A composer, music director and orchestrator, Deborah
Wicks La Puma is one of the most-produced Theatre for Young
Audiences artists working today. Some of her most popular musicals
include Ella Enchanted (based on the book by Gail
Carson Levine), OLIVÉRio: A Brazilian Twist and Einstein
Is a Dummy with playwright Karen Zacarías, and the off-Broadway
hit She Persisted (based on the book by Chelsea
Clinton) with playwright Adam Tobin. La Puma has created three musicals with
bestselling children's author Mo Willems: Elephant & Piggie's
We Are in a Play, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The
Rock Experience and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the
Bus! The Musical! On the small screen, she has worked with
Willems on the adaptation of Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The
Underground Rock Experience (released 2022 on HBO Max) and the
upcoming animated series Unlimited Squirrels. As a music director
and orchestrator, she has worked with major regional theatre companies across
the country, including the Guthrie Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South
Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse and the Kennedy Center. She received her
M.F.A. from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and her bachelor's
degree from Stanford University. Her honors include the Harold Oaks Award for Sustained Excellence in TYA, an Off-Broadway Alliance
Award for Best Family Musical, the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, an NEA New
American Works Grant, two Parents' Choice Awards, and a Helen Hayes Award for
Outstanding Musical Adaptation. A proud Mexican-American and
"Navy brat" who grew up in Brazil, Portugal and California, La Puma
is a member of TYA/USA, ASCAP and The Dramatists Guild. Mother to three
daughters and Mimi the Cat, La Puma lives in Southern California with her PR
agent and loving husband, Chris.
