About the Play:

Winner of the Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award

Charlotte's Web is a full-length drama by Joseph Robinette, based on the classic children's book by E.B. White. Wilbur's no ordinary farmhouse pig and he'd do anything to avoid ending up on the dinner table. But help arrives from the most unlikely of places... a spider's web, in the corner of the barn. As Wilbur grows bigger and plumper, his friendship with the tiny spider Charlotte grows too. But how far will she go to save her best friend? This is a beautiful, knowing play about friendship that will give your actors a great opportunity and your audience an evening of enchantment.

Charlotte's Web is the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a spider named Charlotte. All the enchanting characters are here: 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; the Zuckerman family; the Arables; and, most of all, the extraordinary spider, Charlotte, who proves to be "a true friend and a good writer." When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte begins her campaign with the "miracle" of her web in which she writes messages praising Wilbur (such as "Some Pig") in order to persuade the farmer to let him live. It's the beginning of a victorious campaign which ultimately ends with the now-safe Wilbur doing what is most important to Charlotte. Charlotte's Web offers us all an inspiring reminder of how loyal friends can come in all shapes in sizes, whether it's in a barnyard or in the schoolyard.

The Children's Literature Association named Charlotte's Web "the best American children's book of the past two hundred years," and Joseph Robinette, working with author E.B. White, has created a play that captures this work in a thrilling and utterly practical theatrical presentation. The costumes and unit set may be simple or as colourful and elaborate as you wish; it's the story and relationships that make the show.

Cast: 7 to 9 female, 5 to 7 male, flexible ensemble group

What people say:

"Find the animal in the human, and the human in the animal, in a thoroughly entertaining way." — The Sunday Times (UK)

"...playwright Joseph Robinette created [a stage adaptation] that gained White's endorsement.... And that version of the story of a pig and the spider who saves him... captures the laid-back pace of the original and White's moving message of how you can be made a better person by helping others." — Twin Cities-Pioneer Press

"...the story of Wilbur the pig and his clever friend Charlotte remains as popular as ever... There have been big screen adaptations but Joseph Robinette has perfectly adapted it for stage and it continues to delight audiences." — Time & Leisure (UK)

"Had standing room for each night. We should have run it for six nights. I found it an ideal play for summer, and for young actors. I liked the idea of a chorus, having produced Our Town and The Fantasticks. I would recommend this play for any school production." — Bill Bennett, Peachland Players

"One of the best stage adaptations I have ever read. The production charmed audiences, children and adults alike." — Mark Carter, DS Productions

"Simple staging was an asset. Very true to original story. The chorus is an ingenious device for bringing in the poetic lyricism of E. B. White. Excellent production notes in script." — Larayne Watts, Willapa Players

About the Playwright:

Joseph Robinette is the author or co-author almost 60 published plays and musicals, qualifying him as one of America's most prolific playwrights. His works have been produced in all 50 states and in 21 foreign countries. He is Professor Emeritus of Theatre at Rowan University in New Jersey where he taught speech and theatre there for 34 years prior to his 2005 retirement. He is a Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award nominee for the libretto of the acclaimed A Christmas Story, The Musical.