Study Guide Wrinkle in Time

Study Guide prepared by
Catherine Bush
Barter Playwright-in-Residence
A Wrinkle in Time
Adapted by John Glore
From the book by Madeline L’Engle
*Especially for Grades 3 and up
By the Barter Players, Barter Theatre, Fall 2015
On tour January thru March 2016
(NOTE: standards listed below are for reading A Wrinkle in Time, seeing a performance of
the play and completing the study guide.)
Virginia SOLs
English –3.5, 4.5, 5.1, 5.4, 5.5, 5.7, 5.9, 6.2, 6.4, 6.5, 6.7, 6.9, 7.1, 7.4, 7.5, 7.7, 7.9, 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.7, 8.9,
9.1, 9.3, 9.4, 9.6, 10.1, 10.3, 10.4, 10.6
Theatre Arts – M.6, M.7, M.8, M.9, M.13, M.14, TI.6, TI.7, TI.8, TI.9, TI.11, TI.12, TI.15, TII.2, TII.12,
TII.14, TII.15, TIII.6, TIII.12
Tennessee Common Core State Standards
English/Language Arts - Reading Literacy: 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 4.6, 5.1, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6, 6.1, 6.4,
6.6, 6.7, 6.9, 7.1, 7.4, 7.7, 7.9, 8.1, 8.4, 8.6, 8.7, 9-10.1, 9-10.4, 9-10.9
English Language Arts – Writing: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.7, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.7, 5.9, 6.1, 6.2,
6.3, 6.7, 6.9. 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.7, 7.9, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.7, 8.9, 9-10.1, 9-10.2,
9-10.3, 9-10.7, 9-10.9
Theatre – 3.6.2, 3.6.4, 3.7.1, 3.7.2, 3.8.1, 4.6.1, 4.6.4, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8.1, 5.6.1, 5.6.4, 5.7.1, 5.7.2, 5.8.1
Theatre 6-8: 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2 Theatre 9-12: 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2
North Carolina Common Core State Standards
English Language Arts – Reading Literacy: 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 4.6, 5.1, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6, 6.1, 6.4,
6.6, 6.7, 6.9, 7.1, 7.4, 7.7, 7.9, 8.1, 8.4, 8.6, 8.7, 9-10.1, 9-10.4, 9-10.9
English Language Arts – Writing: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.7, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.7, 5.9, 6.1, 6.2,
6.3, 6.7, 6.9. 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.7, 7.9, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.7, 8.9, 9-10.1, 9-10.2,
9-10.3, 9-10.7, 9-10.9
North Carolina Essential Standards
Theatre Arts – 3.A.1, 3.CU.1, 3.CU.2, 4.A.1, 5.A.1, 5.AE.1, 5.CU.1, 6.C.1, 6.C.2, 6.A.1, 6.AE.1, 7.C.1,
7.C.2, 7.A.1, 7.AE.1, 8.C.1, 8.C.2, 8.A.1, 8.AE.1, 8.CU.1, 8.CU.2, B.C.1, B.C.2, B.A.1, B.AE.1, B.CU.1,
B.CU.2, I.A.1, I.AE.1, I.CU.2
Setting
Earth and various other planets in the Universe.
Characters
Meg Murry – a twelve year old girl, considers herself plain
Charles Wallace – Meg’s younger brother, super smart
Mrs. Murry – Meg’s mother, a scientist
Mr. Murry – Meg’s father, has been missing for two years
Calvin O’Keefe – Meg’s schoolmate, popular and smart
Mrs. Whatsit – the youngest of three celestial beings
Mrs. Who – the second of three celestial beings
Mrs. Which – the oldest of three celestial beings
Camazotz Man – an inhabitant of Camazotz
Camazotz Woman – an inhabitant of Camazotz
Aunt Beast – a many-tentacled inhabitant of the planet Ixchel
Man With the Red Eyes – A robot-like inhabitant of Camazotz
Note: Cast Size and Doubling of Actors
This production of A Wrinkle in Time features only six actors, with some actors
playing more than one role. Doubling of actors requires distinction between
characters. In this production, characters will be distinguished by costume, voice
and other physical character traits.
Vocabulary Words
Define the meaning of the following words then use them
correctly in a sentence.
patchwork
frantically
tramp
repulsive
impulsive
caviar
frivoling
compulsion
genetic
mutation
detriment
paraphernalia
skeptic
portal
wormhole
summit
density
matrix
abandon
arrogance
annular
pathetic
distraught
putrid
privilege
megaparsec
Synopsis
Meg Murry is an, awkward girl, plagued by insecurities as well as her concern for her father, a
scientist who has been missing for two years. One dark and stormy night, Meg, her brother
Charles Wallace, and their mother are visited by the eccentric Mrs. Whatsit, who is actually a
celestial creature with the ability to read Meg’s thoughts. She startles Meg’s mother by
reassuring her of the existence of a tesseract--a sort of “wrinkle” in space and time. It is through
this wrinkle that Meg and her companions will travel through the fifth dimension in search of
Mr. Murry.
The following afternoon, Meg and Charles Wallace walk over to Mrs. Whatsit’s cabin. On the
way, they meet Calvin O’Keefe, a popular boy in Meg’s school
whom Charles considers a kindred spirit. The three children learn
from Mrs. Whatsit and her friends Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which that
the universe is threatened by a great evil called the Dark Thing and
taking the form of a giant cloud, engulfing the stars around it.
Several planets have already succumbed to this evil force, including
Camazotz, the planet on which Mr. Murry is imprisoned.
The three Mrs. W’s transport the children to Camazotz and instruct
them to remain always in each other’s company while on their quest
for Mr. Murry. On Camazotz, all objects and places appear exactly
alike because the whole planet must conform to the terrifying
rhythmic pulsation of IT, a giant disembodied brain. Charles Wallace tries to fight IT with his
intelligence but is overpowered by the evil and becomes a robot-like creature under IT’s control.
Meg and Calvin try to confront IT, but they, too, are unable to withstand IT’s power; they escape
only at the last minute, when Mr. Murry appears and “tessers” away with them to a planet called
Ixchel where a creature called Aunt Beast cares for them. Charles Wallace remains a prisoner on
Camazotz.
On Planet Ixchel the three Mrs. W’s appear once again, and Meg realizes that she must travel
alone back to Camazotz to rescue her brother. Mrs. Which tells her that she has one thing that IT
does not have, and this will be her weapon against the evil. However, Meg must discover this
weapon for herself. When standing in the presence of IT, Meg realizes what this is: her ability to
love. Thus, by concentrating on her love for Charles Wallace, she is able to restore him to his
true identity. Meg releases Charles from IT’s clutches and tessers with him through time and
space, landing in her mother’s vegetable garden on Earth, where her father and Calvin stand
waiting. The family joyously reunites, and we see the three Mrs. W’s twinkling in the night sky.
Biography of the Author – Madeline L’Engle
Madeleine L’Engle was born on November 29th, 1918 and
spent her formative years in New York City. Instead of her
school work, she found that she would much rather be writing
stories, poems and journals for herself. At age 12, she moved to
the French Alps with her parents and went to an English
boarding school where her passion for writing continued to
grow. She finished high school back in the United States and
attended Smith College. She graduated with honors and moved
into a Greenwich Village apartment in New York. She worked
in the theater, whose flexible schedule afforded her the time to
write. She published her first two novels during these years—A
Small Rain and Ilsa. It was during this time that she also met
actor Hugh Franklin. They eventually married and raised four
children, living for a while in Connecticut and then moving
back to New York City, where Madeline continued to write.
Madeleine also began her association with the Cathedral
Church of St. John the Divine, where she was the librarian and
maintained an office for more than thirty years. Shewrote over 60 books and won several awards,
including the prestigious Newberry Medal for A Wrinkle in Time. . She died September 6, 2007.
Biography of the Playwright – John Glore
John Glore is the Associate Artistic Director of South Coast
Repertory (SCR), in Orange County, Calif. He is an award-winning
playwright whose work for young audiences includes his
adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, which
debuted at SCR in 2010 and has since moved on to numerous
productions nationwide; an adaptation of Jon Scieszka and Lane
Smith’s The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales,
which had its professional premiere at the Coterie Theatre and has
since had dozens of productions nationwide; and his newest, an
adaptation of Laura Amy Schlitz’s The Night Fairy, which has
been produced at SCR and Imagination Stage in Washington, D.C.
Other plays for young audiences include Wind of a Thousand
Tales, Folktales Too, Rhubarb Jam, and The Day After Evermore.
His plays for adults include On the Jump (produced by SCR and
Arena Stage in Washington D.C.), The Company of Heaven,
Preludes and Fugues, and City Sky (a scenario for a dance piece).
With the performance trio Culture Clash he has co-authored adaptations of two plays by
Aristophanes, The Birds and Peace. In addition to the theatres already named, his work has been
produced at Berkeley Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Round House Theatre, The
Children’s Theatre Company, First Stage, Childsplay, Oregon Childrens Theatre, the Getty Villa
and many others. He received a 2000 Playwrights Fellowship from the California Arts Council
and has occasionally taught playwriting and related subjects at UCLA and Pomona College.
A Brief History
Barter Theatre was founded during the Great Depression by Robert Porterfield, an enterprising young
actor. He and his fellow actors found themselves out of work and hungry in New York City. Porterfield
contrasted that to the abundance of food, but lack of live theatre, around his home region in Southwest
Virginia. He returned to Washington County with an extraordinary proposition: bartering produce from
the farms and gardens of the area to gain admission to see a play.
Barter Theatre opened its doors on June 10, 1933 proclaiming, “With vegetables you cannot sell, you can
buy a good laugh.” The price of admission was 40 cents or the equivalent in produce, the concept of
trading “ham for Hamlet” caught on quickly. At the end of the first season, the Barter Company cleared
$4.35 in cash, two barrels of jelly and enjoyed a collective weight gain of over 300 pounds.
Playwrights including Noel Coward, Tennessee Williams and Thornton Wilder accepted Virginia ham as
payment for royalties. An exception was George Bernard Shaw, a vegetarian, who bartered the rights to
his plays for spinach.
Today, Barter Theatre has a reputation as a theatre where many actors performed before going on to
achieve fame and fortune. The most recognized of these alumni include Gregory Peck, Patricia Neal,
Ernest Borgnine, Hume Cronyn, Ned Beatty, Gary Collins, Larry Linville and Frances Fisher. The list
also included James Burrows, creator of Cheers, Barry Corbin, and the late Jim Varney
Robert Porterfield passed away in 1971. His successor, Rex Partington, had been at Barter in the 1950s as
an actor and in the 1970s as stage manager. Rex returned as chief administrator from 1972 until his
retirement in 1992. In March 2006, he passed away.
Richard Rose was named the producing artistic director in October 1992. In that time, attendance has
grown from 42,000 annual patrons to more than 163,000 annual patrons. Significant capital
improvements have also been made. Including maintenance to both theatres, and in 2006, the addition of
The Barter Café at Stage II and dramatic improvements to Porterfield Square.
Barter represents three distinct venues of live theatre: Barter Theatre Main Stage, Barter Theatre Stage II
and The Barter Players. Barter Theatre, with over 500 seats, features traditional theatre in a luxurious
setting. Barter Stage II, across the street from Barter Main Stage and beyond Porterfield Square, offers
seating for 167 around a thrust stage in an intimate setting and is perfect for more adventurous
productions. The Barter Players is a talented ensemble of actors, producing plays for young audiences
throughout the year.
History is always in the making at Barter Theatre, building on legends of the past; Barter looks
forward to the challenge of growth in the future.
WORD SEARCH
Find the following words below: Meg Murry, Charles Wallace, Mrs. Which,
Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, Calvin O’Keefe, tesseract, wrinkle, Camazotz, stars,
Aunt Beast, Madeline L’Engle, Black Thing, calculus, John Glore, brain,
Barter Theatre, megaparsec, oddball, omnivator
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True and False
Write T if the statement is True and F if the statement is False.
1. ____ This story begins with a dark and stormy night.
2. ____ Meg Murry loves herself the way she is and wouldn’t change a thing.
3. ____ Mrs. Murry makes her living as an artist.
4. ____ a tesseract refers to a wrinkle in a woman’s skirt.
5. ____ Charles Wallace is Meg’s younger brother.
6. ____ Calvin O’Keefe is a genius at differential calculus.
7. ____ Charles Wallace falls under the control of IT.
8. ____ Mr. Murry saves Meg and Calvin from IT.
9. ____ Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Who are in reality stars.
10. ____ Meg has to return to Camazotz alone to rescue Charles Wallace.
11. ____ Meg uses stubbornness to defeat IT.
Matching
Draw a line connecting the person/place in the first column with the corresponding description.
1. tesseract
a. a scientist
2. omnivator
b. took care of Meg on Ixchel
3. Mrs. Murry
c. the youngest celestial
4. Aunt Beast
d. multi-directional transportation device
5. Camazotz
e. not good at calculus
6. Mrs. Whatsit
f. a dark planet
7. Calvin
g. a wrinkle in space-time
Questions/Activities
1. After you read the book A Wrinkle in time and see The Barter Player’s
production of the play, write a paper comparing and contrasting the two.
Which did you prefer and why? Which chapters from the book were left out of the
play? Why do you think this was done? Working in groups, pick one these
chapters and turn it into a dramatic scene. Write a script, assign the parts,
design costumes and props and sound effects, rehearse it and present it to your
class. Is it easy to adapt a book or story into a play? Discuss.
Everyone’s A Critic!
2. Write a critique of The Barter Player’s production of A Wrinkle in Time.
Include the production values (set, costumes, lights, props, sound, etc.), each
actor’s performance and the script. What did you like? What didn’t you like? How
would you have designed/directed/acted it differently?
“Life, with its rules, its obligations, and its
freedoms, is like a sonnet: You're given the form,
but you have to write the sonnet yourself.”
3. What sort of rules and obligations are you confronted with on a daily basis?
What sort of freedoms do you have? What things about your life can you control in
spite of these rules and obligations? Discuss.
ACTIVITY
Research the form of the English (or Shakespearean) sonnet.
Using that form, write a sonnet describing the life you wish you
could have. Then, using the same form, write a sonnet about
your life as you view it currently. How different is reality vs. the
dream? What can you do to bring the two closer together?
“People are more than just the way they look.”
4. Meg refers to herself as an oddball and frequently wishes to be “normal.” How
do you define normal? Why is it so important for Meg to be like everyone else?
What happens on the planet Camazotz when everyone acts and thinks the same
way? What does that tell us about our differences? If there was one thing about you
that you would change, what would it be? Why are we so afraid to act or look or
dress differently about others? Discuss.
Pick one of the following scenes and rewrite it from the
point of view of the given character:
Scene
Flying to the top of the mountain
Meg’s arrival on Ixchel
Meg rescuing Charles Wallace
Point-of-view
Mrs. Whatsit
Aunt Beast
IT
Read your scene aloud in class then discuss how
point-of-view affects a story.
5. The story of Good vs. Evil is a major theme in A
Wrinkle in Time. What actions does “Evil” undertake in
this story? What is the effect on every one who
encounters IT? In what ways does Good battle Evil?
Who wins at the end? Discuss.
“They are very young. And on their earth, as they call it,
they never communicate with other planets. They
revolve about all alone in space."
"Oh," the thin beast said. "Aren't they lonely?”
6. Do you think life exists elsewhere in the universe? If it does, would you be
interesting in seeing it for yourself? Are you interested in space travel? If you were
offered a chance to colonize Mars with the caveat that you could never return to
Earth, would you do it? Why or why not? Discuss.
ORAL PRESENTATION
Pick one of the topics below. Research it thoroughly
and, using visual aids, present your findings to the class.
wormholes in space
the star Megrez
the star Cor Caroli
the star Kitalpha
differential calculus
Madeline L’Engle
Cape Canaveral
Mission Control
NASA Space Shuttle program
tesseract
Do the Math!!
7. What is a light year? A parsec? A megaparsec? Assume that we have a
spaceship capable of making the journey to the outer edges of the universe.
Assume that this ship can travel 17,500 mph. How long would it take this ship to
travel a light year? A parsec? A megaparsec? Do you think it may be possible to
“wrinkle” in the future? Discuss.
PERSUADE ME!
Imagine you are Meg and your father has been missing for two years
because of the top-secret space mission he was sent on by the U.S.
government. Write a letter to the President of the United States
persuading him to shut down funding to the space program. Explain
how space exploration has destroyed your family.
Now imagine you are Mrs. Murry who, like her husband, is a scientist.
Write a letter persuading the President of the United States to allow
funding to continue to the space program. Explaining how important
space exploration was to your husband and how it is also your only hope
of finding him.
Compare the two arguments. Whose do you think is the most valid?
Why? Discuss.
Suggested Reading
Other books by Madeline L’Engle:
A Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Many Waters
Meet the Austins
A Ring of Endless Night
An Acceptable Time
The Arm of the Starfish
The Small Rain
A Circle of Quiet
Troubling a Star
The Moon by Night
The Young Unicorns
A House Like a Lotus
Dragons in the Waters
The Other Side of the Sun
Other books:
Space Encyclopedia: A Tour of Our Solar System and Beyond by David Aguilar
The Hubble Cosmos: 25 Years of New Vistas in Space by David H. Devorkin and
Robert W. Smith