Six Degrees of Ayn Rand

By Gail Moore Woltkamp

When I was in high school in the 80s, I was in a play called “Night of January 16th.” I have not heard of any performances from high schools, colleges or otherwise, nor have I seen it performed anywhere else…ever.

Nonetheless, I come from quite the savvy theater town and our drama teacher, whom we all loved, (RIP Rachel Torbett), was a wonderful lady and great at choosing plays that matched her students’ skills and acting abilities. 

The play is a murder mystery taking place entirely in a courtroom and aside from the defense and prosecuting attorneys, (the two leads), each character plays a witness on the stand, giving cast members equal time on stage and worthy of equal billing. 

I played the uppity socialite grieving wife of the tycoon Bijorn Faulkner whose lover was on trial for his murder. A classic whodunnit with a unique twist as members of the audience get to act as jury and deliver a verdict near the end of the show. The cast is then prepared to play out their roles according to the verdict.

At the time, I had no idea or interest in who wrote the play. It just meant a lot to me that I was cast in the show. My prior dance experience had me performing in lots of dance recitals, including a brief performance in the musical “Carousel” but this was my first acting experience aside from “The Three Little Pigs” in grade school. 🤣

The play was a blast. A large cast, and a small Kansas high school, we all knew each other and got along great. It was the start of my love for theater and the first of a number of plays and musicals that I would later be part of, both on stage and behind the scenes.

Fast forward to 2011. My older son was 14, in 9th grade and an avid reader. In fact, I still don’t know anyone who reads more than he does. He decided to choose the book, “Atlas Shrugged” as his student-choice in his Advanced English class. 

In a recent conversation with him as an accomplished 28 year old, he told me at the time, he has no idea why he chose to read such a book. No teacher encouraged it, no classmate was reading it. His dad and I, given its length, certainly would not have suggested it. 🤣

A thousand page novel by Ayn Rand, “Atlas Shrugged” he remembered, took him about a month to finish during his downtimes between sports and band competitions.

The topic came up in casual conversation because I told him I had happened onto a story about the founder of LuLemon, who in the 2010s, incorporated one of Rand’s fictional characters into his brand advertising. I thought it was rather unusual. 

My son said he was not surprised. Rand, he said, appealed to capitalists and through her life she staunchly promoted free-market principles. Her works of fiction were all about characters who protect and promote individual interests. 

As our conversation continued we wondered if Rand started out wanting to make the kind of impact she ultimately made.

Born into a Jewish family in Saint Petersburg in 1905, it turns out the Russian Revolution played a critical role in Rand’s formative years as her family experienced conditions of poverty.

After immigrating with her family to the United States in 1926, she moved on her own from New York to Hollywood to become a screenwriter.

Rand is often associated with the early libertarian movement in the United States, (referring to the broader philosophy, not the political party).

However, I’m unclear whether or not she actually considered herself having that kind of influence as she rejected any label.

Her ideas raised a lot of controversy, often reflecting the way she thought society’s norms should be rather than appreciating how real life plays out, which did not appeal to certain philosophers and educators.

Her published works were given mixed reviews by critics but posthumously she has been more widely regarded as an exceptional writer of fiction while catching the ear of successful entrepreneurs.

Her main school of thought was look, it’s more important to think for yourself than conform to the way others think.

A concept she coined “Objectivism,” on its surface it seems hard to disagree with until you look a little closer.

A focus on the individual, putting personal needs first, making yourself happy and not being morally obligated to help others. (I assume, unless helping others makes you happy.) 🙄 

I mean, come on! So selfish! But these views are at its core. 

After learning about her global success as an author, I discovered the best thing about her…

Early in her career she wrote a few plays, and after 45 years of not giving it a thought, I realized I was in one.

The other day I took a quick glance through my sophomore yearbook. Each candid shot of everyday school life in the 80s was like a scene from a John Hughes movie. Except for the theater section…and that one is left for the audience to decide. 😉