If you plan to see Taylor Mac’s Bark of Millions this week, it would be wise to primer yourself beforehand.

Wisdom that BAM seems to co-sign, as evidenced by the fact that ticket-holders receive a pre-show email with this message:

“Audience members are invited to further engage with the music and lyrics in printed form with a limited-edition fan deck created by artist Sister Sylvester in response to the work. Bark of Millions fan decks will be available for purchase at the Harvey Theater.”

The show is comprised of 55 songs, each dedicated to a different historical figure. The catch: the live production does not spell-out whom each song is about; this information can be found only in the “fan deck” (AKA: a paper booklet), as the title of every song shares the name of whom it’s about.

Which is why you should absolutely buy the deck upon arrival, to be able to glance down at the title of every song during the show.

BUT THE HOMEWORK DOESN’T STOP HERE.

BAM’s email also offers a digital version of the deck, free of charge. Because some of the historical figures might be new to you, it would be helpful to peruse now to research the nicher names.

And the frugal among us could always print a copy in advance to smuggle into BAM.