For most shows, my skills in designing scenery, painting sets and drops, lighting the actors and even house managing are what I am called upon to use. And true to form, all those skills were used to create Charlotte’s Web, but about a week before we opened the show, Marybeth Clark, the director, called me and asked me to share one of my hobbies. She asked me to bring a set of knitting needles to the rehearsal studio the next day and to teach Charlotte, played by Viveka Chandrasekaran, how to knit. Now, I have been a passionate knitter for many years after teaching myself how to play with sticks and strings and I was very excited to have a chance to teach her how as well. It is a pastime that has brought me much joy and many hours of relaxation and comfort over the years and is a skill I have shared with several of our past interns. Mallory Good and Sheridan Essman and I would sit backstage with Cathy Ardrey and knit between every scene in Christmas Carol and Ragtime. And this is not the first time this hobby has been put to use for a show. Last year, I knit the hats and scarves for the winter scenes in A Year with Frog and Toad. It is very nice to wear a different hat for a change and as always a thrill to introduce someone else to the world of knitting.
