Dramaturgy Note
The time period of Tuck Everlasting is one of change and growth. Set in 1893, mere months after the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the 1890s were one of innovation. However, the Victorian Era was still steeped in old traditions. Winnie Foster struggles with balancing established conventions and wanting adventure and excitement to escape the confines of her own house after her father's death. Her target for adventure? A visiting traveling fair, led by an eccentric man with a bright yellow suit.
Winnie ends up getting more adventure than she bargained for. She meets the Tuck Family, who have lived through the ages. Jesse, the youngest Tuck, is full of adventure and excitement- someone who wants to explore the world, travel, and see it all! On the other hand, the rest of the Tuck family resents the reason why they are able to experience so many moments in time.
However these characters feel about their experience through time, they are currently living in the summer of 1893. This hot summer day gives something almost magical to Winnie: the opportunity to walk into the woods and through traditions and onto new ground, magical adventures and life-long lessons. Winnie desires a break from the monotony of staying in her home with her mother and Nana all day. So, she goes to the Tucks and enters a story straight out of a fairytale- right in her backyard.
Winnie's life and the story of the show came after many shake-ups in the United States. Less than thirty years prior, the Civil War officially came to an end. The Reconstruction Era, the time in which Southern States were being re-integrated into the Union, was still ongoing. New innovations were changing how society functioned. The incandescent light bulb was invented eighteen years before the fateful day that Winnie met the Tucks, and the first automobile was made a mere seven years before. And one year before Winnie's world was flipped upside down, her father passed away, sending the Foster family into a period of mourning.
Tuck Everlasting was first released as a children's book in 1975. It was written by author Natalie Babbitt. It was later adapted into two movies; one in 1981 and one in 2002. The musical premiered at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2015. This musical is a work of art showcasing themes of familial love, the passage of time, and what it means to be truly alive. The vibrant score by composer Chris Miller beautifully paints the highs and lows of a wild adventure that Winnie will never forget. We hope you enjoy this transformative experience back to August 1st, 1893.
