Drama. 105-120 min. 4-8 females, 3 males, 2-6 any gender (9-17 performers possible; cast may be expanded further with additional non-speaking roles). Suitable for high school and older performers, middle school and older audiences.
Premiered at Yavneh Academy (Dallas, TX).
In this inventive adaptation of the gothic mystery, The Secret Garden, Mary Lennox is 14, living in India and afflicted by the potent combination of privilege and neglect. Orphaned by a tragic cholera epidemic, she is packed off to the estate of her uncle, the forbidding Misselthwaite Manor on the moors in England, where she is met with a cold, disapproving housekeeper and a family riddled with dark secrets. She discovers the 15-year-old Colin Craven hidden away in a garret, a virtual prisoner of the past. With the help of an enchanted robin, a trusty maid, a tomgirl named Dickon and a crafty old gardener, the two cousins begin to penetrate the dark heart of Lord Craven, master of Misselthwaite.
"This highly theatrical Secret Garden packs an unexpected emotional wallop. With its gothic flavors and heightened language, the play lets the student players shine. Lord Craven and his son Colin bring the mystery but it's the dancing robin that brings the magic." - Tim Cloward
"The Shakespearean play within The Secret Garden is a hidden gem." - Elota Patton