New York Theatreworks presents 'Charlotte's Web'
By Nancy Malcom
Friday at 1:30 p.m. R-5 students from Bryan and Benton schools, pre-kindergarten to grade two, will experience a professional performance of "Charlotte's Web" at the Nevada high school auditorium.
THEATREWORKS USA's production of Charlotte's Web, scripted by Joseph Robinette with incidental music by Jeffrey Lunden, is based on E.B. White's tale of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte. This children's classic, featuring mad-cap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love and the true meaning of friendship.
THEATREWORKS USA founded in 1961, is America's foremost professional theater for young and family audiences. Its goal is to create imaginative and sophisticated shows that are educational, entertaining and thought-provoking.
In 1996, Theatreworks was recognized by New York's theatre community with the prestigious Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Awards for 35 years of providing quality entertainment to children. Performing at home in New York and touring across the country to theaters, arts centers and schools, Theatreworks has performed for approximately 54 million people in 49 states, with an annual audience of more than four million.
This production was made possible by the RIF (Reading is Fundamental) Ingenuity Grant that the school received earlier this year. The grant provides R-5 students, grade levels pre-kindergarten through second grade, literacy focused activities in addition to the regular curriculum.
Other R-5 programs funded by the grant include "Bee an Eager Reader" night for preschoolers and their parents, the first grade after school club -- "Bee A Reader, Write from the Start." extra materials and books, money for field trips, an author visit, and the "Bee A Reader Second Chapter Club" at Benton for second graders.