Top Ten Reasons You Should Audition!

10.  You need a creative outlet.

Unless you happen to be a music or art teacher, your job probably requires a lot of left-brain thinking. Perhaps you spend much of your work day crunching numbers or assembling parts or filing paperwork. Singing in the shower might not be cutting it. You find yourself telling stories of the "glory days" when you starred in your high school production or got that solo in church. It's time to create new stories and find that balance in your life again.

9.  Your coworkers and neighbors will be awestruck by your secret talents.

Sure, your family members are already your biggest fans and your friends know you can do a mean karaoke, but do the other people in your life know the tricks you have up your sleeve?  There's nothing quite like having your mind blown when you see your family dentist or favorite waitress singing and acting up there on the stage.

8.  You can help foster an appreciation for the arts in your community.

You're a regular patron of the arts and show your support for local businesses and organizations in town. You've even donated money to non-profits or political causes that matter to you. But here's where it gets tricky. We literally need you. All the audience support in the world can't cast a production from thin air. We rely on local talent like you to create the kind of show we can all be proud of.

7.  You don't have to be a triple threat to be an asset in a small-town production.

Sometimes you have mixed feelings about living in a small town, but here's one decided advantage: you can be cast in an amateur theater production as long as you can carry a tune (in the case of a musical) or memorize some lines. The larger the community or school, the more likely it is that you will face tougher competition for a role. In fact, many large towns and cities opt out of open auditions for community theater productions and instead rely on semi-professional regional actors to fill out their cast.

6.  You like hanging out in air-conditioned buildings during the hottest weeks of summer.

I mean, come on. It's going to get hot out there come July. We both know you'd like to spend those humid evenings in the comfort of our air-conditioned Little Theater.

5.  You want an excuse to spend time with your family.

Maybe your kid is about to head off for college. Or maybe they're returning home for the summer. Perhaps you want the chance to bond with your teenager or parent doing something you both love. Maybe you've never thought to try out for a play but your spouse has been participating for years. Some of my fondest family memories have roots in community theater--it was a place our busy lives seemed to intersect in the summers. During the 2001 production of South Pacific, the Mankato Free Press even did a cool article featuring the familial nature of community theater in St. James.

4.  You want to meet new people and be part of a "theater family."

You've wanted an excuse to reconnect with old friends. You're new to town and could use an opportunity to meet like-minded people. You wouldn't mind a break from your real family (in which case, ignore #5)! Community theater offers the unique chance to be part of something bigger than yourself while forming lasting bonds. As the Von Trapp family bravely trekked through the mountains (up the theater aisles) in 1992's production of Sound of Music, you would have been tempted to credit the seven children as impressive actors for their ability to cry on cue. In reality, we were all weepy on closing night because we had grown attached to one another and were reluctant to see it end.

3.  You would like a decent part in a play but are reluctant to overcommit yourself.

In many musical productions, there are two levels of casting. Leading roles or chorus extras. While The Secret Garden has plenty of opportunities for both, this play also offers a rarely-seen third category, known as "The Dreamers." These nine named characters serve a special purpose in the production by acting as narrators to the story. Each has no more than a few spoken lines to deliver but they sing in most of the musical numbers--sometimes as an ensemble, sometimes with additional chorus, and sometimes in a verse or two of their own. Added bonus for those who prefer their roles to be low-maintenance--they're ghosts, so you won't have to worry about a costume change.

2.  You often say "maybe next year" but know deep down that there may never be a perfect time.

You've been tempted to try out but talk yourself out of it every summer because you're not sure you can swing it. I understand. I have a day job, too. Maybe you really will be in a better position to join a production in a year or two. But it's hard to predict the future. Life happens. People move, babies are born, jobs change, the unexpected hits. So if you've been on the fence for awhile, now might be as good a time as any. We're reasonably flexible and don't need you to put your life on hold to join us.

1.  You'd like to become a part of the storied history of St. James Community Theater!

Great!  I'm glad you finally came around. History will be lucky to have you! See you at try-outs at the St. James H.S. Little Theater this Monday or Tuesday evening. See here for more details and remember to e-mail me if you need a different night to audition.

A Family In Plays Together...

As mentioned in the Top Ten Reasons You Should Audition! post, the Mankato Free Press visited St. James during the 2001 production of South Pacific and wrote a feature about the familial nature of community theater in our town and how it's managed to thrive all these years. The play was expertly directed by Joshua Carter, a friend and fellow veteran of the St. James Community Theater who had many years of experience under his belt despite being only 20 years old at the time.

Sadly, the article is no longer available online, so a snapshot and transcription of the article will have to do. I had stashed away a physical copy of the newspaper for reasons that will become obvious. The article is also an interesting behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to put on a small-town production.

A family in plays together... St. James production of "South Pacific" relies on family participation
by Brian Ojanpa
Free Press Staff Writer

ST. JAMES--When Michael Wojtalewicz rehearses his key role for St. James Community Theater's production of "South Pacific," the kinship with his co-actor is genuine.

"I can tell him to shut up, or boss him around," the high school senior says, "because he's just my dad."

That would be Barry Wojtalewicz, a 23-year veteran of the community's theater and a guy with a goal: to someday say he's acted in plays with each of his three children.

Actually, family ties will be the norm when the musical opens July 18 for a three-day run. About a dozen local families are involved in the 40-person cast and production staff. In fact, the Wojtalewiczs don't even have a monopoly on the father-son bit. Another pair, Matt Minich and dad Mike also are in the production.

Family involvement may be one of the requisites for maintaining a community theater in a town that, at first glance, seems too small for such endeavors.

Yet community theater has thrived nearly 30 years in the Watonwan County community of 5,000 residents. Barry Wojtalewicz credits ongoing gumption--"the talents of certain people who have pushed to keep it alive."

That pushing is accompanied by the ongoing challenges of sharing theater facilities with the high school and working with small budgets.

Funding comes from annual donation drives, benefit concerts and prudent pursuit of arts grants. The St. James Theater and Arts Association, which also oversees a thriving children's theater program, works with a budget of $14,000 a year. Of that, $9,000 will be used to stage "South Pacific" and a children's play.

Association President Linda Becken says musicals such as "South Pacific" cost up to $5,000 to produce, with a substantial portion of that going to pay song royalties. Those fees are $1,250, compared to the $300-$400 copyright costs to stage a drama.

"South Pacific," adapted by Rodgers and Hammerstein from two short stories by James Michener, is a World War II tale of two love affairs, one a racially charged relationship between a soldier and a Polynesian girl, the other between a Navy nurse and a French planter.

The St. James company last staged "South Pacific" 20 years ago, which, coincidentally is the age of its director, Josh Carter of St. James. Carter has directed children's plays and a dinner theater production, but this is his first foray into musicals.

He says his concerns early on in rehearsals have vanished, to the point that he can crack wise about it.

"Were the adults going to listen to a 20-year-old? I was a little nervous about that. They say I'm pretty bossy, but they like it."

Barry Wojtalewicz, a building contractor who terms his singing voice as "untrained but strong," previously acted in a community production with his oldest child, a daughter no longer living in St. James. (Editor's note: Ahem, I have a name, Free Press!)

When he appears in "South Pacific" with son Michael, his quest of acting with all his offspring will be two-thirds completed. He wants to complete the cycle by someday acting with his youngest, Joe, who is 16.

He also wants to send the message that it's OK for young males to hit the stage as readily as they hit baseballs and opposing fullbacks.

"I'm a pretty rugged, active guy, and I want to show kids that they have options, that they don't need to just go into sports."

To that end, he may already be succeeding. The cast of "South Pacific" includes about a dozen high school boys.

The St. James Community Theater's production of "South Pacific" will be presented at 7:30pm July 18, 19, 20 at St. James High School.

A Place of Our Own

Even good kids seem to be conspirators at heart. There's something to be said for adventuring into the unknown--testing the limits, breaking the rules even slightly in the hope that we'll find our own secret spot in the world.  For many of us, this was an actual place we built or discovered with friends. Sometimes an abandoned-looking house or lot would suffice, whereas others had the help of a grown-up to make them a legitimate tree fort or clubhouse where they could gather.

I became fixated on the clubhouse in my Berenstain Bears book, No Girls Allowed. I tried to sell my dad on the idea of building me the same elaborate fort but he decided to spend his time making houses for adults instead. (Lame.) In any case, I was pretty good at improvising forts on clotheslines and in garages. Couch cushions could always be put to good use in a friend's basement.

But just as important as the physical space was the creation of the club itself. I've started a few in my day, usually following a theme of alliteration (Busy Bees Club, Krazy Kids Klub--I know, I know). I don't recall membership being anything more exclusive than simply showing up, though there was always one important rule that must be observed: NO ADULTS! Not actually because we were doing something that would get us in trouble (unless rollerskating and making fortune tellers was against the law) but because we lived in a world run by adults and we wanted a place that truly felt like ours alone.

The story of The Secret Garden is very true to this theme. The main character, Mary Lennox, becomes enamored with the idea of finding the secret garden once she learns that it's hidden away on the grounds somewhere and she's explicitly told not to search for it. Once she does finally discover it, the garden becomes a very special place--one she is responsible for bringing back to life, one untouched by the adults who busy themselves with other grown-up matters, one that allows her to connect to nature and to her friends and to herself. Whether we seek out these sorts of special places because we need the escape or we simply want somewhere to be inspired, there seems to be an almost universal appeal amongst children. It should come as little surprise, then, that some of the most beloved characters from children's literature--Pippi Longstocking, Anne of Green Gables, Huckleberry Finn--are driven by this same mischief and wonder, and ultimately, the desire to belong. I'll leave you with the words of Mary Lennox (our favorite literary adventurer), as she sings in "The Girl I Mean to Be":

I need a place where I can go

Where I can whisper what I know

Where I can whisper who I like

and where I go to see them.

I need a place where I can hide

Where no one sees my life inside

Where I can make my plans

and write them down--so I can read them.

A place where I can bid my heart be still,

and it will mind me

A place where I can go when I am lost

and there I'll find me.

I need a place to spend the day

Where no one says to go or stay

Where I can take my pen and draw 

the girl I mean to be.

Maggie Smith and Other Cultural Parallels

When I first revisited The Secret Garden in order to study the historical timeline and themes, I couldn't help but notice how much it had in common with some present-day heavyweights of pop culture. In writing The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett borrowed from some of her own powerful influences--most notably the Bronte sisters, famous for their tales of orphaned children coming of age on the desolate Yorkshire moors (Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights). Burnett's classic has also been compared to Heidi, Oliver Twist, and Great Expectations. More orphans. To be fair, I'm starting to realize that the protagonist in nearly every book of that era was orphaned. Interesting...

In any case, let's cut back to the present. Among the many potential modern day parallels with The Secret Garden, there were two that stuck out to me. The first involves an orphaned English child (interesting) who befriends two other kids as they fight back against ghosts from the past and conjure up magic to defeat the thick-headed adults that stand in their way. If you guessed Harry Potter, 500 points to Gryffindor for you!

Here's a very specific coincidence between Harry Potter and The Secret Garden that I found particularly charming. As some readers will recall, one of the stranger things at Hogwarts School involves portraits that talk and move about at will, despite being confined to their picture frames. Though J.K. Rowling took this to another level in her books, an excerpt from The Secret Garden hints at this bizarre possibility (the Broadway version even used giant picture frames to stage some of the scenes with the dead):

" She opened the door of the room and went into the corridor, and then she began her wanderings. It was a long corridor and it branched into other corridors and it led her up short flights of steps which mounted to others again. There were doors and doors, and there were pictures on the walls. Sometimes they were pictures of dark, curious landscapes, but oftenest they were portraits of men and women in queer, grand costumes made of satin and velvet. She found herself in one long gallery whose walls were covered with those portraits. She had never thought there could be so many in any house. She walked slowly down this place and stared at the faces, which also seemed to stare at her. She felt as if they were wondering what a little girl from India was doing in their house."

The second undeniable of-the-moment parallel to The Secret Garden is the television show, Downton Abbey. In recent years, this British original series made its way to PBS, and thus into the homes of many Americans entranced by its soap opera depiction of life in the post-Edwardian era. The parallels here are often literal--both timeframe and setting collide, as The Secret Garden takes place in 1906 in a Yorkshire country estate and Downton Abbey begins just six years later in... a Yorkshire country estate. The first photo is of the fictional Downton Abbey castle and the second is a still of Misselthwaite Manor from the 1993 film of The Secret Garden. Here's a tour of the neighborhood:

One of the more fascinating parallels is the portrayal of "upstairs downstairs" dynamics in both stories. The enmeshed lives and gossip between the masters of the house and the servants is at the core of why people are drawn to Downton Abbey in the first place. This theme is also central to The Secret Garden, though in less obvious ways. Here's another excerpt from the book, this time illustrating Mary's culture shock upon realizing that the servants of Misselthwaite were not quite so subserviant as those she'd grown accustomed to in India:

"Mary's meals were served regularly, and Martha waited on her, but no one troubled themselves about her in the least. Mrs. Medlock came and looked at her every day or two, but no one inquired what she did or told her what to do. She supposed that perhaps this was the English way of treating children. In India she had always been attended by her Ayah, who had followed her about and waited on her, hand and foot. She had often been tired of her company. Now she was followed by nobody and was learning to dress herself, because Martha looked as though she thought she was silly and stupid when she wanted to have things handed to her and put on."

And if you need some final proof that these three worlds are inextricably linked, look no further than Dame Maggie Smith. As luck would have it, she can be found in all three!

as Dowager Countess of Grantham, Downton Abbey

as Professor Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter

and last but not least, as Mrs. Medlock, The Secret Garden.

Auditions Poster

Official auditions posters for The Secret Garden will be going up around St. James in the coming days. Spread the word to the singers/actors in your life and encourage them to try out.  Special thanks to Joe Wojtalewicz for the beautiful pen and ink artwork!

Behind the Musical Adaptation

How's this for an interesting coincidence? The musical version of The Secret Garden made its Broadway debut on April 25, 1991, at the St. James Theatre. Yes, you read that correctly. Of course it was in New York, not rural Minnesota, but I choose to think it was serendipitous. Based on the 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden musical was a collaboration between writer and lyricist, Marsha Norman, and songwriter Lucy Simon (Carly Simon's older sister, for those of you with memories of the sixties). The production ran on Broadway for a total of 709 performances and closed January 3, 1993. The show won several Tony awards in 1991--"Best Book of a Musical," "Best Scenic Design," and "Best Featured Actress in a Musical," which went to Daisy Eagan for her portrayal of Mary Lennox. Eagan was the youngest female recipient of a Tony Award, as she was only 11 years old at the time. Also rounding out the original Broadway cast were actors Rebecca Luker (Lily), Robert Westenberg (Neville), John Babcock (Colin), Alison Fraser (Martha), John Cameron Mitchell (Dickon), and Mandy Patinkin (Archibald). The award-winning set was designed to resemble an enormous Victorian toy dollhouse:

While the Broadway production is mostly faithful to Burnett's original story, there are a few notable differences between the novel and the musical it inspired. The book focused much of its attention on Mary and her relationship to Dickon, Martha, and Colin. This continues to be an essential part of the musical adaptation, but Norman chose to develop the adult characters further by exploring the complex emotional themes and creating more of a backstory for them. This effort led the playwright to change some of the familial connections--choosing to make Mary's mother, rather than Mary's father, the sibling to Archibald's wife Lily (who is actually named Lilias in the book). In the book, Colin's doctor is portrayed as a distant cousin of Archibald who's mostly a tertiary character, whereas the musical casts Dr. Craven as Archibald's jealous brother in order to add a greater sense of conflict and tension to the story. 

The musical production of The Secret Garden is licensed by Samuel French and has a cast of approximately 24 named characters. In addition to its nine lead and supporting roles, the play makes use of a cast of nine or so "Dreamers," described by the playwright as "people from Mary's life in India, who haunt her until she finds her new life in the course of this story. They are free to sing directly to us, appearing and disappearing at will." These are Mary's family, friends, and servants who died during the cholera epidemic in India, and they act as ghosts of a Greek chorus, narrating the action and moving the story along. 

The original Broadway production boasts 28 songs, as well as a number of short, transitional numbers performed by various "Dreamers" between scenes. For a full list of the songs, including which characters perform them and where in the storyline they occur, you can check out the Wikipedia page. The music ranges from gothic ("The House Upon the Hill," "I Heard Someone Crying") to tender ("A Girl in the Valley," "Race You to the Top of the Morning") to heart-wrenching ("Where In the World," "How Could I Ever Know") to playful ("Show Me the Key," "Wick") to healing ("Hold On," "Come to My Garden"). Though it's hard to pick a favorite, the duet between Archibald and Neville, "Lily's Eyes,"  is largely considered to be the most memorable and moving piece from the show. If you'd like to purchase a copy of The Secret Garden Original Broadway Cast Recording, you can download the album here or order a copy of the CD here. Then stock up on tissues--you're going to need them...

Behind the Story

Hopefully, if you aren't already familiar with The Secret Garden, you've given some serious thought to picking up a copy of the book and reading it for yourself. I highly recommend you do so, as nothing quite compares to the level of detail and imagery captured in the novel. That said, I'm happy to offer some background on this much loved story--its origins and historical context, as well as a summary of the plot itself. Those auditioning for the play will find it helpful and past readers may enjoy this trip down memory lane. But for those of you who'd prefer to be surprised when you come to the performances, you've been warned. Enter at your own risk!

Now that the spoiler alerts are out of the way, let me start by introducing you to our author, Frances Hodgson Burnett. You may already recognize her name if you've read her other children's books, A Little Princess or Little Lord Fauntleroy. Though The Secret Garden is now considered by many to be one of the best children's books of the twentieth century, at the time of her death it was more of a footnote than a success story. In retrospect, many believe it was the fact that The Secret Garden was first published as a serialized story in an adult magazine and only later began to be marketed as a children's novel. In my opinion, this may be why Burnett's story manages to provide layers that appeal to both children and adults. On the surface, it's a charming story about a girl who discovers a mysterious garden and brings it back to life with the help of magic, hard work, and some new friends. And yet, at its core, The Secret Garden is a tale for adults--a study in grief, belief, and redemption.


Plot Summary
Set in 1906, the story opens in India during the British Raj. Ten-year-old Mary Lennox awakens to an empty house and discovers that her parents (along with all of the family's friends and servants) have died of the cholera during the night. She is sent away to Yorkshire, England, to live with her wealthy uncle, Archibald Craven--a man in ill-health whom she has never met. As Mary's parents had long been preoccupied with their own lives, she was raised primarily by servants who tended to give into her demands to keep her quiet. But, upon arriving at Misselthwaite Manor, Mary quickly learns that she'll have to fend for herself--none of the servants care to put up with her "sour" nature and her uncle is so distracted by grief that he scarcely notices her presence.

Upon the urging of her impossibly upbeat maidservant, Martha, Mary eventually decides to explore the vast grounds of the manor as a way to occupy herself. Mary learns the story of how Mrs. Craven died after an accident in one of the estate's walled gardens, causing Mr. Craven to lock the garden door and bury the key in the earth. Mary becomes single-minded in her efforts to find a way into this forgotten garden, and this intensity of focus, along with fresh air and exercise, starts to change her demeanor for the better. She makes friends for the first time in her life--with a similarly stubborn groundskeeper and the spritely Dickon, Martha's younger brother who can speak to the animals and teaches her how to grow flowers of her own. 

Meanwhile, Mary begins to hear strange cries coming through the walls in the mansion. Despite being warned by Mrs. Medlock, the head servant, that she is forbidden to wander the halls or seek out the source of these sounds, Mary's curiosity gets the best of her and she eventually finds herself face to face with Colin, a bed-ridden cousin whom she'd never known to exist. Mary learns that Colin was born only moments before his mother died, causing Archibald so much sorrow that he could not bear to spend time with Colin for fear of having to relive that loss. Aside from a couple of heated stand-offs between Mary and Colin (who were both accustomed to getting their way), the cousins quickly bonded and Mary faithfully came to Colin's bedside to tell him stories of Dickon and the animals.

After some diligent searching, Mary finds the key in the ground and opens the door to the forbidden garden but is disheartened to find it dead. With the encouragement and assistance of Dickon, the two children gradually bring the garden back to life, eventually letting Colin in on their well-kept secret. Mary finally convinces Colin to join them in the garden in his wheelchair, and after repeated trips and a lot of practice, Colin grows healthy in the fresh air, much like his cousin did, and he learns to walk on his own. Colin requests that Dickon and Mary, as well as groundskeeper Ben (who discovers the children together in the garden), keep his miraculous recovery a secret until his father returns. Archibald, who has taken to leaving the manor for long periods in the hope of escaping the haunting memories of his wife, finally returns to the mansion following a dream where Lilias appears to him and urges he'll find her "in the garden." Upon walking through the open door of her garden, Archibald stumbles onto the children playing there. Colin rushes into his arms, and the reunited family walks up to the house together, much to the delight and awe of the staff who see Colin walking for the first time.


Still hungry for more?
If you'd like to go deeper down the rabbit hole of The Secret Garden, the internet is full of great resources. You can find a Spark Notes edition that goes into depth about the novel and its author, including literary themes and character analysis. You might also consider checking out The Annotated Secret Garden, which has a lot of interesting detail about the story and includes great illustrations plucked from the many iterations of the novel.

Finally, you can always go the route of checking out The Secret Garden through film. There are several options to choose from here, but I'd recommend the 1993 version--it's the most recent, it's well-acted, and it's pretty faithful to the original story. As with many book-to-movie adaptations, there are a few changes--most notably that Mary's parents die in an earthquake rather than from the cholera--but the essential ingredients are all there. Here's a trailer for the 1993 version. See you again soon!

Why The Secret Garden?

When I was around ten, my parents gave me a beautiful illustrated edition of The Secret Garden. I had always loved reading, but most of the books I'd devoured up until that point had "Babysitter's Club" in the title and were forgotten almost as quickly as I had finished them. There was something different with The Secret Garden. To this day, it remains one of the only novels I've returned back to again and again. In the years that followed, I would faithfully dig it out at the end of the long winter, hungry to revisit the awakening garden and remind myself of the promise of spring. Interestingly, when I ask people if they've read The Secret Garden, I usually get one of two answers--either they've never heard of it or it's one of their favorite books from childhood. I'd love to hear what the book meant to you in the comments section below!

Though it was written in 1911 and read by generations of kids by the time it got to me (my own mother read the book as a child after her mother recommended it to her), The Secret Garden enjoyed a renaissance in 1987 when the copyright expired and publishers released multiple editions of the book, introducing many new readers for the first time. This resurgence led to several film adaptations, as well as the Broadway musical in 1991. By 1992, The Secret Garden was playing at the Ordway in St. Paul and my parents brought me to see it just in time for my 13th birthday. I was immediately smitten. To this day, I have only met one other person (aside from my parents) who has seen the musical version of The Secret Garden. Most people have no idea it even exists in this form.  Despite winning several Tony awards, it simply fell out of public consciousness after a few years and seems to have become as much a "secret" as its namesake. Lucky for you, that's about to change! In an effort to introduce you to a few of the beautiful, haunting songs from The Secret Garden, below is a video clip taken from the 1991 Tony Awards. Introduced by none other than Julie Andrews, the following offers a glimpse into the Broadway production. In the coming days, check back for more discussion of both the novel and the musical itself.  Enjoy!

How to Navigate This Blog

Welcome! Here's a little introduction on finding your way around this blog. When I volunteered to direct The Secret Garden for the St. James Adult Community Theater this summer, I decided it might be nice to have a home for any and all information associated with the production.  To your right, you'll find links to some helpful pages on auditions, volunteering as a crew member, purchasing tickets, and keeping up with our whereabouts around the community.  Here you'll also find some background about our history of community theater in St. James, as well as my own path to becoming a director.

This blog will be a place you can refer back to throughout the coming months, as we'll be posting teasers and behind the scenes stories as rehearsals unfold and preparations get underway.  I'll also use this as an opportunity to introduce those less familiar to the story of The Secret Garden and the wonderful themes and characters that lie within its walls. This may include interesting facts about the novel's origins and historical context, as well as stories about how the beautiful Broadway adaptation came to be. The blog entries will always be written by the director, and I'll attempt to make it informative and entertaining.

We'd encourage you to share your favorite posts with your friends and family online by using the social media "buttons" located beneath each blog entry. It's my intention that our production truly be a community endeavor in terms of recruiting local talent on and offstage, but also in engaging with the community through less obvious ways--participating in outside events, cultivating followers through social media, and even asking folks to quite literally help in constructing a "community garden" set for the stage. Stay tuned over the coming months to see what we have in store!