Charlie Pilgrim (Or A beginner’s guide to time travel)
WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN THEATRE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FOUNDATION COMMISSION.
NOMINATED FOR A SYDNEY THEATRE AWARD FOR BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY NAMED RUNNER-UP IN THE ANIMAL LOGIC SCREENPLAY COMPETITION.
Charlie Pilgrim (Or A Beginner’s Guide to Time Travel) was the winner of the 2017 Australian Theatre for Young People’s Foundation Commission. The world premiere took place on 24th November, 2018 at The Griffin Theatre in Sydney and was directed by Jena Prince. After playing to a sell out season the production was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Production for Young People.
Following its premiere season, Charlie Pilgrim has gone on to be studied in high schools nationally and is frequently produced by youth theatre companies across Australia. In 2021, Sam’s screenplay adaptation of Charlie Pilgrim was the runner-up in the inaugural Animal Logic Screenplay Competition.
Have you ever wanted to change the past? Charlie Pilgrim has. And with the prototype of her new time machine—The Mobius—ready for a test run, she was hoping to get her chance. Unfortunately, starting up the machine has accidentally created a closed time loop that adds a new Charlie to the world every 24 hours. With the population rising and group dynamics coming into play, things go from Interstellar to Lord of the Flies pretty fast. To save her soul and prevent the universe from collapsing under the weight of a mounting series of mind-bending paradoxes, Charlie is forced to do battle… with herself.
“Charlie Pilgrim is a rattling good story. It bursts onto the stage with theatrical energy which is just right for this age group of performers… It’s been a joy to work on this play with Sam. What if a playwright were to combine an astute theatrical understanding and utter professionalism with curiosity, empathy, openness and imaginative reach? Well, of course, he would write a play that young people will be bursting out of their skins to perform and watch for many years to come.” JANE FITZGERALD. RESIDENT DRAMATURG. ATYP.
REVIEWS.
Serves up an entertaining package of action, humour and head-scratching what-ifs. In short, all you need to feed the imagination of young audiences. JASON BLAKE. AUDREY JOURNAL.
Kids who crave a bit of adventure, come jump into an infinitive time loop with a couple of Charlies: another charming performance written by Sam O’Sullivan, who is paving his way through theatre and film by creating and acting... This play reminds us of the imagination and wonder that children face as they experience everything new about the universe. LARA FRANZI. PLAYWAVE.
Sam O’Sullivan’s Charlie Pilgrim (Or A Beginner’s Guide To Time Travel) is an ambitious piece of writing that packs a lot of ideas into its 80 minutes. It is an enjoyable narrative in a familiar sci-fi format, extremely detailed in its rendering… SUZY WRONG. SUZY GOES SEE.
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Photos by Tracey Schramm
