Michigan Based Theatre Artist

Fundamentally, A Wrinkle in Time is a story about nonconformity. Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace face the insurmountable terror of IT, a creature whose whole purpose is to take over a planet and control everyone inside it for the perceived greater good. Meg, throughout the play, is battling with the urge to be normal, to fit in, just because it seems easier to be just like everyone else. 

But the real power from Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace, the power that lets them save an entire planet as well as their own, is the power of being themselves. It is embracing their odd quirks, their strange powers, and their innate abilities to love and accept the other that gives them the advantage over the conformist IT. 

This lesson is directly relevant to share with children now. As the world continues to try and force conformities on children, especially those who are queer and BIPOC, it is more important than ever to remember that what makes us different makes us strong. It is okay to be ourselves, no matter what a governing body or an ominous leader may tell us. It is embracing our unique traits that allows us the joy of being ourselves. Radical self-acceptance can only lead to a happier life. A Wrinkle in Time is a, no pun intended, timely story for kids, reminding them that weird is beautiful. Nonconformity is powerful. Being yourself is a gift. 

The primary theme I explored in this production was the elements of conformity vs nonconformity, as outlined in the "Why This Play Now" section. It is a key theme in Madeleine L'Engle's original book, which feels relevant for doing in 2025. L'Engle's views on nonconformity are shaped by the time she was writing-- there is a clear influence from the Cold War and Communist vs Capitalist ideologies. However, more so than that, L'Engle spends time criticizing the post-war America and the death of individualism on our front. Camazotz directly reflects Earth, Meg and Calvin point it out directly. The sameness of the houses, the way everyone dresses, and the visuals of Camazotz invoke images of 1950s American fashion and the conformity of Levittowns. And to the kids, that conformity, conservatism, that sameness, is horrific. 

This informed the direction of this production. When talking with my design team, I used the phrase "retrofusteristic liminal spaces." I wanted the production to use the imagery of what the 1950s and 60s thought the future would look like, to allude to both the past and the future. Costumes were made to be a blend of modern sensibilities with early 1960s silhouettes. The set and lighting tapped into the horror of liminal spaces. Liminal spaces refer to familiar settings that are left uneasy when they are empty. It is the discomfort of being in an empty school at night, of being the only one left in a hospital or store. It is things that are almost familiar but just wrong enough to be uncomfortable. We used platforms and ladders to create empty space to play with isolation and shadows. 

Working with a company of 9 actors, we built a distinct ensemble using Bogart's viewpoints to develop our movement and spacing in relationship with the theatre space. There was a distinct connection between not only their relationship with each other, but a relationship with every aspect of their surroundings.