Ben Weatherstaff: Alvaro Freyre

Alvaro Freyre (Ben Weatherstaff) was born in Cuba, raised in Louisiana and Wyoming, worked in the Silicon Valley and retired in Helena. He studied at Tulane, Le Conservatoire Superieur d’Art Dramatique, and as a Lauder Fellow at the Wharton School. Previous GST credits include Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady, Harold Nichols in The Full Monty, John Hemminges in The Book of Will, Daddy Murphy in Bright Star and JacobMarley/Fezziwig/OldJoe in The Christmas Carol. He is co-chair of the Grandstreet Act II capital campaign. He is deeply grateful for the Freyre clan, the Dufrechou clan, and the Grandstreet community for encouraging his theatrical exploits.

Dreamer: Andres Haladay

Andres Haladay (Ensemble, He/His) – Originally from New York City, has called Helena home since 2010. Andres was previously in Bright Star (swing/ensemble) and Lucky Stiff (ensemble). Andres appreciates Grandstreet Theatre again giving him this opportunity to work with such an amazing and delightful team. Andres sends a huge thank you to his partner Hannah and kids, Opal and Grey, for their support, encouragement, patience and love throughout this process.

Dreamer: Anna Milburn

Anna Milburn has lived in Helena most of her life and has had they joy of being in several Grandstreet productions. Past main roles include Amalia Balash in “She Loves Me”, Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady”, and Francesca in “The Bridges of Madison County.” She works as the Education Coordinator of the Helena Symphony and is a private voice teacher and music director. Anna is thankful to get to share the stage for the fifth time with her fiancé, Brandon.

Dickon: Brandon Taylor

Brandon Taylor Burchard is a faculty member at Grandstreet Theatre School and a teaching artist for the Myrna Loy. Past Grandstreet credits include Harry in Lucky Stiff, Billy Cane in Bright Star, and Jesus in Godspell. His choreography credits include Frozen Jr, Alice in Wonderland Jr, and Finding Nemo Jr. Brandon would like to thank his fiancee Anna for being amazing, and the cast and crew for their hard work and good vibes.

Dr. Craven : Carlton Ryker

Born and raised in Kansas, Carlton graduated with a BA in Musical Theatre performance from Wichita State University. When off the stage you can find him at Midtown Fitness training under Onder Adsay, practicing or listening to his favorite artist, Billy Joel, or working on his hobby of art and drawing.  Past credits include performances in various musicals such as Jimmy Ray Dobbs in Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Bright Star, Curtis in Sister Act, Bud in Bridges of Madison County, Bill in Mamma Mia, The Dentist in Little Shop of Horrors and many others. Past works in film include, the Nameless Hero in Song of a Siren’s Intern, Vince in Mob Therapy, and a recurring role as Officer O’Conner in various comedic shorts.

Colin Craven : Declan Maki

Declan was inspired by watching Rudolph a couple of years ago and he decided he wanted to participate in Grandstreet. Since then, he has participated in Grandstreet theatre school, summer program, and has been auditioning, performing, and working on shows. A few of his favorite shows that he’s been in are Junie B Jones, Alice in Wonderland, and Frozen Junior. He is so exited for the opportunity to be in Secret Garden and the opportunity to learn from the other cast members, director, and crew.

Mary Lennox (U/S) : Emily Townsend

Emily Townsend is thrilled to be in another Grandstreet Theatre production! She is a sophomore at Captial High School and this is her 7th show at GST. In her most recent production, she played the role of middle Elsa in Frozen Jr and some of her favorite past productions include Daisy in Alice in Wonderland Jr. and Annie/ensemble in Mary Poppins. Emily feels tremendously grateful to be acting in this production alongside her dad and sister. Emily feels equally grateful to her mom for all her support, she is as much a part of this production as any other. Emily always looks forward to more stories, more stages, and more magic in the theatre!

Albert/Ensemble: Hunter Townsend

Hunter is excited to be involved in his third production with Grandstreet Theatre!

Some of his past GST roles include Dr. Nordquist/Ensemble in the melodic and beautiful production of Bright Star, and Emcee/old cowboy in the hilarious Lucky Stiff.

Filling a long-held bucket list item with this production, Hunter is so pleased to get to do this show with BOTH of his talented daughters Alice and Emily! Mom you’re next.

So grateful to make memories with friends and family here at Grandstreet!

Dreamer : Jen Jenkins

From an early age reading the book, this story left an impact, and Jen is very excited to join the cast in this timeless story! You may have seen her on stage at Grandstreet in previous productions, such as Lucky Stiff as Dominique and Bright Star as Alice. She is also a busy mom of two middle schoolers and a teacher in Helena with 3rd grade at Central School. Jen wants to thank John for holding it down and making her laugh, Owen and Etta for perspective and inspiration, her ladies for keeping her grounded, and her theater family for the beauty they inspire in our community and in each other!

Lily : Jody Isbell

Shortly after college in the early 2000s, Jody performed in her first Grandstreet production, as Tup Tim in The King and I. Her highlights since include roles in Urinetown (Hope Caldwell), Les Misérables (Cosette), and Into the Woods (Cinderella.) Now returning to the stage after a ten-year intermission, she reprises the role of Lily—a character she first played in grad school—with a fresh perspective gained from motherhood. A dermatology physician associate by trade, Jody lives with her husband, their 9 and 7 year-old sons, and their dog, Penny.

Dreamer: Kanen Craig

Grandstreet has always felt like a second home to Kanen and his family. Originally from Virginia, his journey has carried him to California, South Korea, and now Helena, Montana. he has delighted in performing in Grandstreet productions such as Lucky Stiff (Ensemble) and Mary Poppins (Ensemble). He has also graced the stage at Carroll College in Little Women (Laurie) and Seussical (Mayor).
Kanen is overjoyed to be part of The Secret Garden and extends his heartfelt thanks to Grandstreet for being such a warm and welcoming home.

Mrs. Winthrop / Dreamer: Krysta White

A Helena native, holds a BFA in musical theater from the University of South Dakota and is a Grandstreet Theatre school alumnus. Previous Grandstreet Theatre roles include Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda, the musical, Sandra in The Play That Goes Wrong, Joan in Fun Home and countless others. Other credits include Ilsa in the Helena Theatre Companies, Spring Awakening and touringdirector/instructor/actor with the Dakota players. Krysta did two tours with the USD Playhouse as Aldonza in the Man of La Mancha and as one of the principal Quartet singers in My Way:, A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra. She has also assisted with directing at Carroll College. Krysta thanks her family and friends and dedicates this performance to her baby boy arriving soon! Many thanks to the cast and crew for being so supportive of this new mama-to-be journey.

Martha: Mackenzie Jones

Mackenzie (Martha) is originally from Kansas City, MO and has lived in Helena since 2019. She works at DPHHS on the Montana Disability and Health Program. Most recently seen as Annabel Glick, the dog lady, in LUCKY STIFF, and Mrs. Cratchet/Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol. Other roles include Miss Honey in MATILDA THE MUSICAL, Miss Casewell in THE MOUSETRAP, and Lucy Grant in BRIGHT STAR. Mackenzie would like to thank the cast and crew for filling her cup with harmonies, charms, and tree branches. Shout out to the four incredible kids that play Mary and Colin, it has been a joy to watch you courageously and humbly become these characters. And to her friends, family, and the community, thank you for celebrating live theater!

Mrs. Medlock: Mary Linn Crouse

…has been acting and directing for over 50 years on stage, film, video and voice over. A former Chicago-based actor, she now happily calls Montana home. This show will be her 15th GST appearance since playing MARCIE in their 2012 production of Almost, Maine to playing GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT in their ’23 and ’24 productions of Jeff Downing’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol at the Civic Center. Another GST favorite experience was teaching acting classes for 5 memorable summers. Shout out to Marianne Adams and staff for this amazing children’s theater program throughout the year! …and a shout out to other Helena theater companies Mary Linn has worked with: Raven’s Feather Productions, IT Theater and 4 seasons with The Montana Shakespeare Company. She gets to live out her other passion – Astronomy! – as vice president of the Helena Astronomical Society.

Rose / Ensemble : Mia Crivello

Mia Crivello (she/her) grew up in Helena as a proud Grandstreet kid and is now a grateful Grandstreet adult. Upon graduating from Point Park University with a degree in Musical Theater and Dance, Mia headed to NYC where she lived and worked as an actor, dancer, director, and eventually as a story producer and writer. Since moving back to Helena, Mia has enjoyed being a guest teacher and choreographer, and is thrilled to come full circle, returning to the Grandstreet stage to bring this beautiful story to life.

Dreamer: Molly Severtson

Molly Severtson (she/her) is performing in her eighth Grandstreet production in just three years, including Bright Star, She Loves Me (concert version), Lucky Stiff, Grandstreet’s 50th Anniversary Concert, and three productions of A Christmas Carol. Needless to say, performing is one of her favorite things to do, but she also enjoys spending time camping, hiking, and paddling in Montana’s wild places with her husband of nearly 30 years, Eric, and their three grown daughters, Sonja, Anja, and Brynja. She dedicates this performance to her kind, loving, and supportive father-in-law, Wayne Severtson, who, just weeks ago, passed peacefully into the land of the Dreamers.

Swing: Octavia Welch

The Secret Garden is Octavia’s first Grandstreet Theater appearance. Octavia grew up in Livingston, MT where she participated in community theater such as Guys and Dolls, Wit, and The Diary of Anne Frank. She has lived in Helena for the last decade with her husband and three children.

Dreamer: Parker Salisbury

Parker is thrilled to be part of “The Secret Garden” for his Grandstreet Theatre onstage debut! His passion for live theatre has grown tremendously while he worked behind the scenes on the crews for both “The Play That Goes Wrong” and “Moriarty.” While offstage Parker serves as the Head Audience Services Coordinator here at Grandstreet, ensuring that everyone is ready to enjoy some amazing live theatre. Now, being on stage makes this experience even more special! He would like to thank his Helena chosen family for their encouragement, his roomates for their support, and his parents and best friends for making some long drives to see the show. He also appreciates his dog, Waylen, for being patient when he leaves often and comes home late. Don’t worry though — he gets plenty of love and treats to make up for it!

Dreamer: Pat McCue

Pat is delighted to return to Grandstreet after his last show here, the 2014 production of Les Misérables. A software developer and former teacher, he spends his free time hiking, playing golf, and — most importantly — watching his daughter Rosie do cartwheels at gymnastics or perform monologues at Grandstreet’s theater school. With a budding performer at home and a wife, Audrey, who tends a mean garden, The Secret Garden felt like the perfect show to come back for. He dedicates this performance to them both for their endless support and for holding down the fort while he was at rehearsal.

Archibald Craven : Tyler Redden

Helena native Tyler Redden is honored to step into the role of Archibald Craven in this, his 20th production at Grandstreet Theatre, following in the footsteps of many actors who have brought this character to life before him (“Looking at you, Bayard Leonard — what an encouragement you have been to me!”). “Thank you to my wife, Leslie — words can’t express how thankful I am for you. I can’t imagine doing any of this without you! Thank you also to the people along the way who have made me better over the years: Jeff Downing (a great Director and even better friend), Gretchen Mundinger, Fred Cobb, Rob Holter, and Steve Michelson. Each of you has shaped the actor and the person I am today. You’ve all shown what this show reminds us: community makes us better!”

Mary Lennox : Vireo Zackheim

Vireo Zackheim is a twelve-year-old, 7th grader at Helena Middle School. She deeply enjoys Grandstreet and has been in shows, watched them and attended theater school for what seems like her entire life. Mary Lennox, the character Zackheim plays, changes emotionally, physically, and mentally throughout this story and Vireo has also changed (in good ways!) during and due to The Secret Garden. Overall, nothing but joy came from this show and it’s amazing cast and crew (thank you guys!). Vireo would like to thank her family for their support with memorizing what seemed like hundreds of lines. Her friends for listening to her talk about how annoyingly snooty Mary Lennox can be. Her teachers for putting up with her late assignments. Emily Townsend for all her incredible work and patience. And finally, YOU yes you, the audience member who came to see this gorgeous story brought to life on Grandstreet’s stage (in 2026 at least)! Thank You!

Colin Craven (U/S) : Zayn Lecce

Zayn is honored to play the understudy role of Colin Craven. Zayn has enjoyed every aspect of the past 5 years he has participated in Grandstreet Theatre. Zayn is a 5th grader at St. Andrew School. His two favorite previous roles include: Michael Banks (Mary Poppins) and Tiny Tim (A Christmas Carol). Zayn would like to say Thank You to all of the Directors and Grandstreet teachers who are helping him to be a better actor and friends who come to support him by watching Grandstreet’s amazing productions.