Tibbits Young Audiences Postpones “The Secret Garden”
COLDWATER – Originally rescheduled from its production date in March, the Tibbits Young Audiences musical “The Secret Garden” has been postponed again due to the continued restrictions on theatres and indoor gatherings.
The charming, upbeat adaptation of the literary classic had 43 cast members from Coldwater, Quincy, Union City, Allen, Sturgis, Bronson, and even Angola and Fremont, IN. The cast was less than a week away from opening their production when the governor enacted the Stay-at-Home order for Michigan.
The cast was at least able to perform a few songs at the Chamber Awards dinner in early March as well as at Drew’s Place, Grand Vista Assisted Living, and at a Kiwanis Club meeting as a way to promote the show and thank Kiwanis for their sponsorship.
While the Tibbits Young Audiences (TYA) Production Team tried creative solutions to enable the show to go on this fall—including moving the production to the Ponds—there were many other variables including scheduling issues, technical considerations, and a limited rehearsal period to adapt again.
“After watching the challenges of reopening schools and high school sports, we didn’t want to get the production started again only to have to postpone it again,” expressed Tibbits Executive Director Christine Delaney.
TYA offers programs both for and by area youth to develop their interest in the arts. Two shows yearly, a non-musical in the fall and a musical in the spring, provide students an enjoyable introduction to the world of theatre.
Assuming theatres are able to reopen soon, the TYA Production Team will move forward with a spring production. In the meantime, Tibbits has adapted its fall programming as online events. For a complete listing of upcoming events, please visit Tibbits.org.
