Theatre Raleigh opens 'The Secret Garden'

Theatre Raleigh's production of the children's classic, "The Secret Garden," opened Tuesday and runs through Sunday at the Fletcher Opera Theatre at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

The re-imagined musical version of this classic tells the story of Mary Lennox, played by Skyla Woodard, who loses her parents to a cholera outbreak in India. She returns to Britain to live with her uncle, played by Michael Halling, and his bedridden con, Colin, played by Keegan Story. Then Mary discovers her late aunt's hidden garden and the adventure begins.

I had the opportunity to hear Skyla perform before N.C. Theatre's "Beauty and the Beast" last month. She is an amazing young talent.

"We are honored to introduce Skyla Woodard and Keegan Story to our Theatre Raleigh audience. We are lucky to have a very rich talent pool in this area - and especially fortunate to have these incredibly talented kids in the show! Skyla and Keegan knocked our socks off and left us with a very easy casting choice. It excites me that our shows represent the world we live in and the diverse audiences we serve," said Lauren Kennedy, Artistic Director of Theatre Raleigh, in a press release.