Central Catholic to Present A Wrinkle in Time at Ohio Theatre
Central Catholic’s Drama Club will present the play, A Wrinkle in Time, on Saturday, November 23 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, November 24 at 1 p.m. The show will take place at the historic Ohio Theatre, 3114 Lagrange Street in Toledo. All tickets are general admission and will be on sale beginning October 21 for $12 at centralcatholic.org/tickets.
A Wrinkle in Time tells the story of 13-year-old Meg, who is frustrated with how she fits in at school and distracted by the long absence of her father. Meg sets off on an interstellar journey to rescue her father, accompanied by her precocious young brother, Charles Wallace, and her new friend, Calvin.
Angela Mills, CCHS Drama teacher and Drama Club moderator, is the play’s director. Katie McGee, CCHS English teacher, is the technical director. “We chose this play because we wanted the students to be deeply involved in what the show looks like, how they imagine it looking on stage and how it will sound,” Angela said. “This show lends itself to that fluidity and ensemble work. It is inspired by Greek theater that had a Greek chorus on stage at all times. Our ensemble is on stage at all times, even acting as part of the scenery. There is only one scene when they are not on stage and it is very striking. The students are excited to do something with name recognition. Many of them have read the book and have seen the movie and are very familiar with the story.”
Junior Isabella Acevedo portrays Meg in the production. “Meg is a young girl who struggles with the disappearance of her father after searching for ways to travel through time,” she said. “She is an intelligent girl but struggles with her self-esteem. I think she is such a relatable character to any teen who struggles to accept who they are.”
Isabella has previously appeared in the Central Catholic plays The Clearing and Leaving Iowa. “I loved participating in the past year’s plays,” she said. “The Drama Club is also a joy to be in, and the people in it make me want to come back every year. People should come and see this play because it is a fun and unique experience for the audience, and it captures the wonders of a different reality.”
Sophomore Madeleine Robinson plays the character of Mrs. Whatsit in the play. “I think Mrs. Whatsit is a really interesting character because she has a lot of depth to her,” Madeline said. “She can be this fun, wacky, and crazy being, but she is also calm and serious when it is needed.”
Madeline has also appeared in Central Catholic’s production of Leaving Iowa and several shows with the Children’s Theatre Workshop. “I wanted to be in this play because I think Mrs. Mills is an amazing director, and all the other staff working on this show are also amazing, and I wanted to be a part of another fun Drama Club play,” she said. “All of the Drama Club members are really one big community, and it is always exciting to walk into the rehearsal room after school. People should come and see this show because all the tech, actors, and staff have been working really hard to put on a fabulous show, and I think it is also a play people may recognize.”
Sophomore Mykailah Welborn is one of the ensemble artistic leads, and this is her first time as a cast member. She was in the stage crew Leaving Iowa and for the CCHS spring musical production of Freaky Friday. “All my life I’ve wanted to be on Broadway or be an actress,” Mykailah said. “I could star in movies, be in commercials, connect with people with my similar passion, and being a fan favorite would be a cherry on top. So I decided to try out for a spot in the play as the first step into my theater career.”
As one of the ensemble artistic leaders, Mykailah’s job is to be an advocate for her castmates. She makes sure that they get to try out any ideas they may have for a scene, makes sure everyone is at rehearsals, and guides the group in some vocal and movement exercises before rehearsal starts. She took on this role because she enjoys seeing everyone collaborate and actually make up the show, and she is excited for full runs of the play.
“The cast, crew, directors, and everyone who is making this show happen are working so hard to make it the best it can possibly be,” Mykailah said. “Coming out to see the performance is a great way to help grow our community and support the drama club. Hopefully people will appreciate the time it took to create the performance and have some guaranteed laughs from our amazing cast. And who knows, this might be the play to convince someone to try theater out.”
Full List of Cast Members:
Meg: Isabella Acevedo
Charles Wallace: Thomas DeBruyne
Calvin: Kaden Brown
Mrs. Who: Samantha Reagan
Mrs. Whatsit: Madeleine Robinson
Mrs. Which: Marjoe Sormana
The Happy Medium: Kyra Peals
Aunt Beast: Emalicia Espinoza
The Red-Eyed Man: Anthony Clark, Jr.
Father: Eoghan Robinson
Mother: Ella Schuberg
All remaining roles and narration will be directed and performed collectively by the ensemble:
Ensemble Artistic Leads: Natalie Walker, Danyaile Shelmon-Banks, Mykailah Welborn, Emalicia Espinoza
Ensemble Managers: Lillian Stasa, Aleeah Smith
Ensemble Performers: Marnyc Glover, Anayah Young, Sherlyn Ramirez-Guzman, Adelaide Juette, Tamya Fizer, Zhymeira Brown, ShawnZeya Brown, Kyra Peals, Emalicia Espinoza, Anthony Clark, Jr., Eoghan Robinson, Ella Schuberg
