00:00At New York's Metropolitan Opera, movement slows when Wanda arrives for work.
00:08Security clears the way as she's guided through backstage corridors.
00:12There's a quick pedicure before the curtain goes up, hay and grit cling to hooves.
00:18Wanda is a donkey and she's been performing here since 2022.
00:22No, it's great. She's very chill, very chill.
00:26It's a lot of fun. She carries the card out for the kids when we pass out the toys.
00:33Yeah, it's great. And she doesn't get spooked, which is nice.
00:37There's a lot of stuff that's happening around her. She's really grounded, right Wanda?
00:44In La Boheme, she appears in the bustling Act 2 street scene.
00:49She pulls Par Pignall's toy cart through a crowd of singers, vendors and children.
00:55It adds an energy, I think, especially for the kids on the stage.
00:59To get to see a live animal in action, in the middle of it all.
01:04Yeah, there's something about it.
01:06Bright lights and loud music don't seem to bother her.
01:10Some animals like the challenge. They like to work.
01:13It's something different. It's stimulating.
01:15They get to be with the people they like to be with.
01:17They see new and different things.
01:20For some animals it's overwhelming and they just can't.
01:23So they do other things.
01:25They live in the field or they go to the dog run or whatever.
01:29So it really depends on the personality of the animal.
01:33Once her cue is done, Max, her colleague, a horse, takes over and Wanda waits backstage.
01:41And what I'm looking for is confidence.
01:43I'm looking for an animal that can walk into an unusual environment and maintain its focus.
01:49And focus is hugely important.
01:51In fact, I had that conversation with somebody today.
01:54If the animal is focused, a dog, a horse, whatever, then you have something to work with.
01:59Her payment comes later. A handful of peppermints earned in under a minute on stage.
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