MHS VPA Students to Unlock “The Secret Garden” This Weekend

A neglected garden changes lives in “The Secret Garden,” but for the Milton Hershey School students bringing the story to life, the transformation extends far beyond the stage.

The play tells the story of Mary Lennox, a spoiled and unhappy orphan who is removed from her home in India and sent to live with her uncle in the Yorkshire countryside of England. Mary sneaks into a walled, neglected garden on her uncle’s estate. While caring for it, she and her friends become healthier, happier, and more confident—a transformation similar to what many MHS Visual and Performing Arts students experience.

Frank Pesce, a sophomore, plays the role of Mary’s uncle, Archibald Craven. Pesce enrolled at MHS less than two years ago and quickly discovered his place on the stage.

“My whole life, prior to enrolling at MHS, I wanted to pursue theater, but I did not get that opportunity until I came here,” Pesce said. “Acting has helped me learn that the things we do on stage are more than just a performance; it brings people together.”

Maya Garcia, a member of the Class of 2027, has found a personal connection between herself and her character, Mary’s maid, Martha Sowerby. When Garcia’s mother passed away, she took on a motherly role for her younger sister, much like Martha does for Mary.

“It is difficult to balance being a mom and being a sister at the same time,” Garcia said. “I think Martha embodies that perfectly, given that she is a young girl trying to do her best as a servant and tend to this girl when she doesn’t have any idea how to care for a young one.”

Pesce, Garcia, and the rest of the cast will be in the spotlight when “The Secret Garden” takes to the Memorial Hall stage at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30; 1 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31; and 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1. As MHS students, staff, and Hershey community partners turn their attention to the performances, the young actors will be more focused on how they can achieve the 2026-27 school year theme of Spartan Fame by putting on the highest quality show for their audience.

“I am taking advantage of the opportunities Milton and Catherine Hershey gave me,” Pesce said. “Each day when I make a mistake, I try my best to correct it. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for the sacrifices the Hersheys made.”

In the play, the secret garden is a place for people to come together, and Garcia encourages people to take advantage of the show’s similar purpose.

“I feel that through theatrics I am able to reel people in, away from the harshness of the world around them and bring them to a place that is warm, inviting and fun, like a secret garden!” she said.