Francis Hodgeson Burnett’s novel The Secret Garden was originally released between 1910 and 1911 as a serialization in The American Magazine.

The Secret Garden tells the story of Mary Lennox, a young orphan girl who brings life and love back to the world of her widowed uncle Archie. With its poetic imagery and proverbial themes of grief, renewal, nature and the healing power of love, this seemingly simple tale immediately resonated with it’s Edwardian readers. Soon after its publication as a complete novel in 1911, it quickly became one of the most popular pieces in the canon of literature for young readers.

Over a century later The Secret Garden continues to be ranked as one of the greatest books ever written for children. In 2012 it ranked No. 15 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal.  In many schools across the globe it remains required reading for students from elementary school through young adulthood.

In addition to its multiple republishings, it has been reimagined in numerous film and stage adaptations, including this 1991 musical version with book and lyrics by Marsha Norman and music by Lucy Simon (sister of singer Carly Simon).

Though some of the historic elements of the story have been recently criticized when viewed through a contemporary lens (particularly the selective memory of British Colonialism and class distinctions), others have argued that the character Mary’s selfish entitlement at the beginning of the novel is actually the author’s criticism of the very same things. In the novel, young Mary’s journey to understanding that all life and nature and people are connected and must be nurtured equally may be proof that Francis Hodgeson Burnett was subtly but clearly ahead of her time. Perhaps this is part of the enduring, universal power of this work.

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” 

― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

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— Dave Tinney

Kelsey is excited to be back on the HCT stage, her most recent role was that of Young Eponine in this season’s production of Les Misérables. Her Hale Center Theater Orem credits include: Blink (Young Sarah), Matilda (Matilda Wormwood), and A Christmas Carol (Little Fan/Carol Cratchit/Want). 

Honored to be back on the Centre Stage; Olivia was recently seen as Young Eponine in this season’s production of Les Misérables. Her other HCT credits include Little Fan/Harriet Cratchit/Want in 2020’s A Christmas Carol, Lee Lee in 2017’s A Bundle of Trouble and Hortensia in Matilda.

Recently seen as Young Tarzan in 2020’s Tarzan Blake’s credits also include: HCT - Freaky Friday (Fletcher); HCTO- Matilda (Bruce) and Newsies (Les); and SCERA- The Wizard of Oz (Munchkin). Blake is a 7th grader who sings with Rise Up Children’s Choir and Amplify Choir, loves to play baseball and guitar, and hang out with his friends and family. 

Toby is honored to be returning to the HCT stage for such a special production. Previous shows at Hale include Tarzan (Young Tarzan), My Son Pinocchio (Pinocchio), Freaky Friday (Fletcher), and A Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim). TV/Film credits include Darling Companion and Mosaic, commercials for IHC, Go Hibernate, and the Church of Jesus Christ, as well as a handful of music videos with Gentri, RUCC, and himself. 

Keith is delighted to be back on the HCT stage. His favorite HCT credits include - Bright Star (Jimmy Ray Dobbs), The Scarlet Pimpernel (Percy Blakeney), The Music Man (Harold Hill), Ghost: The Musical (Sam Wheat), and Catch Me If You Can (Frank Abegnale, Jr.) as well as In The Heights (Benny) at Hale Center Theatre Orem. 

Quinn was recently seen in our recent production of Les Misérables. Other HCT credits include: Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical (Wally Strand), The Scarlet Pimpernel (Chauvelin), The Heart of Robin Hood (Robert Summen), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Adam Pontipee), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Gaston), and The Little Mermaid (Chef Louis).

Brittany’s credits include: HCT - A Tale of Two Cities (Lucie Manette); WVC Arts - Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Armelia); BYU - l'Elisir d'Amore (Adina); in addition, she was a featured performer for Governor Herbert's annual Gala, and was a featured soloist at The Stadium of Fire in 2016. She has a bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance from BYU and works as an Actress, Model, Singer and Aesthetician. 

Thrilled to be back on the HCT stage, Lisa’s HCT credits include: Murder on the Orient Express, Phantom, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and Brigadoon. Other favorite credits include: HCTO - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Sense and Sensibility; University of Utah - 

Making her HCT debut! Erica’s credits include: UVU - 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy Park), Urinetown The Musical (Little Becky Two Shoes), and I and You (Caroline); and Les Miserables as Eponine.  She is currently getting her BFA in Musical Theater at UVU and an Associates in Dance

McKelle is excited to be back on the HCT stage; her credits include Les Miserables (Ensemble), Seussical (Mrs. Mayor), My Son Pinocchio (Rosa), A Bundle of Trouble, and Big River. She has appeared on many local stages, including Sundance Summer Theater, HCTO, UVU, SCERA, and various arts councils.

Bryan is thrilled to be making his HCT debut! Some of his favorite credits include Little Women (Theodore Laury Laurence II), West Side Story (Tony), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Zebulon). 

Delighted to be returning to HCT, audiences will remember Ben as Bert in last year’s production of Mary Poppins. HCT credits include: Seussical, An American in Paris, Beauty and the Beast, Big River, The Little Mermaid, Catch Me If You Can, and our 2014 production of Mary Poppins. 

Audiences will remember Kelton as Charles Darnay in this year’s A Tale of Two Cities; his other HCT credits include Murder on the Orient Express (Samuel Ratchett/James Arbuthnot), Cinderella (Jean-Michelle), and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Other favorite stage credits include: Sweeney Todd (Judge Turpin) with Actor’s Repertory Theatre Ensemble; 

Alex is thrilled to be back on the HCT stage; he was recently seen in our production of A Tale of Two Cities as Gaspard. Other notable credits include: HCT - The Pirate Queen; Pleasant Grove Players - She Loves Me (Georg); Midvale Main Street Theater - Daddy Long Legs; HCTO - Jane Eyre; Tuacahn - Les Misérables. 

Since its opening, Mark has spent most of his time doing shows at Hale Center Theatre Orem - even performing with founder Ruth and Nathan Hale in the early years. He’s enjoyed a long list of notable characters from Bob Cratchit to Professor Higgins and many in between. His recent credits include Emma: The Musical (Mr. Woodhouse) at HCTO and Tarzan (Porter) at HCT. 

Jeff is excited to be back at HCT, having performed previously as Uncle Fester in The Addams Family. His credits include: HCT - Newsies (Mr. Wiesel), Ragtime (Grandfather) and She Loves Me (Ladislav); 

Jayne was most recently seen on the HCT stage in Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical. Her credits include: HCT - The Addams Family, Steel Magnolias and Sister Act; HCTO - The Importance of Being Earnest, The Addams Family and In the Heights; Creekside Theatre Festival - Pride and Prejudice; 

Thrilled to be back on the HCT stage; Her favorite credits include: A Tale of Two Cities, Murder on the Orient Express, Steel Magnolias, Tuck Everlasting, Don’t Drink The Water, Is He Dead?, Arsenic and Old Lace, Oliver!, Noises Off, My Fair Lady spanning HCT, CenterPoint Legacy Theatre, The Grand Theatre, and Rodgers Memorial Theatre. 

Excited to be back on the HCT stage, Lauren was most recently seen in this season’s production of Les Misérables. Additional stage credits include: Belle/Laundress (A Christmas Carol) at HCT; Belle (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast) at Scera Outdoor Theatre; and Ariel (The Little Mermaid) at HCTO. Lauren holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from BYU.

Our audiences will remember Jessica as Lucie Manette in A Tale of Two Cities. Her favorite stage credits include: Les Misérables (Cosette) and A Christmas Carol (Belle/Laundress) with HCT; Little Women (Meg/Clarissa) with HCTO; The King-Final Hours (Priscilla Presley) in NYC; and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Belle). 

Making his HCT debut! Ryan comes to HCT with an impressive resume including CATS (Skimbleshanks), Beauty and the Beast (Young Prince/Doormat), and West Side Story (Riff) on Broadway and on National Tours and regional favorites such as Singin’ In the Rain (Cosmo), Shrek (Lord Farquaad), The Music Man (Harold Hill), Mary Poppins (Bert), and A Christmas Carol (Scrooge).

Justin is glad to be back on the Centre Stage! Recently in this season’s production of A Tale of Two Cities, other favorite credits include: on stage with HCT - Phantom, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Music Man; the musical director with HCTO - Thoroughly Modern Millie, Tuck Everlasting, Newsies, Anything Goes, Les Misérables, and Hello, Dolly!. 

Making his HCT debut! Daron’s favorite credits include Big River with the Terrace Plaza Playhouse. He has a BS and MBA in Information Systems from Utah State University.  He works as a Technical Director at Health Catalyst.

Making his HCT Debut! Nathan is honored to be a part of this production of The Secret Garden. Other favorite stage credits include: The Little Mermaid (Prince Eric), Parade (Young Soldier), Jane Eyre (St. John Rivers), and The Secret Garden (Fakir). 

Making her debut on the Hale Centre Theatre Stage! Amishi is an accomplished vocalist. She lends talents to A&A Bollypop - mashup covers of popular Bollywood and American Pop songs, which can be found on YouTube. “You must do the things you think you cannot do” - Eleanor Roosevelt

A fresh face to Hale Centre Theatre; Aarushi is thrilled to be a part of the company of The Secret Garden. She is currently a Junior at The University of Utah, majoring in Biology, and sings a combination of Indian Classical and Western Pop music. “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Recently seen in our production of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical; other favorite performing credits include: HCT - The Addams Family, An American in Paris, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Music Man; Murray Arts Council- Jimmy (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Enoch Snow (Carousel) and Louis (West Side Story); and BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble Touring Company; 

Thrilled to be on the HCT stage once again, Josh was recently part of our production of Les Misérables.  Other favorite credits include: Hale Centre Theatre - Tarzan; Ziegfeld Theatre - Bright Star; Noorda Center for the Arts - Fly More Than You Fall; 

Christian’s favorite stage credits include: Hale Centre Theatre- Bright Star (Man 2/Dr. Nordquist), Cinderella, and The Music Man (Marcellus Washburn); Lyric Repertory Company-Big River (Tom Sawyer), Charlotte’s Web (Wilbur); Good Company Theatre: Pirated! (Sgt. Wetzel); CPT: Holiday Inn (Ted Hanover) and West Side Story (Diesel); WSU: Sunday in the Park With George (George). 

Excited to be back on the HCT stage, Jimmy’s favorite credits include: HCT - Freaky Friday (Wells); BYU - Rump (Frederick); Covey Center - Ordinary Days (Warren); and has been part of the BYU Young Ambassadors since 2019.  

Landon’s Hale Centre credits include Les Misérables, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Other credits include: Beverly’s Terrace Plaza Playhouse - Jekyll and Hyde (Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde), The Scarlet Pimpernel (Chauvelin), Footloose (Ren McCormick); and Centerpoint Legacy Theater in Hairspray.  

Carson was recently seen in our production of Les Misérables. Other credits include: Hale Centre Theatre- Bright Star (Dr. Nordquist/Ensemble), Cinderella (Fox/Footman), Les Misérables (Courfeyrac), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Father Dupin); BYU-The Count of Monte Cristo (Mr. Morrell), a U.S. Premier! 

Andrew returns to our stage with an impressive list of credits including RENT, West Side Story, AIDA, The Little Mermaid, Once On This Island, and Brigadoon with experience spanning theatres all over Utah and Northern California. When not on stage he works in Customer Service at Shop Hero. “No day but today and live life with no regrets, Love is Love and smile every day.

Making his HCT debut, Nathan comes to us with an exciting list of credits including In the Heights (Usnavi), You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Charlie Brown), and Hairspray (Edna Turnblad). He is studying Music Dance Theater at Brigham Young University.

Claire’s stage credits include: HCT- The Play That Goes Wrong (Sandra/Florence Colleymoore), Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical (Shirley Hastings), and The Addams Family(Alice Beineke); HCTO- Tuck Everlasting (Betsy Foster), and A Christmas Carol (Mrs. Cratchit). In addition, Claire is a two-time Tony Award-winning producer for Hadestown and Once on This Island. 

Michelle is thrilled to be returning to the HCT stage.  Her HCT credits include: Mary Poppins (Winifred Banks), Cinderella (Marie), An American In Paris (Madame Baurel), Tuck Everlasting (Mae Tuck), Joseph…Dreamcoat (Mrs. Potiphar), Curtains (Georgia), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Miss Dorothy), A Tale of Two Cities, Ragtime, Crazy For You, and The Pirates of Penzance. 

Making her HCT debut! Alicia’s credits include: Theaterworks - Anything Goes (Hope Harcourt); Mesa Encore Theatre - Into the Woods (Rapunzel); Arizona Regional Theatre - Songs for a New World (Ensemble); Flagstaff Music Theatre - Guys and Dolls (Adelaide); and Scottsdale Community College - Pippin (Fastrada). 

Honored to be back on the Centre Stage; Stage credits for Jennifer include: HCT - Phantom (Fleure), The Scarlet Pimpernel, Beauty and The Beast (Madame de la Grande Bouche), and The Pirates of Penzance (Mable); Desert Star Playhouse - Law and Disorder; Sandbox Productions - Little Shop of Horrors; HCT/Sundance - The Sound of Music.  

On the HCT stage: A Tale of Two Cities, Bright Star (Mama Murphy), Tuck Everlasting (Betsy Foster), A Christmas Carol (Mrs. Cratchit), The Heart of Robin Hood (Lady Falconbury), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Mrs. Hoallum), Big (Mrs. Baskin), Fiddler on the Roof (Shaindel), The Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Pirate Queen; SLAC: Saturday’s Voyeur 2019; 

Joanna comes to our stage with an impressive list of credits, including the National Tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Charlotte), two seasons at Tuacahn, which included Sister Act (Sister Mary Patrick), Pioneer Theatre Company in Elf, as well as performances in Maldon, England in The Pirates of Penzance (Ruth) and 1776 as Abigail Adams.  

Helena is making her HCT debut! Her favorite credits include Smile (Doria Hudson) with Stagedoor Manor, Songs for a New World (Ensemble) with the University of Utah, and Fun Home (Medium Alison) with Renegade Theatre Company.  

Aitana is excited to be back on the HCT Centre Stage! HCT credits include: this season’s A Tale of Two Cities and 2017’s AIDA. She graduated from Brigham Young University with her BA in Theatre Art Studies. She’s a Singer/Songwriter and was on Dinah Jane’s first tour as a music arranger and backup singer.

For Hale Centre Theatre, Dave has previously directed Guys and Dolls, Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, Disney’s Tarzan, Disney’s Mary Poppins, Bright Star, Seussical, The Addams Family, Cinderella, Matilda, An American in Paris, The Wizard of Oz, Wait Until Dark, Newsies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, AIDA, The Heart of Robin Hood, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Sister Act, The Pirate Queen, Peter and the Starcatcher, She Loves Me, Hello, Dolly!, The Drowsy Chaperone, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Zorro the Musical, and Oliver!,. He most recently appeared on stage as Carl Hanratty in HCT’s production of Catch Me If You Can.

Lindsey D. Smith is excited to be on board at HCT with her last show being GUYS AND DOLLS (Assistant Choreographer). She spent 5 years as a Radio City Rockette where she toured to over 50 cities and kicked at Radio City Music Hall. At Walt Disney World, she is a choreographer for Disney Event Group and a teaching artist for the Disney Performing Arts Dance Program. As a performer, she danced in Beauty and the Beast Live Onstage, the seasonal Halloween production of Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, and other special events.

Kelly is one of the most sought-after Music Directors along the Wasatch Front. His talent and skills have been instrumental in the success of many of our productions, with the most recent being Always...Patsy Cline, Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, Disney’s Tarzan, Disney’s Mary Poppins, Bright Star, Seussical, Freaky Friday, An American in Paris, AIDA, Forever Plaid, Sister Act, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Peter and the Starcatcher, Big Fish, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, GHOST the Musical, Catch Me If You Can, and Mary Poppins. 

Susan was born and raised in Irvine, California and holds a BA in Stage Management from Brigham Young University. Her recent credits include: Production Stage Manager of Les Miserables, Bright Star and Disney’s Tarzan at Hale Centre Theatre; Production Assistant of Into the Woods at the Hollywood Bowl; Utah Vocal Arts Academy’s Don Giovanni; 

Kacey is the Creative Director and Resident Scenic Designer at Hale Centre Theatre. He has designed over 100 productions at HCT and loves the challenge of working on our unique stages. Kacey oversaw many of the design aspects of the new building in Sandy and feels fortunate to be able to design on the stages that he helped create. His designs for Les Misérables, Tarzan, The Pirate Queen, A Tale of Two Cities, The Little Mermaid, Matilda, and Tuck Everlasting are among his favorites. 

As an accomplished artist and associate Designer, Madeline’s work was recently seen in our productions of Guys and Dolls, Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, Disney’s Tarzan, Million Dollar Quartet, Baz Lurhman’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Bright Star, Seussical, Matilda, and Cinderella. 

Previous HCT Costume Design credits include A Tale of Two Cities, Murder on the Orient Express, The Addams Family, An American In Paris, Tuck Everlasting, and My Son Pinocchio along with Joseph...Dreamcoat in 2017. She holds a BA from Hainan University in Fashion and Leather Products Design, and an MFA from Utah State University in Costume Design. Joy also designed for UST’s Candida, and was OLR’s Costume Designer for Game of Love and Chance.

Jaron has been the resident Lighting Designer for the oldest operating summer theater in the nation: The Cape Playhouse, where his credits include Little Shop of Horrors, The Importance of Being Earnest, Deathtrap, Clue, Altar Boyz, Steel Magnolias, Art, Red, The Foreigner, Murder for Two. 

Michelle has always loved telling stories. Being Hawaiian has helped her gain experience in events from a young age. She decided to dive into finding out more about sound and how it functions. This path led her to her MFA in Sound for the Performing Arts from Purdue University.

Michelle is extremely passionate about details, research, beautiful and interesting “things,” anything to do with flowers, and opening packages. She recently designed her 80th show with our production of Guys and Dolls; 

Krissa has been with HCT for a number of years, and has designed hair and make-up for A Tale of Two Cities, Bright Star, Seussical, Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, An American in Paris, AIDA, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, She Loves Me, and Peter and the Starcatcher. 

Previous HCT credits include Projection Designer for Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, Disney’s Tarzan, Murder on the Orient Express, Million Dollar Quartet, Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Bright Star, Seussical, The Addams Family, Cinderella, Freaky Friday, Matilda and video content for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Daddy Long Legs. 

Nick was born and raised in San Diego, CA and began working professionally in live entertainment right out of high school for Carnival Cruise Lines. He then spent the last decade working for Disney Parks Live Entertainment designing and programming complex show control and automation systems for major productions and attractions such as Frozen, Live at the Hyperion, Fantasmic!, Disneyland Firework Spectaculars, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, & Star Wars Rise of the Resistance.