Wrinkle's Journey Through Time

by Patrick Hayes, Dramaturg

Like most of Madeleine L’Engle’s works, A Wrinkle in Time depicts time travel and dimension hopping. In particular, Wrinkle covers a time period between the years 1950 – 1969. Most of the important historical events during this time period had direct correlation in her writing, represented by events in the narrative and the fictional science used within the book series. Listed below are some of the major events occurring during that twenty-year period.

1950

First Organ Transplant

First “Peanuts” Cartoon Strip
Korean War Begins
Senator Joseph McCarthy Begins Communist Witch Hunt

1951

Color TV Introduced
Truman Signs Peace Treaty With Japan, Officially Ending WWII
Winston Churchill Again Prime Minister of Great Britain

1952

Car Seat Belts Introduced

The Great Smog of 1952
Polio Vaccine Created
Princess Elizabeth Becomes Queen at Age 25

1953

DNA Discovered
Hillary and Norgay Climb Mt. Everest
Joseph Stalin Dies

1954

First Atomic Submarine Launched
Report Says Cigarettes Cause Cancer
Roger Bannister Breaks the Four-Minute Mile
Segregation Ruled Illegal in U.S.

1955

Disneyland Opens

James Dean Dies in Car Accident
McDonald’s Corporation Founded
Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat on a Bus
Warsaw Pact Signed

1956

Elvis Gyrates on Ed Sullivan’s Show
T.V. Remote Control Invented
Velcro Introduced

1957

Dr. Seuss Publishes The Cat in the Hat
Soviet Satellite Sputnik Launches Space Age

1958

Hula Hoops Become Popular
LEGO Toy Bricks First Introduced
NASA Founded
Peace Symbol Created

1959

Castro Becomes Dictator of Cuba
The Sound of Music Opens on Broadway

1960

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho Released
First Televised Presidential Debates
Lasers Invented
Walsh and Piccard Become the First to Explore the Deepest Place on Earth

1961

Bay of Pigs Invasion

1961

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Berlin Wall Built
JFK Gives “Man on the Moon” Speech
Peace Corps Founded
Soviets Launch First Man in Space
Tsar Bomba, the Largest Nuclear Weapon to Ever Be Exploded

1962

Andy Warhol Exhibits His Campbell’s Soup Can
Cuban Missile Crisis
First James Bond Movie
Johnny Carson Takes Over the Tonight Show
Marilyn Monroe Found Dead

1963

16th Street Baptist Church Bombing
Betty Friedan Publishes The Feminine Mystique
First Dr. Who Episode Airs
First Woman in Space
JFK Assassinated
March on Washington
Martin Luther King Jr. Makes His “I Have a Dream” Speech

1964

Beatles Become Popular in U.S.
Cassius Clay (a.k.a. Muhammad Ali) Becomes World Heavyweight Champion
Civil Rights Act Passes in U.S.
Hasbro Launches GI Joe Action Figure
Nelson Mandela Sentenced to Life in Prison

1965

Los Angeles Riots

1965

Los Angeles Riots

Malcolm X Assassinated
Miniskirt First Appears
New York City Great Blackout
The Rolling Stones’ Mega Hit Song, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
U.S. Sends Troops to Vietnam

1966

Black Panther Party Established
Mao Zedong Launches the Cultural Revolution
Mass Draft Protests in U.S.
National Organization for Women (NOW) Founded
Two Multi-Ton Chunks of the Mundrabilla Meteorite Found

1967

First Heart Transplant
Six-Day War in the Middle East
Three U.S. Astronauts Killed During Simulated Launch

1968

Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated
My Lai Massacre
Nerve Gas Leak in Utah Kills 6,000 Sheep
Robert F. Kennedy Assassinated
Tet Offensive

1969

ARPANET, the Precursor of the Internet, Created
Neil Armstrong Becomes the First Man on the Moon
Rock-and-Roll Concert at Woodstock
Sesame Street First Airs

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A Wrinkle in Time

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by Janine Sobeck, dramaturg Tech week is one of the most exciting moments in any show. It's the time when we get to leave our rehearsal room, move onto stage, and add all of the production elements. To help the actors adapt to all the changes we usually make a gradual transition. Pre-tech: While still in the rehearsal room, actors are given certain rehearsal props and costumes to help them in the creation of their characters. In the case of Princess Academy, all the girls were given rehearsal skirts and all the characters were given rehearsal books and and other items (such as the miri flower). We also added all of the instruments used in the show. Tech day 1: The first day of tech included adding the set and sound. One of the biggest changes for our actors is the ramps on our stage. They finally had the opportunity to climb the mountain! Tech day 2: It's time to add the props! In order to support Director Megan Sanborn Jones' vision of the show, prop designer Scott Jackson made all of the props out of paper, letters, and books. Tech days 3-4: This is what we call an "All Tech." The final elements of the show (lights, costumes, and make-up) are added into the mix. Day 3 is spent working through all the cues in act 1 and day 4 is spent working through act 2. Tech days 5-7: The time has come to run the show! These are our dress rehearsals, where the goal is to do the show exactly as if it was a real performance. This means starting at our normal curtain time and trying to never stop. The director, playwright, dramaturgs, and designers sit in the audience making notes about what is working and what still needs to change. At the end of the nights, the actors and designers are given feedback and we rehearse any moments that need some extra attention. Tech day 8: Which is today! Tonight is the time when we finally get to add the final element of the show: the audience! Our final day of tech is known as the "preview performance." Friends, families, and students are invited to see the show before we officially open. While we always reserve the right to stop the show if necessary (it is, after all, still a rehearsal), we hope that everything will go smoothly!

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Last week, A Midsummer Night’s Dream opened in the Nelke Theatre and it was a great success! Eric and I were pleased to be a part of the opening night and celebrate not only the opening night of the production, but also the 40th anniversary of the Brigham Young University Young Company. In order to set the tone of the evening, patrons were encouraged to check out the lobby display that Eric and I had created for the show. We chose to do a puppet making station, aptly named “The Mechanicals Puppet Making Station” where guests and participants could make their own puppet out of a sock or paper bag. Other craft supplies were provided for the participants—allowing them to use their imagination and create a unique puppet that they could take home. Creating such a lobby display, we hoped to provide patrons, and especially children, with an opportunity to use their imagination and create something special, as well as connect with the style of the production before seeing the show. The role of puppetry is crucial to this adaptation of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream—and we wanted to capture this and incorporate it whatever lobby display we chose. The actor’s hard work and rehearsal, as well as that of the production team, paid off—they did a marvelous job in telling the story of these loopy lovers and the adventures that take place in the magical forest. The puppetry skills and acting chops of the actors, the enchanting costumes, simple set design, and energy from the whole cast was thoroughly enjoyed by the very diverse and supportive audience. It was a packed house: if not sold out, very close. And this definitely contributed to the energetic feeling that pervaded the evening. Perhaps it was the presence of so many alumni from the Young Company that had come to support the production and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the formation of Young Company. Among the guests at the premier were Harold Oaks, founder of the BYU Young Company. Following the play, a presentation was made outlining and honoring the history and legacy of Young Company. Young Company has done an outstanding job for the last 40 years in providing quality theatre (adaptations and original works alike) for children that may not be exposed to the performing arts. A wonderful reception followed the presentation and was well enjoyed by cast and crew alike. A Midsummer Night’s Dream closes at BYU this Saturday, the 14th. Make sure to get your tickets soon and catch this unique production while you can! It will then go on tour throughout Northern Utah, presenting its whimsical and humorous message to elementary school children. Following are some images from the Opening Night Gala!

Wrinkle's Journey Through Time

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