Bringing The Secret Garden to life has been a true labor of love, and we are beyond grateful for the many hands and hearts that made it possible.
A special thank you to Gianna Jaramillo and Piper Barnes, whose creativity in decorating and promoting the show helped shape its world before the curtain even rose. We also appreciate Mark Potocki for collecting ads and assisting with the playbill—ensuring our production looked as polished in print as it did on stage.
Our costume team deserves endless gratitude. Under Kathryn Crumbaugh’s leadership, Debbie Morrissette, Wendy Wyss, Rohnda Dean, Gayle Prehn, Kate Richmond, Miriam Richardson, and Aaliyah MacPhail dedicated countless hours creating, and perfecting costumes that transported us to The Secret Garden.
A huge thank you to Katie Brsan from Cedar and Moss Studios for capturing our cast’s headshots beautifully and to Jen Heim Photography for documenting the magic of this production. We are also grateful to Nick Davis and Mike O’Malley for crafting our cast t-shirts—such a fun way to remember this experience—and to Adelyn Hill for her stunning show logo.
The music in The Secret Garden is essential to its magic, and we are so thankful for Eric Wellman, who not only served as our sound engineer but also provided loads of encouragement. Peter Lipari guided our pit orchestra through a beautiful yet challenging score, and Melanie Brsan juggled piano and a mountain of musical needs with grace. We appreciate Maggie Blackburn spending time listening to the singers and advising on vocal health. We were fortunate to have Michael Roszyk and Lexi Rocha join our student musicians, adding their talents to the ochestra.
Our choreography was brought to life by the brilliant Lori Bowen, whose contributions extended far beyond dance. We were also lucky to have Desmond Walker return to the Joliet West stage as our assistant choreographer, refining movement and enhancing the storytelling. Sarah Sheehan for advising on show selection and casting.
We could not have done this without Mia Cisneros, our student director. Your dedication and leadership made all the difference, and we are so grateful for you.
A huge thank you to our set-building team—Brian Rice, Elizabeth Darlin, Mike Morrissette, and volunteers Zakk Warren, Anthony Rapata, Ash Dean, Matt Jolly, Jenny Holt, and Todd Vanderwater—whose hard work transformed the stage into the world of The Secret Garden. We are also grateful to Curtain Call Theatre for generously loaning us their antique wheelchair.
Behind the scenes, Griselda Robles, Alyssa Guzman, and Michael Kuziel kept everything organized, handling scheduling, purchasing, and administrative tasks that kept the production running. The maintenance department also provided invaluable support in countless ways.
A huge shout-out to our Instagram team—Dylan Lee, Katie Mongelli, Rhys Invergo, and Xierra Rapata—for sharing the journey of this production.
And finally, to my wife and daughters—thank you for your endless patience and support through yet another musical season. I couldn’t do this without you.
To everyone who played a part in making The Secret Garden a reality—on stage, behind the scenes, or in the pit—your dedication, talent, and generosity have made this production truly special. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
