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When I was Mary’s age, I lived in the high desert of California. Whenever the moors are described in this story, I find myself thinking of those flat, stark stretches of land that seemed to go on for miles.

I spent many hours outside, often simply because I wanted to be anywhere but inside my house. What I would have given to stumble upon a secret place that could be entirely my own—especially one filled with robins, roses, and trees. Mine was made up of lizards, sagebrush, and creosote bushes. It was not quite the same atmosphere, but it was mine, and it gave me a place to escape.

When Mary discovers the secret garden, however, she finds much more than a hidden piece of land. She recognizes that this neglected place was once filled with beauty and life. What appeared dead was not truly gone; it was dormant, waiting for someone to care for it again.

The garden is not the only thing in this story that has been shut away and left unattended. Nearly every person Mary encounters carries something within them that was once alive, joyful, and full of possibility. Colin, Archibald, and even Mary herself have each become isolated by grief, fear, or neglect. Yet Mary has the courage to see beyond what is immediately in front of her. She sees what could live again.

What might happen if we looked at the people and circumstances around us in the same way? Could we have the courage to cultivate hope, restore life where it once flourished, and believe that what appears lost may only be waiting to awaken?

We have each been given our own bit of earth. May we care for it well, cultivate life within it, and leave the world more beautiful than we found it.

Evan Aldrete

Director / Dr. Neville Craven

HISTORICAL NOTE:

The Secret Garden, based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s book of the same name first published in 1910, addresses and challenges complex concepts of colonization, classism, and racism. This story takes place during the British Raj period (1858-1947) when India was colonized by Great Britain. Mary was born and raised in India because her father (Albert, in our show) worked for the British government and it was common for British military officers stationed in India to have their families with them. British children in India were often raised by an Indian nanny, or ayah, growing close to Indian culture and language in the process. The Secret Garden illustrates how the overlap of two cultures affected Mary in her healing journey.   

Lovegood is committed to honoring the cultures represented both on stage and in story and to inviting the audience to wrestle with complicated and difficult historical components, like the racism and classism that are inherent in colonization.  A very special thanks goes to our cast members of Indian descent, particularly Mihika Setlur, and Sanjana Venkat for their cultural expertise and for their commitment to accuracy and care.