'Charlotte's Web' Weaves to Stage at SCR Feb.8-24

E.B. White's beloved fable about love and friendship will tug on the heartstrings when South Coast Repertory's Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) presents Charlotte's Web.  Adapted by Joseph Robinette from E.B. White's book and directed by Shelley Butler, Charlotte's Web will run February 8 - 24 on the Julianne Argyros Stage. 

Low-priced previews are available Feb. 8 - 15.  Opening day is Feb 16.  Press matinee is Feb. 10 at 2:00 p.m.  All children who attend the Target Family Performance on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 11:00 a.m. will receive a free gift.  Tickets to Charlotte's Web may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.

The Children's Literature Association named Charlotte's Web "the best American children's book of the past two hundred years," and Robinette's adaptation, working with the advice of White, is one of the most widely produced children's plays in the United States.  All of the book's enchanting characters come alive on stage:  Wilbur, the irresistible young pig who desperately wants to avoid the butcher; Fern, a girl who understands what animals say to each other; Templeton, the gluttonous rat who can occasionally be talked into a good deed; and Charlotte, the extraordinary spider who proves to be "a true friend and a good writer."

Butler directed the Theatre for Young Audiences production of James and the Giant Peach and the 100th NewSCRipts reading of Incendiary at SCR.  Other directing credits include the New York premiere of Adam Rapp's Mistral (The Drama League), Eric Coble's Straight On 'Til Morning (Great Lakes Theater Festival), remounting Gerald Freedman's A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theater Festival), Karen Hartman's Gum (Red Hen Productions), Romeo and Juliet (The Beck Center for the Arts), Steel Magnolias (Porthouse Theatre), The Normal Heart (Cleveland Artists' Group), Much Ado About Nothing (Vassar's Powerhouse Theater) and more than 40 staged readings and workshops.

The cast of Charlotte's Web features Guilford Adams as Wilbur.  Adams has been seen at SCR in Mr. Marmalade, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Two Gentlemen of Verona.  Pamela Shaddock makes her SCR debut in the role of Charlotte (and Mrs. Arable and Baby Spider).  Diana Burbano (Narrator/Gander/Others) appeared previously at SCR in The Hoboken Chicken Emergency and James and the Giant Peach.  Sol Castillo (Arable/Templeton/Lurvy) has appeared in SCR's annual presentation of La Posada Mágica for seven seasons.  He has also been seen in The Hollow Lands, The Adventures of Pør Quinly and Sideways Stories from Wayside School.  Jennifer Chang (Fern/Goose/Others) is making her SCR debut.

The creative team for Charlotte's Web includes Sibyl Wickersheimer (set design), Paloma Helena Young (costume design), Sara Broadhead (lighting design), Tom Cavnar (sound design) and Chrissy Church (stage manager).

Tickets to Charlotte's Web can be purchased online at www.scr.org by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa.  Performances begin on Feb. 8 and continue through Feb. 24.  Ticket prices range from $15 to $27.  Low-priced preview performances are available from Feb. 8-15. 

Performance times:  Previews:  Friday, Feb. 8 & 15 at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 9 at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 10 at 2:00 p.m.  Regular Performances:  Saturday, Feb. 16 at 11:00 a.m. (Target Family Performance), 2:00 and 4:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17 at 2:00 and 4:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 22 at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 23 at 2:00, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 24 at 2:00 and 4:30 p.m.  Discounts are available for children 12 years and younger.  The Target Family Performance is Saturday, Feb. 16 at 11:00 a.m. with an earlier performance time and lower ticket price thanks to Target, title sponsor of the Target Family Performances.

South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Folino Theater Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.  Parking is available off Anton Blvd. on Park Center Drive.