A Q&A with Helena Scholz-Carlson, who plays Meg in Children’s Theatre Company’s A Wrinkle in Time, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Helena Scholz-Carlson, Pearce Bunting, Brandon Brooks and Noah Crandell in A Wrinkle in Time at Children’s Theatre Company. Photo by Dan Norman.

How did you get started acting?

My Dad (Doug Scholz-Carlson) is an actor so I have been exposed to theater my whole life. I saw my first production of Hamlet at two years old. I got into acting through school shows (a highlight: I played Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in third grade), classes and professional productions my Dad was involved in.

Could you share a few of your most recent or noteworthy roles?

Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Young Seward, Young Macduff and Ross in Macbeth (separate productions – I know this play well!) were all noteworthy roles.  A fun role for me was playing Katherine, who only speaks French, in Henry V. Another fun role was Berowne in This is Not the Breakfast Club, an original play based on Love’s Labors Lost, with CTC’s Theatre Arts Training program and A Wrinkle in Time assistant director Leah Adcock-Starr.

What have been some of your most memorable experiences as an actor so far?

One of my most life-changing theater experiences has been participating in the Shakespeare for Young Actors program at the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, Minn. It is a three-week acting program focusing on Shakespeare and taught by actors from all over the country who are part of the GRSF company. I have been in Henry V and The Winter’s Tale with this program and have learned so much about Shakespeare and acting in general from the incredible people at GRSF.  Playing Dorothy was also a memorable experience and learning to carry a show as I now have to do in A Wrinkle in Time.

What have you enjoyed most about being cast in A Wrinkle in Time?

There have been so many wonderful things about working on this production: the amazing story and the fabulous character I get to play; the incredible technical aspects of the show; but most of all, the people I get to work with. This has been such a wonderful cast to work with and I have learned so much from everyone in the show. It has been great getting to know everyone since we have such a small cast (only six people!). Getting the opportunity to work with Greg Banks and our assistant director Leah Adcock-Starr was such a privilege: they constantly challenged me in exactly the ways I want to be challenged. I am so grateful to everyone involved in the production for making it such an incredible experience.

Noah Crandell, Brandon Brooks and Helena Scholz-Carlson as Calvin O’Keefe, Charles Wallace Murry and Margaret “Meg” Murry in A Wrinkle in Time at Children’s Theatre Company. Photo by Dan Norman. 

Greg Banks is often a director many actors aspire to work with. What was your experience working with him like?

My experience working with him was great. He is an incredible person to watch pull a show together. I have only recently realized how brilliant and engaging some of the blocking in this show is. He constantly challenged and pushed me while also being incredibly supportive and inspiring. He is also just a fun, wonderful person to be around. He can be very silly and very serious at the same time, which is perfect for making rehearsals fun as well as focused and productive. I learned so much from him and am proud to be in one of his productions.

Explain what the rehearsal process/first performances for A Wrinkle in Time have been like. How is it different than other work you’ve done?

One of the major differences from other work I’ve done has been working with so many technical aspects. There are something like 400 light cues in the show as well as lots of sound effects, not to mention the giant brain. Having the sound designer in the room all through rehearsal was great. We’d be doing a scene and all the sudden there’d be music under it or a cool effect and it would bring the whole piece alive in a different way. We worked hard during rehearsals and it is really exciting to now get the chance to share this amazing story with audiences.

Do you have any role models that you’ve taken specific advice from for this show?

I would say my role models for this show have mostly been within the production. Watching the adult actors work was very informative. Seeing CTC veteran Autumn Ness just jump in and do a scene for the first time with huge, bold choices was inspiring. Of course most advice was from Greg and Leah. One important thing they told me was just to let go and have fun. It’s amazing how easy that can be to forget. I always talk to my Dad about what I’m doing as well and get his advice and support. And of course, I got insight from Meg herself, as reflected in the book. She is a very well-written character and true to what a lot of girls go through at that awkward stage.

Autumn Ness as The Man with Red Eyes in A Wrinkle in Time at Children’s Theatre Company. Photo by Dan Norman. 

What can audiences expect when they see A Wrinkle in Time?

They can expect to see an engaging, exciting adventure story. There are lots of cool special effects including a giant brain that pulses and a man with glowing red eyes as well as great characters and lots of suspense. I know many people love the book and might be apprehensive but the script stays very true to the story and I think the production captures the spirit of it.

If you were a bit older and could be cast as Mrs. Which, Mrs Who or Mrs. Whatsit or perhaps one of the darker characters (Man with the Red Eyes, Aunt Beast, etc.), who would you want to play and why?

I would want to play Mrs. Whatsit or Aunt Beast. Mrs. Whatsit because she’s fun and is the one of the three Mrs. who connects with the children (especially Meg) most and supports them through their journey. Aunt Beast because doing creepy alien movement stuff would be interesting and fun and because who wouldn’t want to wear that crazy mask and suit?  (Come see the show… it’s pretty creepy!)

Noah Crandell as Calvin O’Keefe in A Wrinkle Time at Children’s Theatre Company. Photo by Dan Norman.

What else might you want to do in the future?

I would like directing or costume design and other aspects of theater. I also enjoy writing and visual arts. I’m interested in neuroscience and would love to be a research neuroscientist or science writer. Acting is definitely the thing I most want to continue doing.

Ever want to Wrinkle in time? If so, where would you want to land?

Who wouldn’t want to Wrinkle in time? I’d probably want to go to England and see an original production of one of Shakespeare’s plays. The planet Uriel, which the characters in A Wrinkle in Time travel to always sounds nice. Maybe I’d go there!

A Wrinkle in Time runs through December 4, 2011. For tickets or more information, contact the Children’s Theatre Company box office at 612/874-0400 or visit www.childrenstheatre.org.

Big thanks to the CTC for the fantastic interview and photos!