In ‘Wonder’ the musical, young actors with facial differences find their voices onstage

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — When Max Voehl auditioned to play a young boy in the musical “Wonder,” he sensed he was playing a version of himself on stage.

Voehl, who was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, has endured multiple surgeries like Auggie Pullman — 13 to Auggie’s 28. The 12-year-old from Utah also has been bullied, much like Auggie, who is targeted over his rare genetic condition known as Treacher Collins syndrome, which causes underdeveloped facial bones and tissue.

“Channeling...