Lights, curtain, action! The mid- dle school play The Secret Garden, adapted from the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, will fill the stage this Saturday and Sunday, April 5 & 6! This play, set in England, tells the story of a spoiled orphan girl named Mary Lennox, who is sent to live with her uncle. She discovers a new life for herself and her cousin in restoring her dead aunt’s garden. The two student casts of this production will bring this garden to life with the help of co-directors and Haldane High School teachers Rebecca Mas- back and Jenna Isabella.
The show’s double casts have been rehearsing several times a week since January. Because their rehearsals overlapped with the high school’s musical, Into the Woods, the cast had to be flexible, and they ended up having some rehearsals in the band room . “It was nice of music teachers Ms. Stein and Mr. Sauer to allow us to use their classrooms, even though they had All County and other obligations to prepare for,” said Parker Fyfe, a seventh grader who will be play- ing Ben Weatherstaff in the Saturday cast. “We’re understanding of the Into the Woods cast needing to use the stage,” she continued. “They did really well! I hope we can utilize the band room again in the future if necessary!”
Rehearsals have been a positive experience for students in the cast. Seventh grader Ysabella Jung, who plays Mrs. Medlock in the Sunday cast, said, “I think that my favorite part of The Secret Garden is the overall camaraderie of the entire cast; everyone is so friendly and welcoming, and you can easily get a smile from one of their unfunny jokes. I’m also really excited for the set, I think it looks absolutely gorgeous.” Sixth grad- er Sawyer McCarthy, who plays the role of Dickon Sowerby in the Sunday cast, said he was excited for his first middle school play. He shared, “My favorite part is being with my friends and having fun with them.”
In addition to student actors, there have been many people at work behind the stage and on it to make this show a reality. Parents and other students volunteered to work on costumes, do hair and makeup, take headshots, work as stage crew, and design, build, and decorate sets. According to cast parent Thomas Pearson, who volunteered as a set builder for the show, several parents answered the directors’ call for help. Martha Mechalakos, the high school drama director, is helping the team with costumes, and many high school and middle school students are working backstage to help with the stage crew. Volunteers had to quickly begin their set building because The Secret Garden will be performing two weeks after the closing night of Into the Woods. “We’re excited to make those ideas [about the set] a reality,” said Pearson.
With the help of the di- rectors, cast, and all the folks behind the scenes, the metaphorical and literal garden will be in full bloom on Haldane’s stage this weekend!
