Space-time travel, mystical beasts and hot chocolate are just a few of the things that made “A Wrinkle in Time” an instant classic. Now Texarkana College, partnered with TexRep, is taking on this ambitious world. 

Joining the cast is teacher Amy Kemp as Mrs. Who. 

“The play is more set towards the novel than the movie and is like a shortened version of the novel,” Kemp said. “Even though it is not like the movie, people of all ages will enjoy it.”

Performances will continue throughout the weekend with shows at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Stillwell Theater located in the humanities building at Texarkana College. Tickets can be purchased through the TexRep website. 

The play was written by John Glore and is based on the novel written by Madeleine L’Engle. A young heroine, Meg Murray, must battle evil in order to rescue her father and save humanity. To create the imagery and special effects, TexRep borrowed equipment from the Dallas Children’s Theater. 

“There is a moment in the show where Mrs Watson transforms into a flying horse,” Kemp said. “They had to come up with the concept of what it was going to look like on stage. All of this amazing technology that are used in movies aren’t available in live theater. It’s so beautiful to see the way they use these projections because you don’t have the capability of doing what they do with movies.”

TexRep holds open auditions, welcoming anyone to try out. This is how Kemp got involved.

“I’ll definitely be auditioning for the next play which is ‘Murder on the Orient Express,’ and there may not be a part for me and that’s all right,” Kemp said. “The best thing I’ve learned is to go and audition anyway because you need that practice. Even if you don’t get a role or callback, they always have a role that you can play in the theater backstage.”

Kemp said being in the production has also helped her in the classroom.

“I’ve been on the other side of things as the director and assistant director, and remembering what it’s like to be an actor has helped me bring it into the classroom,” Kemp said. “Everything I’ve done as an actress with this show, I’ve been able to bring into my classroom by relating it to my theater kids. Hopefully, they get an understanding that we don’t just struggle with these things in high school, we struggle in theater itself no matter what age you are.”