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 Jessa Cunningham, dramaturg After the show wrapped up and people went their separate ways, Garret Rushforth, who played Wilbur, and I chatted and I asked him some questions about his experience with the play. What better way to gain insight about the show than from the actor who was in the thick of things from the very beginning? Here is what Garret had to say about this unique opportunity: Me: How was this experience of playing Wilbur? What was your Favorite aspect of it all? Garret: I loved playing Wilbur. My favorite aspect was discovering the character more and more each performance. I never really felt that I had learned all that the character had to offer. Me: What were some challenges that you faced while preparing for the show? Garret: A few of the challenges that I faced had to do primarily with transportation. My car tried to die a couple of times during the run. As far as developing the show goes, I found that the difficulties were mostly in finding the lines. Not simply reciting them, but discovering what was beneath them, motivating them and making them come to life. Me: What lessons have you learned from playing this part, or just from the play in general? Garret: I've learned that there is an amazing opportunity to find out about yourself from the character discovery process. I also learned how much a family the cast can become if given the opportunity. Me: What is your favorite part of this story? Garret: I love when Wilbur and Charlotte talk about Charlotte's death and Wilbur is so devastated. It showed how deep Wilbur's reliance on Charlotte was as well as his desire to help her too. Me: As you leave this production, what will stay with you? Garret: The friendships I've made and the things that I've learned about myself because of the show. Me: What aspects of your character did you love/latch onto from the beginning? Garret: I latched onto the loneliness aspect of Wilbur's life. For all his life, he'd not been given much of a chance, Fern and Charlotte being the exceptions. He was written off by nearly everyone until Charlotte pointed out how special he is. Me: Any final thoughts you would like to share with those who came to the show? Garret: Charlotte's a web was a show that offered a unique view of friendship and family. It doesn't matter what someone looks like or where they're from, friendship and family can transcend all differences.

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by Amelia Johnson, Dramaturg Creating a show is a process. Though the run of the show is over, there was a lot more that went into the show than what was seen in those few weeks. Months before the run, the production team began meetings. They discussed the director’s vision for the show and began planning designs. Everything was approved of and discussed before lights were set, sets, were built, and the costume and makeup designs were implemented. This year, the costume and makeup designers drew inspiration from the local artist, James Christensen. Having passed away earlier this year, director Dallyn Bayles thought it would be nice to pay tribute to him in this way. Costume designer Dennis Wright was thrilled to base his designs of Christensen's style. He said, “What I really love about Christensen’s work is the whimsy that he incorporates into his characters. His distinctive use of patterns, layers and silhouette is really fun and distinctive. I wanted to be sure to capture that in the costume designs for this production. “I love this show, and the concept and design choices our team has made. I am excited to share it with our audience. As a big James Christensen fan, my one regret is that I didn’t actually get to meet the artist in person. I just returned to Utah last year and sadly, missed my chance. I am very grateful to be able to pay tribute to him in this small way”. Makeup and hair designer Sarah Bult also shared some of her thoughts. “After reading the script I looked through as many James Christensen paintings as I could find. I picked out textures, colors, broke it all down and paired certain characters with those elements. His artwork influenced everything from the shape and colors of hair down to the detail on the bead work of the hairpins. I loved that I could draw my inspiration from his work and create something that really embodied his artwork." Bult continued, “One thing I didn’t expect to be a challenge was that not many Christensen pieces have hair showing. This created a very unique and fun challenge for me. I had to look many different paintings, combine textures and colors, and use my own design style to come up with fun fairy tale hair and makeup styles that were reminiscent of Christensen’s artwork. I am very excited to see how all of the elements come together”. Join us on the 4th Wall next time to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes!

Wrinkle's Journey Through Time

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