Fantastical adaptation of a beloved novel features theatre’s first sensory-friendly performance
Who: PlayMakers Repertory Company
What: “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle. Adapted by Tracy Young. Directed by Shelley Butler.
When: March 30 to April 17, 2022; Opening Night & Press Opening Saturday, April 2, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Where: PlayMakers Repertory Company, 120 Country Club Road, Chapel Hill, NC
Tickets: Start at $20; Student & Youth tickets start at $10.
(Chapel Hill, NC, March 16, 2022) PlayMakers Repertory Company proudly presents “A Wrinkle in Time,” a theatrical adaptation of one of the most beloved novels of the 20th century. Directed by Shelley Butler in her PlayMakers debut, the production runs from March 30 to April 17, 2022.
Meg Murray is a short-tempered middle school math nerd turned superhero. Both will come in handy as she drags her brother off through time and space to find their missing father, save humanity, and maybe, just maybe, learn something about herself in this fantastical adaptation of the beloved novel by Madeleine L’Engle.
“After a challenging couple of years, I felt strongly that with our 21/22 season, PlayMakers needed to tell really good stories that make audiences feel, think, and connect with the heartbeat of humanity,” said Producing Artistic Director, Vivienne Benesch. “The marvelous Shelley Butler has worked her magic with this adaptation of ‘A Wrinkle in Time,’ bringing out the story’s whimsy, its strong female-centric point of view, and the wondrous nature of family in all its forms. I am also proud to have our first sensory-friendly performance, which allows us to reach an ever-wider audience with the transformational effect of live theatre. All of our audiences are in for a real treat with this production.”
“I’m one of Meg Murray’s biggest fans—she’s been a superhero to generations of fans, young and not so young. The opportunity to bring this story to life in a live theatre setting was irresistible,” said director Butler. “My favorite thing to do is stage the impossible and nothing embodies that delicious challenge more than ‘A Wrinkle in Time’. This galactic-scale story allows us to play with the full breadth of theatricality—we even have puppets! But the beauty of this story lies in its characters as they wrestle with their own exquisite flaws on a journey toward self-acceptance—a tale which this PlayMakers company interprets marvelously.”
PlayMakers has added a sensory-friendly performance on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. The performance will feature adaptations that create an environment tailored to audiences with autism and other sensory sensitivities.
“Having sensory-friendly theatre opportunities has been a wonderful part of my daughter’s life and has made her feel a part of the theatre community, said Ruth Thomson, parent and Resource and Referral Specialist at Chapel Hill TEACCH Center. “The accommodations made during live performances like these are essential for so many people to enjoy such a wonderful art form, right here in Chapel Hill. Thank you for understanding and valuing my daughter and me, and community members like us.”
“A Wrinkle in Time” features the PlayMakers debuts of Ana Arvia (“Beauty & the Beast” on Broadway) and Ethan Haberfield (“Mary Poppins” on Broadway). The production also features Sergio Mauritz Ang (“Yoga Play,” “Julius Caesar”), Anthony August (“Stick Fly,” “Ragtime”), Jeffrey Blair Cornell (“Sense and Sensibility,” “The Tempest”), Kathryn Hunter-Williams (“Dot,” “Edges of Time”), Tia James (“Julius Caesar, “Native Son”), Jamar Jones (“Stick Fly”), Khalil Lesaldo (“Dairyland,” “Stick Fly”), AhDream Smith (“Julius Caesar,” “Stick Fly”), Sanjana Taskar (“The Skin of Our Teeth”), Adam Valentine (“The Skin of Our Teeth”), and Omolade Wey (“The Storyteller,” “Stick Fly”).
The Creative Team of “A Wrinkle in Time” includes: Shelley Butler (Director; world premiere of “A Doll’s House 2” at South Coast Repertory), Sara Ryung Clement (Scenic Designer; ”Somebody’s Daughter“ Off-Broadway at Second Stage Uptown), Anne Kennedy (Costume Designer; “Tartuffe”), Kate Marvin (Sound Designer/Composer; “Fidelio” on Broadway), Karen Spahn (Lighting Designer; Associate Lighting Designer for “Wicked” on Broadway), Gwendolyn Schwinke (Vocal Coach, “Native Son”) “Birthday Candles” at Detroit Public Theatre”), Gregory Kable (Dramaturg; “She Loves Me”), and Charles K. Bayang (Stage Manager; “Twelfth Night”).
PlayMakers offers our special thanks to Costume Designer Paloma Young who permitted the use of her design for the character of Aunt Beast.
This play is rated PG; we encourage patrons to use their own discretion in determining the age appropriateness of the material. Please contact our Box Office for more details.
For information and to purchase tickets, call 919.962.7529 or visit www.playmakersrep.org. Individual ticket prices start at $20, with discounts for youth and student tickets.
Performance and Special Event Schedule:
About PlayMakers Repertory Company:
PlayMakers Repertory Company is North Carolina’s premier professional theatre company. For more than 45 years, we have produced relevant and courageous work that tells stories from and for a multiplicity of perspectives and creates transformational impact in our immediate and extended communities. We are proud to be part of a 100-year tradition of playmaking at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. PlayMakers has been named one of the “best regional theatres in America”.
PlayMakers Contacts: