Five T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C Facts About Charlotte’s Web
This holiday season, Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP) is bringing a brand-new production of Charlotte’s Web to the stage. A beloved story that has charmed audiences of all ages for generations, E.B. White’s heartwarming classic runs November 26 – December 29, 2024, at the Martha Cohen Theatre.
This delightful adaptation follows Wilbur from his beginnings as a scrawny piglet who’s spared from becoming pork chops by a young girl named Fern. But as he grows and begins to cost his owners a fortune in feed, it will take help from all his new farmyard friends to save his life again, including the miraculous talents of a very special grey spider.
A beautiful, knowing story, Charlotte’s Web illustrates the enduring power of friendship and promises to capture the hearts of audiences again and again.
We invite you to discover a little more about Charlotte’s Web and ATP’s production:
As well as stage play and stage musical adaptations, Charlotte’s Web was made into the classic animated film (1973), and a 2006 live-action/CGI remake starring Dakota Fanning as Fern, Julia Roberts as Charlotte the spider, and Steve Buscemi as Templeton the rat.
Author of the original novel, E.B. White has won countless awards, including a Newbery Honor (1953), the 1971 National Medal for Literature, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which commended him for making a “substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.” The Children’s Literature Association named Charlotte’s Web the best American children’s book of the past two hundred years.
Charlotte’s full name is “Charlotte A. Cavatica”, revealing her as a barn spider – with the scientific name Araneus cavaticus – a common orb weaver spider native to North America.
This production of Charlotte’s Web marks director Rebecca Northan’s 10th production at ATP, previous work with the company including Slipper: A Distinctly Calgarian Cinderella Story, ZORRO: Family Code, and the improvised fantasy epic (and epically hilarious) Legend Has It. Northan is Artistic Producer of Spontaneous Theatre, the company responsible for such hits as Blind Date, Legend Has It and Goblin:Macbeth, each of which has been met with both audience and critical acclaim in Calgary.
Many young readers asked E.B. White if his stories were true. In a letter written to be sent to his fans, he answered, “No, they are imaginary tales . . . But real life is only one kind of life—there is also the life of the imagination.”
Bonus fact! Two video game adaptations exist! Coinciding with the release of the 2006 film adaptation, Sega developed the adventure video game, Charlotte’s Web: Wilbur and Friends, which consists of 9 mini-games based around the characters of the film. A different adaptation for PlayStation 2 was developed in 2007 where players primarily play as Wilbur, exploring and running around the farm collecting items for other characters while avoiding dogs and farmers that would send the player back to the start of the level. (Charlotte the Spider and Templeton the Rat are also playable in the form of more linear minigames in between Wilbur’s levels!)
Charlotte’s Web is part of ATP’s 50th Anniversary Season and runs from November 26 – December 29 in the Martha Cohen Theatre at Arts Commons. Ignite your imagination and share in the wonder of Charlotte’s Web with your loved ones this holiday season, get your tickets HERE.
