Set in the late 19th century, The Ballad of Little Jo is inspired by the remarkable real-life frontier story of a spirited young woman named Josephine Monaghan. Originally from Boston, Josephine is an unwed mother who travels out West alone in search of a new life and an income to support herself and her newborn son. Josephine lived in a tough Idaho mining town for nearly 20 years, disguised as a man called "Jo."

Teal Wicks sings "Unbuttoning the Buttons," John explains how the themes of this song, and the musical, tie into the conference theme of "Identity."

Two River Theater Artistic Director John Dias introduces Teal Wicks singing the song "Unbuttoning the Buttons" from "The Ballad of Little Jo," a musical by Mike Reid, Sarah Schlesinger and John Dias, based on the film of the same name by Maggie Greenwald.

Teal Wicks, who plays the roles of Josephine and Jo Monaghan, appeared as Mary Barrie in the Broadway hit, "Finding Neverland." She also starred as Emma Carew in the Broadway revival of "Jekyll & Hyde," played Elphaba in the Los Angeles and San Francisco companies of "Wicked," before making the leap to Broadway in 2011.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx