Cloud County Community College’s theatre department is taking its upcoming production to a virtual level.
The musical, “The Secret Garden,” is scheduled to be performed virtually Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Oct. 4 at 3 p.m.
The musical was originally scheduled for the spring 2020 semester, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person classes at the college, the performance was moved to the fall. To adhere to social distancing guidelines, the decision was made to stage the performance virtually.
The play, based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is set in the early 1900s. Mary Lennox, a young English girl born in India, is orphaned by a cholera outbreak when she is 10 years old. She is sent to live with her uncle, a hermit, in England. Her own personality blossoms as she and a young gardener bring new life to a neglected garden, as well as her sickly cousin and uncle.
Mary Lennox will be played by Genevieve Demanett, a student at Concordia Middle School.
The remaining cast members are:
Lily Craven: Jaina Alexander, CCCC artist in residence, Chicago, Ill.
Archibald Craven: Brandon Galm, CCCC speech and English instructor, Concordia
Mary Lennox: Genevieve Demanette, Concordia Middle School, Concordia
Colin Craven: Leathen Stevenson; Concordia Junior-Senior High School, Concordia
Dickon: Zachary Wohlbrandt, CCCC graduate, Springdale, Ark.
Martha: Olivia Hart, Concordia Junior-Senior High School, Concordia
Dr. Craven: Phillip Shirkey, Concordia Junior-Senior High School, Concordia
Mrs. Medlock: Rachael Wood, CCCC graduate and currently a student at K-State, Washington
Ben: Dexter Buss, Concordia
Mrs. Winthrop/Nurse: Rusti Basett, CCCC student, Fairbury, Neb.
The play is directed by CCCC speech and theatre instructor Violette Kjeldgaard, and is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French In., a Concordia Theatricals Company. Music Director is Christopher Langsford, CCCC music instructor. Krista Bryant is the pianist.
While there is no charge to “attend” the performance, a $5 donation is suggested. Information on how to donate and register for a performance can be found on the theatre department’s webpage, www.cloud.edu/theatre.
Once patrons register for a performance, they will receive an email with the link to watch, as well as the playbill.