The students will be joined by an all-student, full pit orchestra when the school’s drama club presents the musical at 7 p.m. April 9-11 in the high school auditorium. There are just as many students backstage who were responsible for designing and building all of the sets, props and costumes, director Ben Cossitor said.

This year’s musical has more drama and depth to it than previous years, giving students an opportunity to stretch their acting skills more than they have in the past, Cossitor said.

The enchanting children’s literature classic is reimagined in a brilliant style by composer Lucy Simon and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman, Cossitor said.

The story takes place in the early 1900s in Yorkshire, England, and has a lot of tragedy in it, he said.

Director Ben Cossitor and assistant director Michele Dugan speak with the cast and crew of “The Secret Garden” during a rehearsal Tuesday in the Altoona Area High School auditorium. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

The main character, Mary Lennox, portrayed by freshman Lila Eamigh, was orphaned in India and returns to Yorkshire to live with her reclusive uncle, Archibald Craven, and his disabled son, Colin, after her parents died.

According to Cossitor, Archibald, who’s portrayed by senior Owen Carmel, is also dealing with grief; stuck in a state of depression while mourning the loss of his wife, Lily.

After Mary befriends her maid, Martha, portrayed by Krug, she discovers the secret garden, which eventually leads to the characters healing and learning to become a family, he said.

“That’s kind of the beauty of the story,” Cossitor said. “I knew it would be a challenge for the kids to be able to explore characters like that.”

The students have been in rehearsal since January and have risen to meet that challenge, he said, noting the set crew has been working behind the scenes since November.

Krug, who is also the club’s president, said she’s done all of the school’s musicals since her freshman year and none have been more rewarding to perform than “The Secret Garden.”

“This is my favorite show that I’ve been in, and I’m not just saying that because it’s (my) senior year,” she said. “I’ve genuinely really enjoyed this show the most. It’s a great story and a great cast, and I am glad that I’m leaving on this show.”

That sentiment was shared by Carmel, who said the cast and crew are “quite the family” who work hard to ensure the production is the best it can be.

“This is a great one to go out on,” Carmel said, adding the story is “very relatable and true.”

“I think anyone who comes to watch it will be able to find themselves in one of the characters,” he said. “I think they’ll be able to apply what the characters learn to their own lives, and it will be very touching for a lot of people.”

Carmel said he lost a “very important person” in his life not too long ago, which made the start of rehearsals difficult as he kept drawing a lot of parallels to the character.

However, playing Archibald has been “a really rewarding journey so far,” he said, adding people are going to love the show.

Cossitor said he thinks so, too.

“This show has beautiful music to it. It’s a more classic kind of Broadway sound than the more pop kind of music that we’ve done with the shows in recent years,” he said.

The show doesn’t have a lot of big, splashy dance numbers, but the choreography comes in how the set pieces are incorporated into the story, Cossitor said.

“The scene changes actually happen while the song is being sung or while the scene is being played by these ghosts that are kind of following Mary in the story,” he said. “It kind of adds a really interesting element to the show that you don’t always see.”

Cossitor also noted the students have put in countless hours of work transporting the school’s auditorium to exotic India, the majestic Misselthwaite Manor and the surrounding English moors and gardens.

Senior Attison Batten is the student director in charge of the crew.

“Backstage, I’m usually running around, making sure cues are set and ready,” Batten said. “If anyone has any questions or issues, they usually come to me.”

The show has a lot of moving parts that are complicated to pull off, but it all comes together to make a gorgeous show visually, Batten said.

Stage managers Ruth Cron and Theo Kessling are both immensely helpful to Batten, he said, noting they “take a big load off my shoulders” from each side of the stage.

It’s not just the stage crew helping him out, Batten said, adding a lot of actors are backstage helping with the process, notably seniors, who have taken on leadership roles within the club.

“I’m very grateful to have such a good community to learn alongside with,” Batten said. “Every department of this show oozes talent and passion, and I’m grateful to be part of such a good show.”

Cossitor said the students also appreciate the support of the district’s administration and board of directors, who created a set design course that allows students to work during the school day.

That, in itself, is a huge opportunity for the students, Cossitor said, noting it opens up a lot of doors for the students to have more time to practice.

“It’s not always just money. A lot of times it’s, how much time do we have to work with these kids to pull this off,” Cossitor said. “Having that (class) is one of the reasons that we’re able to do what we do.”

Tickets for the show can be purchased online at www.altoonaasd.booktix.com. The cost is $5 for students and $10 for adults, plus online processing fees. Tickets are reserved seating and will also be available in advance in the high school’s student store and at the door 45 minutes prior to each performance.

Cast

Lily Craven — Gabrielle Beldin

Mary Lennox — Lila Eamigh

Fakir — Amina Lee

Ayah — Marissa Rosas

Rose Lennox — Lydia Wise

Captain Albert Lennox — Dylan Hawksworth

Lieutenant Peter Wright — Liam Diehl

Lieutenant Ian Shaw — Matthew Coble

Major Holmes — Dominic Sparacino

Claire Holmes — Vivian Markley

Alice — Abigail Burchfield

Major Shelley — Joshua Howard

Mrs. Shelley — Diviney Zolna

Archibald Craven — Owen Carmel

Dr. Neville Craven — Logan Schaffer

Mrs. Medlock — Samarra Wertz

Martha — Camille Krug

Dickon — Greg Wenzel

Ben Weatherstaff — Gaby Sparacino

Colin Craven — Logan Espigh

Jane — Maura Thompson

Mrs. Winthrop — Hailey Hamilton

Dreamers Ensemble

Novalee Beard, Payton Freet, Hailey Hamilton, Emma Haraburda, Robert Hartz, Aubrey Huber, Kallie Kunkle, Emmalee Martyak, Harley McChessney, Addy Middleton, Ray Moore, Grace Murphy, Elliana Scott, Maura Thompson, Kayla Wolfe and Jocelyn Zeoli

Advanced Dance Ensemble

Lillian Goodman, Aubrey Huber, Emma Lang and Marissa Rosas

Pit Orchestra

Reed 1 — Gracelynn Beldin

Reed 2 — Delaney Ruddek, Dylan Pasquini

Reed 3 — Darby Hollen

Violin 1 — Jamin Dong, Melissa Krainer

Violin 2 — Jakob Matosziuk, Jenna Zeak

Viola — Morgan Hollern, Elexis Hawksworth

Cello — Ellie Filer, Riley Glunt

Bass — Andrew Sackett

Trumpet — Evan Getty, Heaven Williams

French Horn — Taylor Glunt

Trombone — Jack Slusser

Keyboard 1 — Isabella Abbott

Keyboard 2 — Isaac Hillard

Percussion — Nicholas Boose

Crew

Student Director — Attison Batten

Stage Managers — Ruth Cron, Theo Kessling

Set Construction — Molly Burk, Natalia Christensen, Ethan Franks, Haylie Hall, Robert Hartz, Jasper McMullen, Leland Porta and Anna Shay.

6th Period Fall Set Design Class: Gabrielle Beldin, Haylie Hall, Archer Makarikas, Quinn Pierce, Sasha Ramsey, Maura Thompson, Samara Walter and Lydia Wise

6th Period Spring Engineering Physics Class: Archer

Makarikas, Owen Piper, Alexander Wilkes and U’Rye Williams

Students in Mr. Grush’s GACTC Cabinet-Making Class:

Donovan Heller, Aaron Kurty and Liam Chirdon

Set Painting — Novalee Beard, Natalie Etters, Riley Glunt, Chassity Greenwood, Bailey Hostetler, Nevaeh Kirsch, Elijah Lucio, Jaelyn McClellan, Lucille O’Brien, Sasha Ramsey, Sean Roland, Sofia Saracoglu, Ryker Scriver, Adrianna Snyder, Aurora Snyder, Sadi Steiner and Greg Wenzel

Students in Mrs. Gennaro’s Art Classes: Ella Albright, Mattie Baker, Novalee Beard, Jacob Crum, Brooke Dalby and

Addison Wilson

Props — Nyah Hughes-Thaxton (Propmaster), Mary Angelique Dumaya, Hailey Hamilton, Emma Haraburda, Aubrie

McCaulley, Jasper McMullen, Adeline Middleton, Ray Moore, Kayla Wolfe and Jocelyn Zeoli

Costumes — Owen Carmel (Design), Gabrielle Beldin,

Abigail Burchfield, Makayla Jacques-White, Camille Krug, Logan Schaffer, Evelyn Stehley, Gwendolyn Troutman and Lydia Wise

Hair/Makeup — Promise Dively, Jasmyn Lenning, Jaelyn McClellan, Harley McChessney, Jessyca Noel, Gaby Sparacino and Diviney Zolna

Stage Crew — Ethan Franks, Nevaeh Keefer, Jasper

McMullen, Adrielle McNeal, Landon Packard, Leland Porta and Anna Shay

Lights — Ash Auker (spot), Riley Behe (board op), Riley Glunt and Aurora Snyder (spot)

Sound — Dante McCusker, Axton Batten and Rosslyn Jones (Projections)

Publicity/Social Media — Korbyn Clifford and Greg Wenzel

Logo/Poster Design — Chassity Greenwood

Staff

Director — Mr. Ben Cossitor

Assistant Director/Choreographer — Mrs. Michele Dugan

Assistant Choreographers — Mrs. McKenna Dugan-Marasco and Ms. Anne Diminick

Music Director/Pit Conductor — Mr. Brett Keith

Dialect Coach — Mrs. Patricia Stiles

Technical Director — Mr. Dave Borst

Set Painting/Construction — Mr. Steve Smith (Design), Mr. Dave Borst (Design), Mr. Caleb Marasco, Mr. Jimmy Burchfield, Mrs. Sue Coble, Ms. Jenifer Deblois, Mr. Anthony Jones, Mrs. Karen Sparacino, Mr. Mike Sparacino, Mrs. Amanda Stehley, Mr. Daniel Stehley Jr., Mrs. Marissa Thompson and Mrs. Susan Wenzel

Portrait Painting — Mrs. Olivia Gennaro

Costumes — Mrs. Karen Hamel (Design), Ms. Alex Hamel, Mr. J Hamel and Mrs. Karen Sparacino

Prop Design — Ms. Lucy Craig, Mrs. McKenna Dugan-

Marasco and Mr. Bill Amrhein

Program Design — Mr. Mike Kessling

Headshots and Production Photos — Mr. Chuck Meyers (Two 20 Studios)

Box Office/Usher Coordinator — Mrs. Brenda Lenning, AAHS Student Council

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.