Singing with humans is joyous...

By: Aubrey Hawkinson - Martha | The Secret Garden

My name is Aubrey Hawkinson and I have the pleasure of playing Martha in The Secret Garden The Musical - my first ever production with Decatur Underground Theater - DUT. I moved to Decatur four years ago (right before the pandemic) from Los Angeles, but I have been involved with music and theater all around the country. My degrees are in opera, and I've been blessed with many amazing performance experiences with so many amazing performers and vocal artists in New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Texas, Arizona and California. I've been lucky enough to sing with the New York philharmonic orchestra in premiere venues and was in a televised production of Carmen at the Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles.

When I moved with my family to Decatur, I was anxious to find opportunities to perform, and then the world shut down. Singing was outlawed. So was theater. After a while, live theater felt like a distant dream. Since the world reopened, I've been so grateful for any chance I get to sing in the presence of fellow music lovers.

The act of singing with other humans is healing and joyous, and I never take it for granted.

Community theater is a unique experience that even professionals don't always get a taste of. Professional performers at the top houses in the country get applause at the end of each show, but community theater performers get applause from people who genuinely love them. It's an amazing feeling to know a truly loving group of family and friends are the ones sending the energy back to you on stage. The Secret Garden character 'Martha' is such an amazing character, and I'm thrilled to bring her to life.

I have an interesting history with my character Martha's song Hold On. Back when I was around 10 years old, our church put on a variety show, and one of the teenage church members sang Hold On. I had never heard the song before, and I was so impressed by its power and gorgeous melody. I asked the girl's mother what the song was, and she said, "oh, my girl wrote that." I was stunned! It was such an amazing song for a teenager from middle-of-nowhere Arizona to have written.

I took it upon myself to learn the song from hearing her sing it in rehearsals and on the VHS recording (yes, kids, that used to be a thing) of the performance.

A week or so later, my friend's mother was in the hospital, and we went to visit her. I sang her that amazing song that the girl from my church had written, and it made her cry. YEARS later, I heard a student sing Hold On in a university recital, and I was floored. How did she know that church kid's song?!?!? I looked at the program and saw that Hold On was written by someone named Lucy Simon!

I had been lied to. My whole world was a sham.

But it was FAR more believable that Hold On was not written by that church teenager. It made sense.

I've absolutely loved getting to know the Decatur community and cast members of Decatur Underground Theater ( DUT ). I'm also thrilled to be performing with fellow castmates Christian and Alicia Jackson. My husband and I work at Millikin and knew Christian and Alicia as former Millikin students. My husband mentored Christian during his first professional years as a teacher, and I actually graded Alicia's senior recital (which was, of course, phenomenal). It's been a joy to work with them as well as everyone else in this production of The Secret Garden The Musical. The Secret Garden story is near and dear to my heart as I share a kinship with the character of Colin.

I lost my mother at the age of 4, and the character of Lilly is so similar to my mother's spirit. Every time she appears, it is a tearful catharsis for my adult self. It's such a beautiful story that is relatable to so many because, as a wise man once said, "remember that everyone is always in some stage of grieving".

One who may be grieving the loss of a loved one, grieving in a time of transition, or even feeling stuck in a chapter of life can relate to someone in this story.

There will be many healing tears had by the audience.

DUT is Decatur's Premier Musical Theater Company, bringing Awesome Musical Theater to Decatur, IL Since 2010.

Best decision of my life...

By: Oliver Weber - Dickon | The Secret Garden

Like many of you, I grew up in an area where there doesn’t seem like there's a whole lot to do.

A risky decision...

Living in a small rural community, days are often spent by going to sporting events, tending to the farm, and late-night trips to Walmart. So, I decided to branch out from the normal trends of our area and take a risk. That risk was joining musical theater and later connecting with Decatur Underground Theater. After fifteen years of musical theater and three years with Decatur Underground, I can happily say it’s the best decision I have ever made in my life.

One of the things I love the most is the sense of "community" that surrounds community theatre. It can be life changing - it has been for me. The wonderful community that Decatur Underground Theater (DUT) brings is second to none. You get a sense of home and family by just seeing DUT's wonderful shows. I believe if you take the risk to come see DUT's production of The Secret Garden The Musical just once, it could change your life too!

Theater shaped me into the person I am today. I was only four years old when I first discovered the fine arts and this thing called "theatre." I started performing on stage, and there I found myself and the person I dreamt of being. When on stage, you are whoever you want to be, whoever your character is, and people applaud you regardless of who you are. After a few years amongst theater lovers, I learned to love myself and live what I love.

My lifelong goal is to bring smiles to those who need them most.

Theatre is a way to do that.

The door's open, come on in....

Fast forward to now, and I am still enjoying theater and especially enjoy the community theatre

that I can call home - Decatur Underground Theater. Decatur Underground is a unique, welcoming family of friends who love performing, building sets, helping out as stage crew, theater (musicals in particular), and all things theatre related. Whatever your interest or giftings, you have a place in the DUT family - come on home.

After a decade and a half of musical theatre, professional and community, and fine arts, I try to inspire other boys who haven’t felt supported to pursue the arts. A mom came up to me one day at a high school game and said her son saw me dancing with the girls' dance team, and it “made [him] feel like it was ok for him to be a boy dancer too.” She later shared that seeing my performance changed his entire demeanor at school.

Take a risk...

Even if you think you are not the type to enjoy musical theatre, take the risk. Check it out yourself, and maybe even bring your family, and come The Secret Garden ~ The Musical. There you will see me play Dickon and many other amazing actors and actresses I can happily call my friends, bringing a classic story to life.

There is no better place to catch live theater in Decatur, Illinois, than with the Decatur Underground Theater.

Show dates for The Secret Garden are March 24th through 26th and March 31 through April 2nd at the Decatur Civic Center. The entire DUT family (me included) will be thrilled to see you there!

Take a risk... get your tickets HERE.

Oliver Robert Weber, Cast Member: The Secret Garden - Dickon

DUT is Decatur's Premier Musical Theater Company, bringing Awesome Musical Theater to Decatur, IL Since 2010.

copyright 2023 Decatur Underground Theater Corporation

Decatur is in for a treat...

By: Christian Jackson - Vocal Director + Dr. Neville Craven | The Secret Garden

Decatur has never experienced community theatre like Decatur Underground Theater's upcoming show - The Secret Garden The Musical. The music is incredible, the script tugs at your heartstrings, and the cast is phenomenal. What's not to love?

During Decatur Underground’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (I played Jacob), Sandra Revis, President and CEO of DUT, asked me if I would be interested in Music Directing the next show. “Probably, it just depends on how familiar I am with the show and how hard the music is, ” was my response.

Later, when our director, Brad, called me and told me we were doing The Secret Garden, I immediately agreed without even thinking about how difficult the music is and how large of a task I was signing up for. I knew I loved the music, I knew it was a production I had to be involved in, and I knew Decatur was in for a treat.

I teach music in Decatur Public Schools and serve as Worship Leader at Lampstand Church.

I do music all day... everyday.

I’m used to taking the music from the piece of paper, making it come out of students' mouths, and molding and shaping it into something my students are proud of. I was prepared to take the same approach with DUT’s production until I sat through auditions. The talent we saw come through the doors of the Civic Center for this musical was jaw-dropping.

All of our performers in The Secret Garden The Musical have community theatre backgrounds, and some cast members even have professional theatre experience. Our Mrs. Medlock is played by an English/Theatre teacher who works at some local schools and colleges and has professional theatre experience. Our Martha is played by an active professional singer and voice teacher.

On the other hand, we have a plethora of performers who are not currently working in music or theatre professionally. We have fourth graders, high schoolers, and all types of adults working in all sorts of areas. We have healthcare professionals, teachers, and scientists. And that doesn't include the talented people doing all sorts of things behind the scenes to pull this production together.

Our performers did not need me to teach them how to sing, or where to breathe, or how to be in a musical. They are dedicated, experienced, and talented individuals.

This will be one of the best community theatre productions Decatur has seen.

We have a cast like none other.

Don’t take my word for it, come and see The Secret Garden The Musical - March 24-26 & March 31-April 2 at the Decatur Civic Center.

Tickets are available HERE .

See you then!

Christian Jackson, Cast Member: The Secret Garden - Dr. Neville Craven

DUT is Decatur's Premier Musical Theater Company, bringing Awesome Musical Theater to Decatur, IL Since 2010.

copyright 2023 Decatur Underground Theater Corporation