I had the honor to participate in this year’s spring production of Charlotte’s Web, and lucky for you I can give you all the behind the scenes tea.

I think Charlotte’s Web has been one of my favorite shows I’ve participated in at NDA. For those of you who don’t know, being a part of an NDA cast is being a part of a family- and needless to say our family on the Zuckerman farm progressed quickly. From the moment the cast list came out, we were all bonding over life at the farm. Since it is such a short show, we had all of our blocking within the first few weeks- however the personalization of that blocking is what made the play come to life. Watching my friends in this cast develop their characters over the course of our rehearsals was my favorite part. I think the most successful characterization I’ve seen yet was Clare Adamczyk and Catherine Landry’s performance as Goose and Gander. They were definitely an audience favorite.

Tech week, for anyone who isn’t aware is a stressful period of time the week before opening night where a show truly comes together. In true theater fashion- a lot of the best details came together in the last minute. The letters on Charlotte’s web, the blue light that lit up those letters, the firework projections, and the addition of a few scenes with Templeton are just a few examples of some of the best results from tech week. The soundtrack, which was another element that got officially added during tech week, truly added to the “story book” feel of the show. Everything from Templeton’s entrance music, to sound effects for Charlotte’s writing, to the sound of the school bus- every detail was accounted for and made everything that much more magical.

The individual characters put on not only a physically fantastic performance, but they looked the part too. The costumes in this show were vibrant, clever, and detailed. Wilbur, the lead character played by Celia Hiddell, by far had one of the best costumes. The pink overalls, pink striped shirt, and pink converse to match certainly conveyed the innocent, and adorable character that Wilbur is. The clip in pig ears and fun buns, along with bright pink makeup, added to the very successful “story book” portrayal of a pig.

This is a show would not have come together without the incredible work of our director, dedicated cast, and invested crew. I will never forget this experience and am so thankful to have been a part of this magical world.