Capturing the Essence
“It was a dark and stormy night. In her attic bedroom Margaret Murry, wrapped in an old patchwork quilt, sat on the foot of the bed and watched the trees tossing in the frenzied lashing of the wind.”
In two sentences Madeleine L’Engle snares us.
Over fifty years after A Wrinkle in Time was written, L’Engle’s words still spark our sense of adventure and ignite our imaginations. Multiple generations have been thrust into worlds beyond our own with her striking imagery. From ethereal landscapes to ridged worlds, L’Engle effortlessly creates a striking backdrop for this interplanetary adventure.
They have also been inspired by her very real protagonist. Meg is rash, intelligent, kind, and anything but perfect. She isn’t what you should be, but rather what you are. Just like all of us, Meg has to learn to trust herself. And when she does, she finds that there is a power within her she never knew she had. Meg’s story is about the power of love; about considering our differences as strengths instead of weaknesses and knowing that even when we think we can’t, we can.
A Wrinkle in Time is not simply loved; it is beloved.
So, then, producing A Wrinkle in Time is no easy task. How do you do justice to a story with such striking imagery, that is mostly set on other worlds, and is near and dear to the hearts of so many?
You start with a great script. John Glore’s adaptation does the impossible by taking this rich text and translating it to the stage. Glore captures the essence of A Wrinkle in Time, bringing this coming-of-age story to life while preserving its strong spirit of adventure.
Adapting this story is one challenge; bringing it to life is something else entirely. The production team behind A Wrinkle in Time aims to create unforgettable stage pictures against a versatile and innovative set. Sheets, metal towers, lighting effects—every detail is being analyzed and reanalyzed to create the feeling from L’Engle’s most famous work.
“One of the great challenges of this piece is that most of the story is set on distant planets in outer space,” said Director of Student Theatre Kelsey Celek. “The design team has been bringing wonderful ideas about how to bring these fantastic and mysterious locations to life on our stage. Science-fiction fans will not be disappointed in how we create those worlds.”
For many, reading this story is like saying hello to an old friend. It is our goal to make sure you have the same experience at the end of this month. And for those who are new to this story, we hope to spark that same sense of adventure and imagination that L’Engle awoke within us.
Learn more about the show…
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