‘The Secret Garden’ overcomes difficulties
February 25, 2013
Cleo Egnal, cub writer
Putting it together
The show presents many difficulties, and requires long hours and dedication in order to get everything perfect. In addition to the 37 locations the story takes place in, techies must figure out lighting cues and how to shift certain set pieces.
“We’re building [the sets] and lots of flies,” Rishwain said. A fly is a set piece that literally flies in and out of the scene. It is attached to a pole that rises to the ceiling of the stage, and is lowered down by students pulling ropes behind the curtain.

In addition to the difficulty of the show’s technical demands, there are time constraints put on the theatre department to put on the production.“Our schedule is dictated by spring break and other activities, [which] makes it difficult,” Hall explained.
While the techies spend hours building the set and configuring lighting and sound, the actors work hard on the on stage aspect of the show. The actors need to “learn music and develop realistic characters,” according to Hall.
Along with spending Saturdays at dance rehearsal and lunch at vocal rehearsal, the actors must also learn to speak in a standard British accent, and some in a Yorkshire accent. In addition to having a dialect coach, the actors are monitored during rehearsals as well as in the halls around the theatre building to make sure they do not drop the accents.
This character development is Hall’s favorite part of the production process. He enjoys “working with actors to create real characters,” and he is making sure that his students are portraying believable and relatable characters on stage.
Hall has high hopes for the show, and hopes that the audience will leave the performance feeling positive and inspired.
“There’s a really nice message about love and compassion,” Hall said about the musical.
Weissbuch reiterates Hall’s sentiments about the show’s message. “I hope that [the audience] gets the message to embrace life,” she said.
The curtain will rise on “The Secret Garden” beginning Thurs., March 21 at 8:00 p.m. through March 23 in the auditorium. Tickets are available online and will be sold at lunch on the front lawn.