in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and Wells said management has “done a good job for me making things accommodating," both with traveling and with accessibility features at each venue.

Wells said it doesn’t end there. Wells' agreement with the producers applies to any future productions Wells is in with them.

“Any theater I work for with these producers, it’s paving a path,” said Wells, who is making the artistic directors for each theater “aware of their gaps in accessibility, and how to make them more accessible in the future.”

Wells doesn't "speak for a whole community” but is trying to make it easier for other performers who have disabilities, Wells said.

“It’s showing up where people don’t expect you to be and advocating for what you need so that for that next person with a disability, the place is already accessible for them,” Wells said.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Bridgewater-Raynham grad who uses wheelchair performs in 'Grinch'