Announcing auditions for The Secret Garden: Spring Edition
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Book and Lyrics by Marsha Norman | Music by Lucy Simon
EXPECTED TO ATTEND:
Director/Artistic Director: Emily Ernst
Music Director: Adam Wright
Intern: Alex Heika
Directing Fellow: April Zavala
Dates: Monday, October 5 from 6:00pm – 10:00pm and Tuesday, October 6 from 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Callbacks: Monday, October 12 from 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Call or email for appointment: 214-978-0110 or e-mail at auditions@dct.org
Location: DCT’s Rosewood Center for Family Arts, 5938 Skillman at Northwest Highway, Dallas, 75231
Roles
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Seeking a diverse ensemble of adult actors to portray characters in The Secret Garden with music by Lucy Simon and book and lyrics by Marsha Norman.
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All stage managerial positions have been filled.
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Local actors are encouraged to attend.
Requirements
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Prepare one classical musical theatre song of your choice and be prepared to do a cold reading.
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Please bring headshot and resume.
Rehearsals begin: March 22, 2027
Production dates: April 17, 2027 to May 23, 2027
Other Information
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Equity Contracts are available
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DCT is a member of the Actors Equity Candidacy Program
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Non-union adult actors will receive a weekly performance fee
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Performances will take place at DCT’s Rosewood Center Baker Theater
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Schedule includes weekday student matinee and weekend matinee performance
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Perusal script will be made available at DCT
Character Breakdown
The roles of Lily and Archibald Craven have been cast. The roles of Mary and Colin will be auditioned at a later date (November-ish).
SEEKING:
Track 1: Dr. Neville Craven - Male, any ethnicity, late 20s-40s. Archibald Craven's younger brother and
Colin's physician. Intelligent, reserved, and conflicted, Neville lived in the shadow of his brother and
secretly loved Lily before her death. His concern for Colin is genuine, though his relationships are
complicated by grief and ambition. British dialect. Baritone.
Track 2: Ben Weatherstaff/Albert - Ben Weatherstaff: Male, any ethnicity. 40s and older. Misselthwaite
Manor's gruff, loyal, stubborn, working-class head gardener who has watched over the estate for years.
Yorkshire dialect. Ensemble/flexible. Albert: Mary’s father and Rose’s husband who appears as a ghostly
memory. British dialect. Tenor. U/S Neville
Track 3: Mrs. Medlock - Female, 40s or older. The authoritative, efficient housekeeper of Misselthwaite
Manor. She is loyal to Archibald Craven and committed to maintaining order. She is strict and no-
nonsense but wants what is best for the household. Yorkshire dialect.
Track 4: Martha - Female, 20s-40s. is the cheerful Yorkshire maid whose humor, generosity, and honesty
guide Mary to open her heart. Mezzo Soprano/Belt. Yorkshire dialect.
Track 5: Rose/Mrs. Winthrop - Female, 20s-40s. Rose: appears as Lily's sister and a distant, maternal
presence in Mary's memories. British dialect. Mezzo. Mrs. Winthrop: The formidable and proper
headmistress of the Aberdeen School for Girls who takes pride in her ability to keep difficult children in
line. British dialect. U/S Lily
Track 6: Dickon/Officer - Dickon: Male, any ethnicity, 20s. Mary’s warm-hearted and mischievous friend.
He is magical. Playful, humble, unselfconscious, and a little shy. Talks to animals and they understand.
Tenor. Yorkshire dialect. Officer: British officer who discovers Mary as the last survivor of the cholera
outbreak. Brief and businesslike. British dialect.
About the Director
Emily Ernst is the Artistic Director of Dallas Children's Theater and has trained as an actor, director, and movement coach. Prior to joining DCT, she co-founded Fair Assembly and served as Associate Artistic Director of River & Rail Theatre Company in Knoxville, Tennessee. She began her career as the assistant to the Artistic Director at Theatre for a New Audience in New York City, and later became the Associate Director of Flatwater Shakespeare Company in Nebraska. In Dallas, she has held staff positions at Cry Havoc Theater, Teatro Dallas, and TACA. Recent directing credits include King Lear, Macbeth, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Fiddler on the Roof, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, The Merit System, and Mame. Emily has taught advanced acting at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and acting and directing at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. With Junior Players, where she led the inaugural female cohort of Shakespeare with Henry, Texas's first youth-focused Shakespeare in Prison program. Emily holds a B.F.A. in Acting from SMU's Meadows School of the Arts, trained at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, and is a fellow of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture.
Dallas Children's Theater online audition announcements are intended only to provide general descriptions; none of the information provided for any audition should be interpreted as a commitment by Dallas Children's Theater to specific terms and conditions for acceptance and/or employment.