Audition Date: May 22
Berkshire Theatre Group seeks non-Equity male and female identifying actors to audition for their special enhanced concert production The Secret Garden: Spring Version slated for July 29 and July 30, 2023. Rehearsals July 17 through July 29. Roles are open to actors of all ethnicities ages 11 to early 40s. Auditions and callbacks will be held on Monday, May 22, 2023, from 4-9pm at the Colonial Theatre. Appointments are necessary to audition and must be made no later than May 18, 2023.
BTG Secret Garden 2023 Character Breakdowns
Mary Lennox: Female-identifying actor to play 12. Mezzo-soprano. Sent to live with her uncle in England when her parents die of cholera in India. Stubborn to a fault (worthy of the “mistress Mary quite contrary” nursery rhyme), but grows to be curious, open, affectionate, and strong.
Colin Craven: Male-identifying actor to play 12. Tenor/young male voice. Mary’s cousin, who has been kept a secret from her and most people at Misselthwaite because he’s believed to have a dangerous heart condition. When we meet Colin, he is even more petulant, stubborn, rude, and entitled than we’ve seen Mary to be. Over the course of the show, however, and through Mary’s friendship, Colin is transformed, literally and figuratively.
Lily Craven: Female-identifying actor to play late twenties/thirties. High soprano (Bb3-D6). The spirit of Colin’s dead mother (and Archibald’s dead wife). Truly loved both Archibald and Colin and wants things to be set right at Misselthwaite.
Archibald Craven: Male identifying to play late thirties/early forties. Baritone. Mary’s uncle, Colin’s father, and the Lord of Misselthwaite manor. He is haunted by his late wife’s death, and locks Colin, the garden, and himself away. Over the course of the play, he is set free, literally, and metaphorically, through his connection with Mary.
Dr. Neville Craven: Male identifying to play late thirties/early forties. Archibald’s brother and a doctor, responsible for the care and keeping of Colin. Was in love with Lily as well and is therefore haunted by her death in a different way. At the start of the play, he controls Archibald, Colin, and most of Misselthwaite behind the scenes.
Mrs. Medlock: Female identifying to play late forties/early fifties; vocal range flexible. Misselthwaite Manor’s loyal housekeeper. Cold, exacting, and traditional.
Martha: Female identifying to play 18-25. Mezzo-Soprano belt. A novice housemaid at Misselthwaite. Sunny and down-to-earth demeanor. She is the first person to call Mary out on her stubbornness and entitlement, and it’s largely through her that Mary (Colin, Archibald, the garden, and the whole community) are transformed.
Dickon: Male identifying to play 16-25. Tenor, D3-G4. Martha’s younger brother, who helps with the plants and animals on the Misselthwaite grounds. Serves as Mary’s connection to the natural world and is therefore also a huge part of her transformation. There might also be something magic about him…
Ben Weatherstaff: Male identifying. Flexible age range. Head gardener at Misselthwaite. At first he clings to tradition and rules, but we find out he’s been taking care of Lily’s garden in secret the whole time. Eventually, he’s basically part of the “gang.”
Male-identifying, “Adult” Chorus: Strong voices to play a range of “adult” roles, including the spirit of Mary’s father, army officers, ship passengers, etc.
Female-identifying, “adult” chorus: Strong voices to play a range of “adult” roles, including the spirit of Mary’s mother, the headmistress of a boarding school, ship passengers, etc.
Teenage Chorus: ages 11-18. Singers who make up the “chorus” of the “spring” version of Secret Garden. These actors might be “reading” the book as the action of the play unfolds, and they’ll participate in certain scenes as garden spirits/sprites or travelers.
This special presentation of the beloved musical The Secret Garden: Spring Version is a new Broadway adaptation of the acclaimed Broadway musical abridged for younger audiences that is as beautiful and spirited as the original. This enchanting classic of children’s literature of hope and perseverance is reimagined in brilliant musical style by composer Lucy Simon and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman directed by Katie Birenboim with musical direction by Jacob Kerzner. Performance Dates: July 29 at 2pm & 7pm; July 30 at 2pm at The Colonial Theatre. Rehearsals: July 17 through July 29.
All auditions on May 22, 2023, will take place at:
The Colonial Theatre
111 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
Appointments are necessary to audition. To schedule an audition time slot or for further information, please email allison@berkshiretheatre.org . Actors should prepare 16 bars of their own material and come with their own sheet music. Pre-registration will be required.
Farah Alvin, Jaygee Mapugay and the cast of Working A Musical, 2019. Photo by Emma K. Rothenberg-Ware.
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