Audiences for Whitefish Theatre Co.'s 'The Secret Garden' will become familiar with the Wambeke name
Suzie and Tom Wambeke share a laugh as they wait for the start of rehearsal on Wednesday night in Whitefish.
Abigail, Madison and Rachel, play with the props on Wednesday night before the start of rehearsal.
The Wambeke family clockwise from the top: Tom and Suzie, Jessica, 17, Madison, 10, Abigail, 13, and Rachel, 15.
Madison, 10, center, one of the scene shifters, helps her sister Rachel, 15, by reading the part of Colin Craven, during rehearsal on Wednesday night. The whole Wambeke family is taking part in the Whitefish Theater production of the Secret Garden which will open December 3rd and run through the 19th.
Abigail, Madison and Rachel, play with the props on Wednesday night before the start of rehearsal.
This holiday season the Whitefish Theatre Co. continue its tradition of putting on magical musicals with“The Secret Garden.”
For the Wambeke family of Whitefish, this year’s play at the O’Shaughnessy Center has taken on added significance — the whole family is taking part.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Tom Wambeke. “We didn’t expect any of this when we went to audition, so it’s been one of those bonuses in life that you don’t go looking for.”
“We all tried out, not knowing if any of us would get a part,” he said. “Then Rachel got cast as Mary, Suzie and I were cast, and the girls made themselves available as needs arose. Now we are all involved and nobody feels left out.”
Tom Wambeke will be playing the part of Dr. Craven. He will also be playing violin when he’s not in a scene. Suzie laughs a little as she confesses that she “half-tricked” her husband into auditioning.
“He didn’t realize, and I didn’t over-explain the full commitment this would require,” she said. “Then he snagged a major part so now he’s doing more rehearsals than I am.”
“When we auditioned we all lined up like little ducks in a row,” Suzie said. “We had been in different plays at the O’ Shaughnessy before, but nothing all together. Last night I got choked up looking at my family. Jess playing, Rachel singing, the two little ones getting ready for a scene change. And off to the side, Tom working on learning his lines.”
“When I was growing up Christmas was a time for giving out, not a time to be focused only on oneself,” Suzie said. “Having that attitude makes the time of year more meaningful, more fulfilling. Being involved in a major production like this is a lot of work, but when you get out on that stage everything becomes about the audience, the people you are giving out to. It’s wonderful. Having my own background in theater I wanted to share that experience with my children.”
Having the whole family in the play has been beneficial to more than just the Wambeke family.
“When families get involved in community theater it just brings a warm heart to the whole show,” director Nancy Nei said. “They are always supporting one another, congratulating each other when called for. Their commitment is total and that attitude flows out to the whole cast.”
The Wambeke children are home-schooled, which helps when they are involved in a production that demands as much time as “The Secret Garden.”
“We get home from rehearsal around 10:30 and then we’re usually up until midnight talking about the show and winding down,” Tom said. “With the girls being home-schooled we can let them stay up a little later and start the next day a bit late.”
Suzie has incorporated theater-related assignments into her home-school curriculum, having the girls write papers on various aspects of theater performance and production.
“This is an opportunity for the girls to use their talents, to express themselves in music and on stage,” Suzie said. “Whatever area you go into in life being involved in theater provides excellent opportunities for gaining self-confidence and self-awareness.”
“In theater you have to learn how to serve each other and you have to learn how to make a team,” she continued. “Working on ‘The Secret Garden’ has really brought us more together as a family.”
“Jess is 17 now. She’ll be on her way to college soon,” Tom said. “This is one of our last opportunities to do something like this as the whole family. I’m thinking now that this is something I will look back on; watching the girls, seeing them blossom. This is a season in our lives and we are grateful.”
The roster of Wambeke’s in “The Secret Garden” includes Tom as Dr. Craven, Suzie as Rose, Jess, 17, playing cello, Rachel, 15, as Mary, Abigail, 13, as Jane, and Madison, 10, as one of the scene-shifters.
“The Secret Garden,” opens at the O’Shaugnessy Center in Whitefish on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., with shows continuing Dec. 4, 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 5, 12, and 19 at 4 p.m., with an extra matinee on Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, and $10 for students, with reserved seating. There will be also be a sneak preview Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. for $10, with tickets sold only at the door. To purchase tickets, visit www.whitefishtheatreco.org or call the Whitefish Theatre Co. Box Office at 862-5371. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before a performance.