A classic children’s tale comes to life this week as Orange Lutheran presents Charlotte’s Web on stage February 6-8 at the Alexandra Nechita Center for the Arts.

Lancer senior Faith Novak will play the title role of Charlotte, the thoughtful and wise spider who spins her web in the barn rafters on Zuckerman’s farm. Novak has appeared in several productions at OLu, including Grease as Rizzo, Shakespeare in Love as Viola de Lesseps and Xanadu as Calliope. She is looking forward to this production in particular for its simple message.

“It's more focused on the storytelling, which I think is the biggest part of it,” says Novak. “I take more steady choices with my acting, little choices that make a bit more sense to younger students… It's telling such a beautiful story.”

Novak will share the stage with a cast of barnyard animals, including the kind-hearted pig, Wilbur, who will be played by OLu junior Peyton Simon.

Simon has performed several times at the Nechita Center, including last year as Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He is eager to help bring this beloved book to the stage.

“It's such a wholesome show, but I feel it's meant for everyone,” says Simon. “It has a really great message, and it'll leave you feeling good after.”

Novak and Simon took different paths to reach this point in their theater careers. Novak has always had a love for the stage and recalls attending a performance at the Nechita Center as a prospective student, an experience that played a significant role in her decision to attend OLu.

“We're so blessed with our facility,” says Novak. “Hopefully people coming to see this show will be sitting in the same seat that I was, and this will be a deciding factor as they hopefully come to OLu.”

Simon came into OLu his freshman year with no acting background and with plans to play soccer for the Lancers. But some friends suggested he audition for the fall musical, Mary Poppins, and he’s been on the Nechita stage ever since.

“I've gotten so many amazing opportunities, and I feel like I've really found my sense of self through being in the arts program,” says Simon. “I've made the best friends here that I could ever ask for, and it's a really cool experience, especially just getting to shine on the stage that we have. We're so blessed with all the facilities we have in the arts here at OLu.”

Novak and Simon are members of OLu’s Arts & Humanities Academy and are working towards a Performing Arts endorsement with a Musical Theater emphasis. Both plan to pursue musical theater degrees in college and Novak recently returned from New York, where she participated in several auditions. Her experiences at OLu have helped prepare her for the next stage of her training.

“We couldn't ask for a better faculty and staff,” says Novak. “Everyone around you is rooting for your success, always and forever. I'm so incredibly blessed to be surrounded by the arts all the time, because that's all I want, and it's what's important to me. OLu sees that it’s important to me and continues to give me an avenue to shine. It's really incredible.”

All performances of Charlotte’s Web are designed for sensory sensitive audiences. Details such as keeping the house lights on throughout the performance and removing elements that may be harsh to the senses, including flashing lights and loud sounds, are intended to help make the show accessible for all.

“Charlotte's Web already lends itself to that style of storytelling because it is a story about being humble, being a good friend and being sensitive to others,” says OLu’s Director of Dramatic Arts Chelsey Everhart. “There's so much children's theater, and it's a different way of acting, so it's a different experience that the students need to know.”

This sensory-sensitive format holds special meaning for Simon, whose four-year old brother has Down syndrome and otherwise would not be able to attend.

“I really like how (the production) is geared towards children, especially kids with special needs,” says Simon. “My brother normally can’t come to the shows, but this one he'll be able to come to. It’s actually really nice to have chances for him to come see me in shows, and especially in a character that's so loved by little kids.”

Charlotte’s Web opens Friday, February 6 at 7 p.m. Additional performances will be held on Saturday, February 7, and Sunday, February 8, at 2 p.m. And for guests who love animals, OLu will be hosting a petting zoo prior to the shows on February 7 and 8 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Novak and Simon say children of all ages won’t want to miss this heartwarming and one-of-a-kind experience.

“This hour-and-a-half play gives you everything and more,” says Novak. “It caters to young people… They can bring their families. It is such a linear story, and it has these little exciting moments that just make it very wholesome and easy to understand. It is going to be one of the most memorable.”

For more information and to purchase tickets for Charlotte’s Web, visit lhsoc.org/event-tickets.