'Charlotte's Web' scheduled for March 4

MOSES LAKE — Columbia Basin Allied Arts will sponsor the Theatreworks production of the children’s classic “Charlotte’s Web” at 7 p.m. March 4 at the Wallenstien Theater. The theater is located on the Big Bend Community College campus.

The show is part of the organization’s Green Turtle series, performances designed for children. “Charlotte’s Web” is the Green Turtle finale for the 2016-17 season.

Members of the company will visit an elementary school in Moses Lake, said CBAA director Ciara Shuttleworth, and will present the play for students in Ephrata the next week.

The play is based on the 1952 children’s book by E.B White. It’s the tale of a pig named Wilbur and his friend Fern, who saves him from a terrible fate. When he’s sold to a new owner, the other animals in the barnyard ignore him, all but a small but mighty barn spider named Charlotte.

It turns out Fern may not have saved him from that terrible fate after all, but Charlotte comes to the rescue. The play based on the book premiered in 1989.

This is a return engagement for Theatreworks USA, which presented “Curious George” in Moses Lake last year. The non-profit company is based in New York and was founded in 1961, with the goal of providing “access to professional theater for young and family audiences nationwide,” according to its website. The company’s repertoire includes many children’s classics, from Dr. Seuss to C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Frosty the Snowman,” to popular modern characters like Junie B. Jones and Percy Jackson.

Tickets are $5.33 per person, according to the Allied Arts website. Tickets can be purchased at the CBAA website, www.cba-arts.org.

The Green Turtle series presents three performances per year. Traditionally one is a visit from the Missoula Children’s Theater; the MCT performance of “Alice in Wonderland” was Feb. 11. There’s also the Premiere series, works for adults and children. Two performances remain in the 2016-17 Premiere series.

The sextet Dallas Brass will perform March 24; their repertoire includes classical, jazz and swing music. Singer-songwriter Hal Ketchum will take the Wallenstien stage March 31.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.