Musical Adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time in Development
by Charlotte Jones Voiklis
Dear Ones,
I’m very excited to share the news that a musical adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time is in the works! There have been numerous adaptations of the novel, including a movie, a television series, an opera, and several theatrical versions, six (!) of which are available to schools and community theaters to produce. Although Madeleine always knew she wanted to be a writer, her first professional ambition was to be a playwright, and she worked in the theater in her twenties and met and married her husband Hugh Franklin there.
I love adaptation: I think there is so much interesting challenge and learning that happens when thinking about how to translate one medium into another. Adding the layers of music and live theater to A Wrinkle in Time allows for activating a wide spectrum of emotional, intellectual, and moral responses to the story. And the theater artists (Heather Christian, Lauren Yee, and Lee Sunday Evans) who make up the creative team are innovative yet grounded and playful yet disciplined. They are a spectacular trio. You can read more about Heather Christian’s recent piece, Oratorio for Living Things, directed by Lee Sunday Evans, here, and find other streaming pieces on her site to get a sense of her beautiful music.
The production team is also impressive. Aaron Glick and Diana DiMenna/PlateSpinner Productions have a wealth of experience and producing track record, and I will also be “in the room.” A musical takes a long time to write and workshop and produce, but it is progressing well (we are in a two-week workshop with a full cast as I write this). I encourage you to sign up for updates from the development site.
You can read the full press release here.
Tesser well!
Charlotte
Photo by Don Hicks.
Charlotte Jones Voiklis is Madeleine L’Engle’s granddaughter and executor of her estate. She is the co-author with Jennifer Adams of A Book, Too, Can Be a Star (October 2022), a picture book biography illustrated by Adelina Lirius; and, with her sister, Léna Roy, of Becoming Madeleine (2018), a biography for middle grade readers. Charlotte has also written and spoken of her grandmother’s work to a variety of audiences. With a PhD in Comparative Literature, Charlotte’s work experience includes teaching and grant making. She is a volunteer mediator and serves on the board of her local domestic violence and sexual assault organization
