'Secret Garden' opens tomorrow

Audiences can share a lifeaffirming secret with the players when the Rogers Children's Theatre opens The Secret Garden on February 23. Based on the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, this charming play - full of rich characterizations, tender moments, and humor - tells the tale of two lonely children who discover that the key to happiness is caring for others. The play runs for two weekends - February 23- 25 and March 2-4.

The dismal moors of England, where the orphaned child Mary Lennox goes to live with her indifferent uncle, provide the gloomy initial setting. There Mary discovers an ailing, immobile cousin hidden away in the manor house. With the help of a local boy, these two emotionally deprived children discover and restore a hidden garden and learn to cultivate their own happiness.

This powerful play appeals to both adults and children, who can all revel in the movement from the loneliness of winter to the loveliness of spring in the secret garden and in the hearts of the children. As one critic put it, The Secret Garden is a heartwarming, character-driven play touched by melancholy at its most beautiful, with redemption and love at its core."

Playwright Sylvia Ashby will be in the audience on opening night and will join the cast, crew, families, and theater-goers at a party after the show, honoring Ms. Ashby and celebrating The Secret Garden, the last production of the Rogers Children's Theatre's 2006-2007 season.

DeAnna Hargove, education director for the Tyler Civic Theatre Center, directs The Secret Garden, with Ray Deal, Caitlin Dean, and Audrey Tarbutton as producers.

Eleven-year-old Hayley Spires plays Mary Lennox, who finds the secret garden. Russell McCook plays Mary's cousin Colin Craven, who becomes her fast friend. Robert Carter takes the role of Colin's father.

The members of the local Appleby family are all played by newcomers to the Rogers stage: Shannon Line (Mrs. Appleby); Alyssa Whitmire (daughter Martha); and Vincent Cottingham (son Dickon). Also a part of the family is Maggie, Dickon's rescued baby rabbit, played by a real pet bunny belonging to Kailey Cotter.

Karen Mayo-Albrecht will por tray Mrs. Medlock, the Craven's housekeeper, and Kirk Hart will make his TCTC debut as the gardner Ben Weatherstaff. Ray Deal and Susan Gage, both veterans of TCTC stages, play Doctor Spencer and Nurse Grey respectively.

Understudies for the two major roles are Caroline Lux for Mary and Christian Carter for Colin.

Evening performances for The Secret Garden begin at 7:00 p.m. Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. in the Rogers Children's Theatre in the Tyler Civic Theatre Center, 400 Rose Park Drive at the corner of West Front Street.

Tickets cost $10 for adults and $8 for children and may be purchased on site or via the Center's website. For more information, call 903-592-0561 or log in to www.tylercivic theatre.com.