Fifty students from 19 area high schools, middle schools and colleges will present "The Secret Garden," a Tony Award-winning musical based on the novel, in a series of performances June 12-27 in the ATLAS Black Box Studio at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The show is the first full-scale musical produced by Broadway in Boulder Studios, which is the musical theater division of the Parlando School for the Arts in Boulder.
"'The Secret Garden' is the largest pre-professional youth production in Colorado," said David Ayers, a veteran of Broadway productions such as "Wicked" and "Mama Mia!" who is co-directing the musical.
Students in the show are from high schools in Boulder, Longmont, Broomfield, Niwot, Nederland, Louisville and Lafayette, and from middle schools throughout Boulder. College students in the show are from CU-Boulder, the University of Northern Colorado and Metropolitan State College of Denver.
"The music is so challenging in this show," said Angela Gaylor, a Broadway star of "La Cage Aux Folles," "Hairspray" and "Oklahoma!" who is co-directing the production with Ayers and is a partner with Ayers in Broadway in Boulder. "These kids really rose to the challenge."
The musical takes place in early 1900s England, where young Mary Lennox is sent to live with a widower and his crippled son after the death of her parents. While living there, she discovers a secret, walled garden and the magic that changes their lives.
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is providing the Victorian set pieces, and the production uses original Broadway costumes. The high-tech ATLAS Black Box Studio will offer backdrop scenery through digital projections. The entire production is being done in collaboration with ATLAS Center for Arts, Media and Performance staff.
Yin-Feng Keynes Chen of Boulder Strings Academy will conduct the orchestra, which includes students and professionals from the Boulder area.
Performances will be held Tuesdays through Sundays June 12-27 at ATLAS, located just north of the Euclid Avenue Autopark on the CU campus. Evening performances will be at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays also will have 2 p.m. matinee performances. Tickets are available at Parlando's home in the Dairy Center for the Arts at 2590 Walnut St. in Boulder, and online at .
Ticket prices are $20 for reserved seats and $15 for seniors or students. Reserved tickets for opening night are $32 and include a post-performance reception. Each performance is limited to 90 tickets.
Full directions to ATLAS are available at /.
ATLAS is a CU-Boulder institute for undergraduate, graduate and outreach programs that supports technology education for people and programs that traditionally do not have access to equipment and resources.
More information is available at and .