This musical is especially exciting for us. This is the 20th year that Betina Hershey is leading Garden Players to put on original musicals for kids. This is also the first year that our Playwriting Class (with six 10-14 year olds) brainstormed with Betina and co-wrote the plot, characters, scenes, and more. Music is by professional composers Betina Hershey, Sunny Knable, and Melinda Faylor.

Inspired by the mountains that Seriana Russo has hiked in New Hampshire, as well as worries we all hold about climate change and too much trash, our playwrights developed characters that include corporate spies, animals who love trash, an owl who eats the slime-gone-wrong and develops powers, and a variety of hikers, park rangers, and nature scientists.

What Are Our Productions Like?

Enjoy this video from a previous musical Switch It Off:

For more than 100 years, Garden Players has inspired unforgettable memories in the Forest Hills community. Since 2002, children have taken the spotlight with the chance to inspire and participate in the development of original musicals that have gone on to be published with over 2,000 performances in more than 65 countries.

Garden Players kids thrive. Students have appeared in a commercial with pop artist Adele during the Grammys 2012, and achieved 2nd place winner of American Protege competition at Carnegie Hall, been accepted into Professional Performing Arts School,Frank Sinatra HS, and  LaGuardia HS of Performing Arts, performed in movies and TV, made it to the 3rd callback for the role of Matilda in the Broadway show, sung the national anthem at the US Open, become news anchors, musical theater performers and writers, opera singers, theater critics, film directors and more.

Garden Players develop high level skills which allow them to excel in debate, public presentations, and self-expression. At the Garden Players, our actors learn, make friends, have fun, and confidently explore the magic of creativity!

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