The Secret Garden

March 27-28-29 & April 3-4-5, 2020

Staff
Director – Jeff Ashcraft
Assistant Director – Kelly Thompson
Stage Manager – Deb Shippy
Music Director – Keith Haan
Assistant Music Director – TBD
Choreographer – Erin Churchill
Set Designer – Luke Vermiere
Costume Designer – Carol Moon
Lighting Designer – Bill Peiffer
Sound Designer – TBD
Props – Kathyrn Weber
Makeup – Sue Cates
Producer – Deb Shippy

The Secret Garden – Casting Information

Show Description

When young Mary Lennox loses her parents to a cholera outbreak in India, she is sent to live with her uncle, hermit Archibald Craven, who lives in an imposing, secluded manor on the British heath. Inside the haunting house upon the hill, Mary finds a reclusive, long-suffering collection of souls. Since her Aunt Lily’s death, Mary’s uncle has pushed away his surviving loved ones, leaving his bedridden son, Colin, alone. Sickly Colin, hidden away in the depths of the manor, bears the guilt of his mother’s death on his shoulders. When Mary discovers her Aunt Lily’s hidden garden, locked shut and overgrown with vines, stubborn Mary is determined to revive the beauty that once was. Surrounded by spirits from the past, who both warn and welcome her, determined Mary begins to peel away the layers of sadness that cover the house and the garden, showing us the power that “one small girl” can have when she “wants things to grow.”

Audition Dates
Saturday, January 11, 10 am – 1 pm
Sunday, January 12, 1 pm – 4 pm
Callbacks to follow on Sunday as needed.

Rehearsal Dates
Rehearsals will begin February 10, 2020 and will be held on Monday through Friday evenings. The full rehearsal schedule will be available at auditions.

Performance Dates
March 27-28-29 & April 3-4-5, 2020

Director’s Notes
The Secret Garden requires a full cast and ensemble of strong singers and actors to portray the change and the emotional arcs that the characters go through in the course of the show – from grief and isolation, to healing and connection.

Please prepare 16 bars of a song that shows both your voice and your acting ability in its best light.

Dance in this show will not be complex, but we are looking for actors who can move well. At auditions, you will learn and perform a dance in a group.

Please come prepared to read scenes from the show. Accent and dialect are very important in this show, and there will be limited time between casting and the start of rehearsals to work on them. The three main accents/dialects are Received Pronunciation (traditional upper-class British accent), Yorkshire (think most of the servants on Downton Abbey), and Hindi (the language of the Indian characters in this show). We encourage you to come to auditions prepared to try one or more of these accents or dialects in a scene. We don’t expect you to be perfect, but it will be a good start! These resources (and lots of others you can find online) will help you:

Received Pronunciation Resource #1
Received Pronunciation Resource #2
Yorkshire Dialect Resource #1
Yorkshire Dialect Resource #2
Yorkshire Dialect Resource #3

Character Descriptions
We are seeking a diverse pool of actors to audition for all roles in this show. Please also note that ages for characters listed below are a reflection of how that character should appear, and not a strict limit for auditioners.

 

MARY LENNOX – Female, 10 (Range: Young Voice, Ab3-D5. Accent: Received Pronunciation. Also uses Yorkshire and Hindi.) Sent to live with her uncle, Archibald, when her parents die from cholera in India. Quite the curious explorer, and often finding herself in trouble. Stubborn and always fighting for what she believes in.

LILY – Female, 28-38 (Range: Soprano, Bb3-D6. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Mary’s aunt and Archibald Craven’s wife. Died ten years ago of a tragic accident within her garden and metaphorically haunts the walls of Misselthwaite Manor. Loving and concerned for those she left behind.

ARCHIBALD CRAVEN – Male, 35-45 (Range: Baritone, C3-A4. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Mary’s uncle and lord of Misselthwaite Manor. Haunted by the past and afraid of the future, he locks himself away both physically and mentally. Mary painfully reminds him too much of his wife, Lily, who died ten years ago.

DR. NEVILLE CRAVEN – Male, 35-45 (Range: Baritone, C3-F#4. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Archibald’s brother. Feels trapped at Misselthwaite Manor and by the idea that he is responsible for the caretaking of Colin.

COLIN CRAVEN – Male, 10 (Range: Young Voice, A3-E5. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Archibald’s ten year-old son. Spent his life in bed due to a heart condition. He is very stubborn and throws temper tantrums to get what he wants. He believes his father hates him for causing Lily’s death.

MARTHA – Female, 18-30 (Range: Mezzo-Soprano Belt, G3-D5. Dialect: Yorkshire.) A faithful housemaid. Grew up near Yorkshire and has the accent to prove it. Spunky and funny, with wisdom often far beyond her age.

DICKON – Male, 16-25 (Range: Tenor, D3-G4. Dialect: Yorkshire.) Martha’s younger brother. Looks after the sick plants and animals within the Misselthwaite grounds—including Mary. He is a young man who is between the world of childhood imagination and adult reasoning. Befriends Mary and convinces her to take care of the Garden.

BEN WEATHERSTAFF – Male, Middle Age or Older (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible, E3-D#4. Dialect: Yorkshire.) Head gardener. Secretly entrusted to take care of the garden after Lily’s death. Knows a great deal about the history of the garden and the grounds it sits on. He has worked for the family for many years. He calls himself “an old man.”

MRS. MEDLOCK – Female, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible. Could be cast as a non-singing role. Dialect: Yorkshire.) Archibald’s housekeeper. As cold as the Misselthwaite Manor.

MRS. WINTHROP – Female, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible. Accent: Scottish.) Headmistress of a private school in Scotland. Prides herself on nurturing girls with tempers. Mary seems to be more than she can handle.

The Dreamers
The following characters, referred to collectively as the Dreamers, are people from Mary’s life in India, who metaphorically haunt her until she finds her new life in the course of the story. They are free to sing directly to us, appearing and disappearing at will.

ROSE LENNOX – Female, 28-38 (Range: Soprano, A3-D6. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Mary’s mother. A “dreamer” from the past who doesn’t understand how her sister Lily could truly love Archibald. Very loyal to her husband and refuses to leave India during the cholera outbreak that takes her life.

CAPTAIN ALBERT LENNOX – Male, 30-40 (Range: Tenor, D3-A5. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Mary’s father. Tries to send Rose and Mary out of India during the cholera outbreak.

FAKIR – Male, Age Flexible (Range: Tenor, C3-B4. Dialect: Hindi.) Holy itinerant Hindu ascetic.

AYAH – Female, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible. Dialect: Hindi.) Mary’s Indian nanny.

ALICE – Female, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Rose’s friend.

LIEUTENANT WRIGHT – Male, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Officer in Mary’s father’s unit.

LIEUTENANT SHAW – Male, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Fellow officer.

MAJOR SHELLEY – Male, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Officer.

MRS. SHELLEY – Female, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Major Shelley’s wife.

MAJOR HOLMES – Male, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Officer.

CLAIRE HOLMES – Female, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible. Accent: Received Pronunciation.) Major Holmes’ wife.