'Charlotte's Web' scheduled for March 4
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 1 month AGO
Jean-Marie Guyaux/courtesy photo The cast of ‘Charlotte’s Web’ will bring the children’s classic to the Wallenstien Theater March 4.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | February 27, 2017 2:00 AM
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 [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.