Oscar Wilde once said, “I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.�
2016 REVUE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS SEASON 45....................................................................................................................................................................4–13 Branding Press Release Preview HAIRSPRAY...................................................................................................................................................................14–19 Press Release Photography: Publicity, Final Dress, Archival Photo Encore Michigan Review & Articles OEDIPUS......................................................................................................................................................................20–25 Press Release Photography: Publicity, Final Dress, Archival Photo Encore Michigan Review & Articles VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE.................................................................................................26–33 Press Release Photography: Publicity, Final Dress, Archival Photo Encore Michigan Review & Articles THE FANTASTICKS..................................................................................................................................................34–39 Press Release Photography: Publicity, Final Dress, Archival Photo Encore Michigan Review & Articles DR.SEUSS’S THE CAT IN THE HAT.......................................................................................................................40–43 Press Release Photography: Publicity, Final Dress, Archival Photo Encore Michigan Review & Articles GO, DOG. GO!...........................................................................................................................................................44–47 Press Release Photography: Publicity, Final Dress, Archival Photo Encore Michigan Review & Articles ADDITIONAL PUBLICITY........................................................................................................................................48–53 Radio Appearance TV Appearances
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CONGRATULATIONS TO HOPE SUMMER REPERTORY THEATRE’S 45TH SEASON! BECAUSE OF YOU
HOPE SUMMER REPERTORY THEATRE... ...CONTINUES TO BE WEST MICHIGAN’S ONLY PROFESSIONAL SUMMER REPERTORY THEATRE. ...ENJOYS A NATIONAL REPUTATION. ...MIRRORS THE TREMENDOUS DIVERSITY OF OUR GROWING COMMUNITY. ...DEMONSTRATES A COMMITMENT TO SERVE THE CHILDREN OF OUR COMMUNITY. ....IS COMMITTED TO FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT. ...BUILDS BRIDGES OF COMMUNICATION WITH OTHER COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS. ...ELEVATES THE INTELLECTUAL AND TEXTURE OF LIFE IN WEST MICHIGAN.
ARTISTIC
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!
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EARLY BIRD BROCHURE The early bird brochure is a pre-season marketing piece that targets past subscribers and multi-ticket buyers. It goes out a month before single tickets go on sale to the general public. The design below is an original, utilizing photography from the previous season to provoke memories and feelings of the past to connect and incite excitement for what’s to come.
ENJOYS A
REPUTATION.
MIRRORS THE TREMENDOUS OF OUR GROWING COMMUNITY. DEMONSTRATES A COMMITMENT TO . SERVE THE IS COMMITTED TO
ENTERTAINMENT.
OF COMMUNICATION WITH OTHER COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS. ELEVATES THE TEXTURE OF LIFE IN WEST MICHIGAN.
BIRD season tickets
PURCHASE YOUR EARLY BIRD TICKETS TODAY!
CONTINUES TO BE ONLY SUMMER REPERTORY THEATRE.
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID HOPE COLLEGE
HSRT...
EARLY
HOPE COLLEGE HOPE SUMMER REPERTORY THEATRE P.O. BOX 9000 Holland, MI 49422-9000
BECAUSE OFYOU
&
Early Bird Season Tickets Donation Form BEST BUY
EARLY BIRD MAILER
Buy the 2016 summer season at last year’s prices! Be one of the first to make your ticket reservations when the shows are announced! Season ticket packages include a ticket to all four mainstage productions. Children’s Performance Troupe (CPT) ticket packages are also available! Purchase your season ticket packages today and save. Orders placed before April 15th will receive 2015 prices before they increase for the 2016 season.
BEST BUY
2015 2016
Adult
$75
$80
Senior
$70
$75
Student
$40
$40
SUPER SAVER Adult/Senior
$60
$65
Student
$40
$40
FLEX PASS Any
@ $75 = $
Adult
@ $70 = $
Senior
@ $40 = $
Student
This includes1 ticket to each of the 4 mainstage shows.
SUPER SAVER Adult/Senior
@ $60 = $
Student
@ $40 = $ This includes 1 ticket to each of the 4 mainstage shows in the orchestra seating section.
FLEX PASS
@ $85 = $
Any
This provides 4 tickets in any combination to any mainstage show with the selection of best seating availabile at the time of reservation.
CHILDREN’S PERFORMANCE TROUPE
$85
$99
CHILDREN’S PERFORMANCE TROUPE
Children
12 and under
@ $30 = $
Adult CPT
@ $46 = $
This includes 1 ticket to each CPT production and 1 ticket to 1 mainstage production of your choice.
Children (12 & UNDER) $30
$30
Adult CPT
$46
$50
Adult CPT Bonus
$72
$75
As an Early Bird subscriber, you understand the value of great summer theatre in our community, as well as the benefit of subscribing early. This is your opportunity to lock into last summer’s prices and one of our most exciting seasons ever, featuring the world’s longest running musicals seen for the first time on the HSRT stage! I look forward to welcoming you back this summer and thank you for believing in HSRT!
Richard Perez, Managing Director
Adult CPT Bonus
@ $72 = $
This includes 1 ticket to each CPT production and 2 individual tickets to use at the mainstage.
DONATION: $
GRAND TOTAL: $
NAME ADDRESS CITY
STATE
ZIP
PHONE EMAIL
CIRCLE PAYMENT
CHECK
VISA MC AMEX DISC
Please make checks payable to Hope College. To order by phone call 616-395-7890.
CREDIT CARD
MAIL FORM TO EXP. DATE HOPE COLLEGE TICKET OFFICE SIGNATURE P.O. BOX 9000 Holland, MI 49422-9000
CVC
Thank You
We look forward to seeing you during our 45th season!
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MAILER BROCHURE Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Hope College
Hope Summer Repertory Theatre
PO Box 9000, Holland, MI 49422-9000 616.395.7890 | hope.edu/hsrt
hope.edu/hsrt
Welcome to the 45th Season of Hope Summer Repertory Theatre! For nearly five decades, HSRT has been committed to bringing quality arts and entertainment to the Greater Holland Area. From its inception, our founders felt that for the theatre to best serve our community, we must provide an eclectic array of offerings—a mixture of musicals, comedies, dramas and the classics. They envisioned a theatre that not only entertains, but at times also challenges and hopefully enhances our world-view. A theatre committed to diversity and inclusion. A theatre our community can be proud to support and call its own.
SEASON 45
DOWNTOWN TICKET OFFICE
100 East 8th Street - Main Level (next to Knickerbocker Theatre) Monday - Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. For questions or more information, email tickets@hope.edu or call 616.395.7890
141 East 12th Street Monday - Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday 12:00 p.m.–Intermission, beginning June 18 Ticket Office stays open through Intermission of each performance.
facebook.com/hopesummertheatre
Daytime phone: (
Sun
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thu
Richard Perez | Managing Director Fri
Sat
Hairspray!
Hairspray!
Oedipus
Oedipus
SEASON TICKET PACKAGES
c
ult r/ Fa Ad S
Best Buy Package
$80
Super-Saver Package (orchestra seating only)
$65
(one ticket to each of four mainstage shows)
Oedipus
Hairspray!
Cat in the Hat
Cat in the Hat
Hairspray!
Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike
Masha & Spike
Oedipus
The Fantasticks Go, Dog. Go! Cat in the Hat @ 1:30
Hairspray!
Cat in the Hat
Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike
Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike
Go, Dog. Go! Go, Dog. Go! @ 2 Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike Cat in the Hat @ 1:30 Vanya & Sonia & Hairspray! Masha & Spike
Oedipus
Cat in the Hat
Go, Dog. Go! @ 2
The Fantasticks The Fantasticks
Go, Dog. Go! Cat in the Hat @ 1:30 Vanya & Sonia &
Cat in the Hat Go, Dog. Go! @ 1:30
Go, Dog. Go! Hairspray!
Hairspray!
Cat in the Hat
The Fantasticks
Hairspray!
Cat in the Hat Go, Dog. Go! @ 1:30
The Fantasticks
Go, Dog. Go! Vanya & Sonia & Cat in the Hat @ 1:30
The Fantasticks
Cat in the Hat
The Fantasticks
Hairspray!
Cat in the Hat Go, Dog. Go! @ 1:30
Oedipus
Masha & Spike
Go, Dog. Go! Cat in the Hat @ 1:30
The Fantasticks
Oedipus
Matinee @ 2 Evening show @ 8
Cat in the Hat Go, Dog. Go! @ 1:30
Hairspray!
The Fantasticks Go, Dog. Go!
Go, Dog. Go! Cat in the Hat @ 1:30 The Fantasticks Vanya & Sonia &
Matinee @ 2 Evening show @ 8
Hairspray!
Masha & Spike
MainStage shows take place in the DeWitt Theatre Children’s shows take place in the DeWitt Studio Theatre
$65
$65
$99
Children’s Package (under 12 years old)
$30
Adult CPT Package
$50
Bonus Adult CPT Package
$75
(both CPT shows and one mainstage show)
Hairspray!
$40
(both CPT shows and one mainstage shows) (both CPT shows and two mainstage shows)
616.395.7890
MasterCard
Amex
Hearing Impaired Seating
Wheelchair Seating
Mail Tickets
Hold Tickets at Theatre
ARE YOU CELEBRATING A SPECIAL OCCASION?
Check (made payable to Hope College) Visa
Expiration Date: PACKAGES
t
den
Stu
$75
Flex Package
(four tickets in any combination to mainstage shows)
ff / Sta
tickets@hope.edu
Discover
Credit Card #: CV Code: ADULT
SR./FAC/STAFF
STUDENT
TOTAL CHOOSE DATES & TIME (for CPT and matinee shows, please circle the time).
@ $40 = $ @ $65 = $ = $ @ $30 = $ @ $50 = $ @ $75 = $ = $ = $ GRAND TOTAL DUE = $
The Best Buy @ $80 @ $75 The Super-Saver (Orch Seating) @ $65 @ $65 The Flex Package @ $99 Children’s Package (under 12 years) Adult Children’s Performance Troupe Package Adult Children’s Performance Troupe Bonus Package Donation for a child or family to attend a show Donation to Hope Summer Repertory Theatre
Hairspray! (2 p.m. matinee August 6) Cat in the Hat (10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.) Oedipus Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike Go, Dog. Go! (10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. or 2 p.m.) The Fantasticks (2 p.m. matinee July 30) MAIL FORM TO
Ticket sales only cover 55% of operating costs. Please consider making a tax deductible donation.
(one ticket to each of four mainstage shows)
Hairspray!
)
Email:
ORDER TICKETS BY PHONE: 616.395.7890 ORDER TICKETS ONLINE: hope.edu/tickets
SEASON 45
SEATING ASSISTANCE & TICKET DELIVERY
City:
I look forward to seeing you at the DeWitt Theatre this summer for another season of extraordinary performances!
twitter.com/HSRTheatre
hope.edu/hsrt
Address:
We dedicate this season to you, our extended family. Without your ongoing support, we would not exist. If you believe in what we do, please tell a friend or consider making a donation. As you are probably aware, ticket sales only cover 55% of our operating costs; we depend on the generosity of corporations, foundations and individual donors to cover the gap. Through your support and advocacy, we can ensure that HSRT continues to thrive for generations to come.
CONNECT WITH US!
SEASON TICKET ORDER FORM Name:
I am pleased to say we continue to dedicate ourselves to those ideals and each year work diligently to bring you a summer of exceptional theatre. This year’s productions revolve around the power of family. The joys, sorrows and complexities of what it means to be part of a tribe, both familial and global.
DEWITT TICKET OFFICE - OPENS JUNE 13
616.395.7890
tickets@hope.edu
Hope College Ticket Office PO Box 9000, Holland, MI 49422-9000
For single ticket sales: Please call 616.395.7890 or order online at hope.edu/tickets | For group ticket sales: Please call 616.395.7890
INDIVIDUAL TICKET PRICES Musicals: Hairspray! and The Fantasticks Adult $33 Mezz/Bal $28 Orch Senior/Faculty & Staff $30 Mezz/Bal $25 Orch Children under 18 $15 All seating Plays: Oedipus and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Adult $27 Mezz/Bal $23 Orch Senior/Faculty & Staff $25 Mezz/Bal $20 Orch Children under 18 $15 All seating Children’s Performance Troupe: General Seating $15
AS WE CELEBRATE OUR 45TH SEASON!
For group ticket sales: Please call 616.395.7890
by Christopher Durang
by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan DeWitt Theatre | 8 p.m.
DeWitt Theatre | 8 p.m. June 17, 18, 23†, 29, 30 • July 5, 7, 13, 15, 20, 28 • August 6*, 8, 13
†President’s Performance * 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. shows
It’s 1962 and change is in the air. Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart has only one passion: to dance. When she wins a spot on a local TV dance program she quickly becomes a teen-sensation. You’ll stand up and cheer for this irrepressible young woman as she overcomes bullying, bias and big hair! Winner of 13 Tony Awards, find out why the New York Times said, “as sweet as a show can be without promoting tooth decay…”
July 8, 9, 12, 14, 16, 26 • August 4, 12 Tony Award Winner for Best Play of 2013, this uproarious comedy tells the tale of Vanya and Sonia, two siblings quietly living out their twilight years in the Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up. When their movie-star sister Masha shows up with her sexy boy-toy, Spike, the weekend soon becomes rife with rivalry, regret and a bit of ribaldry thrown in, for good measure. Enjoy this comic romp as it questions our ability to age gracefully in the era of smart-phones, selfies and social media.
Written by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz, Music by Michael Korner
Adapted by Ellen McLaughlin
DeWitt Studio Theatre | 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. & 2 p.m.
DeWitt Theatre | 8 p.m.
10:30 a.m. shows: July 13, 15, 25, 29 • August 3, 8, 11, 12
June 24, 25, 28 • July 6, 21, 29 • August 2, 10 Secrecy, intrigue, conspiracy - words that could be ripped from today’s headlines, but instead they underscore the world of this breathtaking classic. Oedipus arrives at Thebes a stranger and finds the town under the curse of the Sphinx, who will not free the city unless her riddle is answered. He solves the riddle and becomes king, but quickly learns that no one escapes their destiny. Considered one of the greatest tragedies ever written, Oedipus will be a production you won’t soon forget.
1:30 p.m. shows: July 16, 23,
2 p.m. shows: July 27 • August 1, 5, 10
P.D. Eastman’s classic children’s book comes to life on stage in an exploration of movement, color and space. The dogs delve into life with gusto, creating a visual spectacle for the audience to feast upon. They snorkel. They howl at the moon. They ride a ferris wheel. They sing and dance and climb trees. This is a rollicking free-for-all of chicanine-ery. A big and little musical world of doggy fun. Like a pop-up book that comes to life – and never stops.
Dr. Seuss’s
Adapted by Katie Mitchell
by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt
DeWitt Studio Theatre | 10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. 10:30 a.m. shows: June 29 • July 1, 8, 18, 22, 27 • August 1, 5, 9, 10
DeWitt Theatre | 8 p.m. 1:30 p.m. shows: July 15, 25, 29 • August 3, 8, 12
Everyone’s favorite cat jumps from the page to the stage in this theatrical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic. From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother know that The Cat In The Hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they have ever met. With the trickiest of tricks and craziest of ideas, he is certainly fun to play with. And he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will mom find when she gets home...?
July 22, 23, 25, 27, 30* • August 1, 3, 5, 9, 11
* 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. shows
A funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. The narrator of our story tells us to use our imagination and follow Matt and Luisa into a world of moonlight and magic. Watch as they fall in love, grow apart, and find their way back to each other realizing the truth of his words, “without a hurt, the heart is hollow”. The world’s longest-running musical will remind you just how fantastic it is to fall in love!
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RACK CARD
RACK CARD
SEASON 45
JUNE 17–AUGUST 13
JUNE 24–AUGUST 10 SEASON 45
JULY 8–AUGUST 12
JULY 22–AUGUST 12
CHILDREN’S PERFORMANCE TROUPE THE CAT IN THE HAT
JUNE 29–AUGUST 12
GO, DOG. GO!
JULY 13–AUGUST 12
MainStage shows take place in the DeWitt Theatre Children’s shows take place in the DeWitt Studio Theatre ORDER TICKETS ONLINE: hope.edu/tickets
hope.edu/ hsrt tickets@hope.edu
616.395.7890 facebook.com/hopesummertheatre twitter.com/HSRTheatre
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ORDER TICKETS BY PHONE: 616.395.7890
DOWNTOWN TICKET OFFICE
100 East 8th Street - Main Level (next to Knickerbocker Theatre) Monday - Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. For questions or more information, email tickets@hope.edu or call 616.395.7890
DEWITT TICKET OFFICE - OPENS JUNE 13
141 East 12th Street Monday - Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday 12:00 p.m.–Intermission, beginning June 18 Ticket Office stays open through Intermission of each performance.
PULL-UP BANNERS
HSRT
HOPE SUMMER REPERTORY THEATR E
BANNERS HSRT
HOPE SUMMER REPERTORY THEATR E
HSRT
HOPE SUMMER REPERTORY THEATR E
Join us for the summer! june–august
616.395.7890 hope.edu/hsrt Join us for the summer!
Join us for the summer! june—august
Join us for the summer!
616.395.7890 hope.edu/hsrt
Join us for the summer! june–august
616.395.7890 hope.edu/hsrt Join us for the summer!
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SEASON POSTER HO PE SUMMER REPERTO RY THEATRE SEASON 45
JUNE 17–AUGUST 13
JUNE 24–AUGUST 10
JULY 8–AUGUST 12
JULY 22–AUGUST 12 CHILDREN’S PERFORMANCE TROUPE THE CAT IN THE HAT JUNE 29–AUGUST 12
GO, DOG GO
JULY 13–AUGUST 12
ALL SHOWS TAKE PLACE IN THE DEWITT THEATRE, LOCATED AT 141 EAST 12TH STREET, HOLLAND, MI 49423
CONNECT WITH US! hope.edu/hsrt 616.395.7890 facebook.com/hopesummertheatre twitter.com/HSRTheatre
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SHOW POSTERS HO P E SU MME R R E P E RTO RY T HE ATR E
JUNE 24–AUGUST 10
L PERIOD A IC T S Y M DESIGN KABLE AND ...A REMAR CTION WITH SOUND ONES”. PRODU E OF THR M A “G Y B INSPIRED
oedipus
SEASON 45
N E P O S E Y E R U O Y P E KE JUNE 24, 25, 28 JULY 6, 21, 29 AUGUST 2, 10
by Sophocles adapted by Ellen McLaughlin
616.395.7890 hope.edu/hsrt 9
SHOW POSTERS HO P E S UM M ER R EP ERTO RY T HEAT R E SEASON 45
IT’S FUN TO HAVE FUN, BUT YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW!
at h e h t n i The cat s’s
s Dr. Seu
12 GUST 29–AU E N U J
Dr. Seuss’s
Adapted by Katie Mitchell JUNE 29 616.395.7890 JULY 1, 8, 15, 18, 22, 25, 27, 29 AUGUST 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 12 hope.edu/hsrt
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SHOW POSTERS HO P E S UMME R R E P E RTO RY THE ATRE SEASON 45
what a dog party! red dogs, blue dogs, big dogs, little Dogs! UST 12 –AUG 3 1 Y L JU
Written by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz Music by Michael Korner
JULY 13, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29 AUGUST 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
616.395.7890 hope.edu/hsrt
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SEASON RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2016
CONTACT: DALE DORLIN (616) 395-7602 hsrtpr@hope.edu
HOPE SUMMER REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES ITS 45TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON HIGHLIGHTING FAMILY AND THE DYNAMICS WITHIN
HOLLAND, MI— Hope Summer Repertory Theatre (HSRT) announces and celebrates its 45th season, continuing its commitment to bringing quality arts and entertainment to the Greater Holland Area. This new season, filled with classics, comedy, and cutting edge drama, showcasing the human condition, revolves around the power of family and the dynamics that take place within this social paradigm. From the timeless and romantic love story of The Fantasticks to the boisterous and provocative comedy of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, HSRT has a pleasing appeal for every audience member. Managing Director, Richard Perez articulates his sentiments towards the season, “We must provide an eclectic array of offerings—a mixture of musicals, comedies, dramas and the classics. Hope Summer Repertory Theatre is a theatre that not only entertains, but at times also challenges and hopefully enhances our worldview—a theatre committed to diversity and inclusion.” And while cats and dogs are normally the age-old representation of archenemies, they’ve been brought together to bark and meow in perfect harmony and wonderful fun. The Children’s Performance Troupe offers a childhood classic, Dr. Seuss’s Cat In The Hat, and Go Dog! Go!, a musical that keeps chasing after its own tail! Artistic Director, David Colacci speaks on the intent behind the programming and presentation of Season 45, “We present somewhat of a whole broadway and off-broadway season in 8 short weeks, that gives our actors the experience that they might find over a 5 year period in some cases. This year, one of the hallmark takeaways are the periods that are touched upon, Most people, when they think of an older play, they think of Shakespeare. However, Oedipus was written 2,000 years before that, the very origins of drama as we know it, spanning all the way to the pioneering musical of Hairspray that showcases the pure triumph of diversity.” All performances take place at The DeWitt Theatre located on Hope College’s Campus at 141 E. 12th St. Holland, MI. Season ticket packages are now on sale at the college’s downtown ticket office, located at 100 E. 8th Street. Season Ticket options save patrons up to 38% off individual ticket prices and guarantee terrific seating for each performance. The Best Buy Package offers seating for four main-stage performances for only $80 for adults, $75 for seniors and $40 for students.
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SEASON RELEASE
-moreThe Super-Saver Package includes seating limited to the orchestra and admission to the four main-stage productions for $65 for both adults and seniors and $40 for students. Hope Summer Repertory Theatre (HSRT) is West Michigan’s premier professional theatre company for the last 45 years. The company is a unique blend of distinguished professionals and young theatre artists from all over the United States, creating an intergenerational synergy between our emerging and advanced artists. The theatre is distinguished by the wide variety of plays and musicals performed by one resident acting company. This wide variety of repertoire is unified by the goal to explore and celebrate the joy and complexity of the human condition. The company numbers over 100 annually taking up residence for the summer in Holland; producing 6 shows in rotation every summer on the DeWitt Theatre stage—a 494 seat thrust space and the DeWitt Studio—a 125 seat theatre in the round. More information available online at www.hope.edu/hsrt, or by calling 616-395-7890.
MAINSTAGE PERFORMANCES Hairspray Music by Marc Shaiman Lyrics by Scott Wittman & Shaiman Performance Dates | 8:00 pm shows: June 17, 18, 23, 29, 30 • July 5, 7, 13, 15, 20, 28 • August 6*, 8, 13 (*denotes 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. shows) It’s 1962 and change is in the air. Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart has only one passion: to dance. When she wins a spot on a local TV dance program she quickly becomes teen-sensation. You stand up and cheer for this irrepressible young woman as she overcomes bullying, bias and big hair! Winner of 13 Tony Awards, find out why the New York Times said, “as sweet as a show can be without promoting tooth decay...” Oedipus by Sophocles adapted by Ellen McLaughlin Performance Dates | 8:00 p.m. shows: June 24, 25, 28 • July 6, 21, 29 • August 2, 10 Secrecy, intrigue, conspiracy - words that could be ripped from today’s headlines, but instead they underscore the world of this breathtaking classic. Oedipus arrives at Thebes a stranger and finds the town under the curse of the Sphinx, who will not free the city unless her riddle is answered. He solves the riddle and becomes king, but quickly learns that no one escapes their destiny. Considered one of the greatest tragedies ever written, Oedipus will be a production you won’t soon forget. -more-
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SEASON RELEASE
The Fantasticks Music by Harvey Schmidt & Lyrics by Tom Jones Performance Dates | 8:00 p.m. shows July 22, 23, 25, 27, 30* • August 1, 3, 5, 9, 11 (*denotes 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. shows) A funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. The narrator of our story tells us to use our imagination and follow Matt and Luisa into a world of moonlight and magic. Watch as they fall in love, grow apart, and find their way back to each other realizing the truth of his words, “without a hurt, the heart is hollow”. The world’s longest running musical will remind you just how fantastic it is to fall in love! VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE By Christopher Durang Performance Dates: July 8, 9, 12, 14, 16, 26 • August 4, 12 Tony Award Winner for Best Play of 2013, this uproarious comedy tells the tale of Vanya and Sonia, two siblings quietly living out their twilight years in the Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up. When their movie-star sister Masha shows up with her sexy boy-toy, Spike, the weekend soon becomes rife with rivalry, regret and a bit of ribaldry thrown in, for good measure. Enjoy this comic romp as it questions our ability to age gracefully in the era of smart-phones, selfies and social media.
CHILDREN’S PERFORMANCE TROUPE DR.SEUSS’ CAT IN THE HAT Adapted by Katie Mitchell Performance Dates 10:30 a.m. shows: June 29 • July 1, 8, 18, 22, 27 • August 1, 5, 9, 10 2 p.m. shows: July 15, 25, 29 • August 3, 8, 12 Everyone’s favorite cat jumps from the page to the stage in this theatrical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic. From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother know that The Cat In The Hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they have ever met. With the trickiest of tricks and craziest of ideas, he is certainly fun to play with. And he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will mum find when she gets home? Go, Dog! Go! Written by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz, Music by Michael Korner Performance Dates 10:30 a.m. shows: July 13, 15, 25, 29 • August 3, 8, 11, 12 2 p.m. shows: July 16, 23, 27 • August 1, 5, 10 -more-
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P.D. Eastman’s classic children’s book comes to life on stage in an exploration of movement, color and space. The dogs delve into life with gusto, creating a visual spectacle for the audience to feast upon. They snorkel. They howl at the moon. They ride a ferris wheel. They sing and dance and climb trees. This is a rollicking free-for-all of chicanine-ery. A big and little musical world of doggy fun. Like a pop-up book that comes to life, and never stops. ###
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HAIRSPRAY
“Enjoyable.” “Inspiring.” “Noteworthy.”
“Hairspray will definitely leave audiences with one huge and lasting impression: its gigantic heart.”
“Energetic.” “Upbeat.” “Excellent.”
- Kurt Van Koevering
“It never stops moving and every performer in it gives committed performance with a unity of vision.” - Bridgette Redman
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SHOW REVIEWS SHOWS
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EDUCATION
SY Y O U T H /SFHAOMWI L
FILTER
NEWS
PREVIEWS
THEATERS
REVIEWS
INDUSTRY
YOUTH/FAMILY
E-CASTING
LISTEN TO OUR LATEST PODCAST
“Hairspray” at Hope Summer Rep is an explosion of joy REVIEW
June 19, 2016
Bridgette Redman
HOLLAND, Mich.–Hope Summer Repertory Theatre does a lot of things well. One of things that they excel in is the big-cast musicals. For the opening production of its 45th season, the company is staging Hairspray with 30 people, a mix of Equity actors, students and actors from around the country. Hope filled its stage with music and dance, making “Hairspray” a celebratory production that has the crowed moved to long spates of applause between each number. Directed by Fred Tessler, this Hairspray is energetic and upbeat. It never stops moving and every performer in it gives a committed performance with a unity of vision. There are serious themes in this show, ones dealing with racial integration, fat shaming and pursuing one’s dreams. Tessler keeps the mood light and the action constant. Hannah Clarke Levine plays the central character of Tracy Turnblad, the plus-size teenager who is ready to take on Baltimore and change the world by dancing and integrating the all-white Corny Collins show. Levine is an excellent dancer and singer, plainly showing why she deserves the attention that Corny Collins showers on her character and the stardom that she garners. She also creates a spunky character who is multi-dimensional. As Tracy’s best friend, Penny Pingleton, Samantha McHenry has some great moves too. Her physicality for the part is excellent, creating a contrast with Levine as she moves long, lanky limbs in spider-like motions. It’s fun to watch her fall in love with Seaweed Stubbs (Aramie Payton) and see her character grow from submissive to defiant. Chip Duford, a longtime favorite at HSRT, is Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s mother. In this genderbending role, Duford is delightful and constantly entertaining. He has us rooting for Edna as she supports her daughter’s success and finds herself blooming and coming into her own. Duford shows us her insecurities and strengths. He owns the stage when he’s dancing and he has a delightful singing range that makes Edna convincing as a middleaged woman. Duford is especially delightful paired with Tom Emmott as her husband Wilbur Turnblad. They show that love comes in all ages and sizes, and their duet “You’re Timeless to Me” is one of the highlights of the show. Emmott brings a distinct physicality to the role that is consistent throughout the show and adds depth to Wilbur’s character. He’s amusing and endearing and totally convincing as the father and husband who supports the women in his life wholeheartedly. Shonda L. Thurman brings incredible singing chops to the stage as Motormouth Maybelle. Her ballad “I Know Where I’ve Been” nearly brought down the house with the thunderous applause following it. Her voice reverberates through the theater and her conviction was evident in every lyric. She is warm in her connections with the teenagers on stage and moves with the confidence and dignity of a diva.
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WEEK OF 8/8/2016
CURRENT SHOWS ALL
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Detroit Improv Festival 08/10–08/13 The Ringwald Theatre | Ferndale Buy Tickets | Show Details
Boeing-Boeing 08/11–08/20 Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater Buy Tickets | Show Details
Only a Day 08/11–08/21 Spinning Dot Theatre | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike 07/08–08/12 Hope Summer Repertory Theatre | Holland Buy Tickets | Show Details
As You Like It 07/07–08/12 Michigan Shakespeare Festival | Jackson Buy Tickets | Show Details
Go Dog, Go 07/13–08/12 Hope Summer Repertory Theatre | Holland Buy Tickets | Show Details
Payton is inspiring as Seaweed, showing off impressive dance moves and reaching out to Tracy while they are both in detention. It’s fun to watch him fall for Penny and to see the two of them create a couple that was sparkling with sexual tension.
What Am I Doing Here? 08/12–08/28
AlissaBeth Morton is a stereotypical mean girl as Amber Von Tussle. She has the societyapproved good looks and figure, but a mean-spirited and self-absorbed personality. Morton carries herself with just the right amount of prissiness and created an antagonist you loved to hate.
Love Letters 08/12–08/28
As her mother, Velma, Serena Vesper delivers the racist lines with confidence and invective, creating a contrast to the other mothers in the musical. She is manipulative
Aladdin 08/12–08/13
and sneering, very much wanting to keep things under her control. She sets the stakes with her rendition of “Miss Baltimore Crabs,” a number in which she owned the stage in a commanding fashion.
Buy Tickets | Show Details
Joe Niesen’s choreography is complex as might be expected in a show about dancing. Each dance tells its own story and is meant to inspire both the audience and the characters in the show. Niesen brings different flavors to the numbers, contrasting
Theatre Nova | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Snug Theatre | Marine City Buy Tickets | Show Details
Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater
Henry IV 08/12–09/09 The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company | Grand Rapids Buy Tickets | Show Details
different characters and playing to the strengths of the performers he is working with.
The Great American Trailer Park Musical
With so many performers on stage, Costume Designer Kristen P. Ahern has her hands full, and she showes off her talent with costumes that painted the stage in bright colors
08/12–08/28
in every scene. The Corny Collins dancers are all in coordinated 60s style dance outfits. Where Ahern especially deserves praise is in the plus-size outfits she designed for the
Buy Tickets | Show Details
various characters—outfits that complimented them and made them look stunning. “Hairspray” is two and a half hours with intermission, but it flies by. There is never a moment where things slow down. It is a feel-good musical, subversive in its own way, and still having something to say some thirty years after it first tackled the issues of integration and body image. The cast of Hope Summer Rep’s “Hairspray” may seek first to entertain—and succeed wildly in doing so—but they also invite us to continue the work of integrating our communities, accepting each other no matter what our size, and loving each other for who we are.
Mason Street Warehouse | Saugatuck
The Tempest 08/12–08/21 Flint Youth Theatre | Flint Buy Tickets | Show Details
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee 07/29–08/13 Monster Box Theatre | Waterford Buy Tickets | Show Details
It’s an uplifting evening and one well worth the trip to Holland, Michigan. Click here for show days, times and details.
P.Y.G. 07/22–08/14 Slipstream Theatre Initiative | Ferndale Buy Tickets | Show Details
Read more about Hairspray 06/17–08/13 Read more about Hope Summer Repertory Theatre
Ernie 07/28–08/14 City Theatre | Detroit Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Rocky Horror Show 08/02–08/14 Barn Theatre | Augusta Buy Tickets | Show Details
Morning’s At Seven 06/16–08/27 The Purple Rose Theatre Company | Chelsea Buy Tickets | Show Details
Greater Tuna 07/15–8/21 The Dio – Dining and Entertainment | Pinckney Buy Tickets | Show Details
American Wee-Pie 07/21–08/21 Tipping Point Theatre | Northville Buy Tickets | Show Details
Summer Retreat 07/14–08/21 Williamston Theatre | Williamston Buy Tickets | Show Details
My Fair Lady 08/04–08/28 The Encore Musical Theatre Company | Dexter Buy Tickets | Show Details
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OEDIPUS
“Eerie.” “Profound.” “Powerful.” “Stunning.” “The show’s energy is tightly planned, rising and falling in a well-conducted symphony.” - Bridgette Redman
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Oh Mother! Oedipus makes an impression at Hope Summer Rep REVIEW
June 26, 2016
Bridgette Redman
HOLLAND, Mich.–It’s a risky business for a summer stock theater to do something as heavy as a Greek tragedy. The audiences that Hope Summer Repertory draws from are often vacationers and tourists who are looking for something light and entertaining. And they can certainly get that from most of HSRT’s 2016 season–Hairspray, The Fantasticks, and Sonia, Vanya, Masha and Spike. But then the artistic team went out on a limb. They opened up Oedipus this week and gave it all the due and gravitas that one would expect from a Greek tragedy. The show, directed by David Colacci, mixes a traditional and modern approach. In its setting, it is purely traditional. The words resonate with elevated language and classical delivery. Jodi Ozimek’s costuming firmly sets it in ancient Thebes. The 12-member chorus fills the stage, never leaving it, acting both as audience and actor. But there are modern elements to this production too, most particularly in Jeffrey Levin’s sound design. There is a constant sound track to the drama, often making it eerie and profound. Echoes and amplifications add depth to the chorus, adding layers to their mourning, music to their spoken songs and an intensity and urgency to all that they speak. Colacci’s direction is ever-present in this show. He choreographs the chorus so that their every motion contributes to the telling of the story and the establishing of a mood. They circle, chant, pull back and listen. They are the ones who, through movement and voice, elevate Oedipus, praise him, challenge him, and ultimately witness his demise. The named characters circle and pace, posing at critical moments and moving in a lyrical fashion. The show’s energy is tightly planned, rising and falling in a well-conducted symphony. Bryce Michael Wood plays the titular character and is at his best as the beloved leader who cares for and loves his people. He brings a dignity and gravitas to the role, moving with power and grace. His voice is strong, and he delivers his lines with classical flair. However, the role makes demands that seriously challenge the actor. One of Oedipus’ fatal flaws is his rage—that he falls victim to his anger and acts rashly in ways that ultimately condemn and doom him. Wood is always in control, always portraying the dignity and never the loss of it. His voice raises, but there is not the texture of anger in it. Nor does his body communicate rage—his hands and body stay relaxed, only the text giving away that he is enraged. William Hulings creates an entirely sympathetic Creon, one who first openly shows his support and devotion to Oedipus and then is genuinely put upon when his king and brother-in-law turn on him in unjustified suspicion. His choices contribute to the narrative of a noble king who is prone to acting rashly. Making a late appearance in the play is Jocasta, played by Kathleen Mary Mulligan, who appears to intervene between her brother and husband. She carries herself with the dignity of a mature queen, one who has many years on Oedipus but is devoted to him and to her city. She relates her fatal story with genuine emotion, creating an everbuilding tension leading up to the ultimate climax. Mulligan’s doomed queen commands the stage both with what she says and what she leaves unspoken—the tragedy that hangs in the air for the audience to connect even while Oedipus is oblivious. Serena Vesper is the spookily “other” Tiresias, a prophet and a mouthpiece of the gods. She plays the prophet’s reluctance to speak well, doing so with moves that were always deliberate and exaggerated. She carried herself distinctly, working with her otherworldly makeup and costuming to set her apart from the citizens of Thebes and its rulers. The choice of the artistic staff to create an amplified echo of her voice contributed to her other-worldliness, but sometimes made it difficult to understand her words. It required a great deal of concentration to translate her words and even then it was sometimes lost.
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While the show is heavy fare for a summer stock theater, it is also a very fitting
WEEK OF 8/8/2016
CURRENT SHOWS ALL
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Detroit Improv Festival 08/10–08/13 The Ringwald Theatre | Ferndale Buy Tickets | Show Details
Boeing-Boeing 08/11–08/20 Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater Buy Tickets | Show Details
Only a Day 08/11–08/21 Spinning Dot Theatre | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
Stuart Little 08/11–08/20 Flint Youth Theatre | Flint Buy Tickets | Show Details
What Am I Doing Here? 08/12–08/28 Theatre Nova | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
Love Letters 08/12–08/28 The Snug Theatre | Marine City Buy Tickets | Show Details
Aladdin 08/12–08/13 Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater Buy Tickets | Show Details
Henry IV 08/12–09/09 The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company | Grand Rapids Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Great American Trailer Park Musical 08/12–08/28 Mason Street Warehouse | Saugatuck Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Tempest 08/12–08/21 Flint Youth Theatre | Flint Buy Tickets | Show Details
undertaking for a theater that has the acting and academic resources of HRST. They are able to give great depth to the show, performing it in a powerful fashion. The show is fraught with emotion, visual appeal and aural sensations. Colacci and his cast and crew do justice to Ellen McLaughlin’s adaptation of Sophocles’ award-winning masterpiece. They bring it to life in a stunning manner with an ever-building tension that is heartbreaking in its final reveal. Click here for show days, times and details. Read more about Oedipus 06/24–08/10 Read more about Hope Summer Repertory Theatre
Hairspray 06/17–08/13 Hope Summer Repertory Theatre | Holland Buy Tickets | Show Details
Richard II 07/09–08/13 Michigan Shakespeare Festival | Jackson Buy Tickets | Show Details
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee 07/29–08/13 Monster Box Theatre | Waterford Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Killer Angels 07/14–08/14 Michigan Shakespeare Festival | Jackson Buy Tickets | Show Details
P.Y.G. 07/22–08/14 Slipstream Theatre Initiative | Ferndale Buy Tickets | Show Details
Ernie 07/28–08/14 City Theatre | Detroit Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Rocky Horror Show 08/02–08/14 Barn Theatre | Augusta Buy Tickets | Show Details
Morning’s At Seven 06/16–08/27 The Purple Rose Theatre Company | Chelsea Buy Tickets | Show Details
Greater Tuna 07/15–8/21 The Dio – Dining and Entertainment | Pinckney Buy Tickets | Show Details
American Wee-Pie 07/21–08/21 Tipping Point Theatre | Northville Buy Tickets | Show Details
Kolobok 08/06–08/20 PuppetART Theatre | Detroit Buy Tickets | Show Details
Summer Retreat 07/14–08/21 Williamston Theatre | Williamston Buy Tickets | Show Details
My Fair Lady 08/04–08/28 The Encore Musical Theatre Company | Dexter Buy Tickets | Show Details
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VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE “Crisp.” “Humorous.” “Spirited.” “Standout.” “A spirited war of wills, providing the perfect wake-up call for the audience.”
“Delightful.” “Provocative.”
- Kurt Van Koevering
“A great piece of theater that will keep you laughing and give you something to think about on the way home.” - Sue Merrell
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Hope Summer Rep does Chekhov modern and funny REVIEW
July 09, 2016
Sue Merrell
HOLLAND–Sometimes a play is just for laughs. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, the latest addition to the Hope Summer Repertory season, certainly has plenty. In addition to playwright Christopher Durang’s clever jabs at today’s society, director Jeff Steitzer has added lots of sight gags such as the maid’s hand fluttering ominously and various characters absently removing a bookmark. But this fast-paced frolic is so much more than cheap yuks. Classic theater fans will enjoy the numerous references to the tragic comedies of Anton Chekhov including “Uncle Vanya,” “Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard.” But most importantly, there’s enormous satisfaction as these crazy characters grow and change during the course of a frenetic weekend.
WEEK OF 8/8/2016
CURRENT SHOWS
The basic theme–a country family estate about to be sold–is borrowed from several Chekhov plays. It’s the story of three siblings–Vanya, Sonia and Masha–whose parents were literature professors who named their kids after Chekhov characters. Vanya and Sonia have spent their lives at the family estate, caring for the now deceased parents, while Masha went off to New York to become a famous actress whose work has supported the estate and her siblings. Now, the pushy, arrogant Masha returns with a scandalously younger lover, Spike. Add in a powerful voodoo cleaning lady, Cassandra,
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Detroit Improv Festival 08/10–08/13 The Ringwald Theatre | Ferndale Buy Tickets | Show Details
and a too-cute neighbor girl, Nina, and you have a recipe for delightful disaster. Friday’s opening night audience was certainly up for a good time, as evidenced by the wild applause when Sonia shatters a coffee cup not 10 minutes into the show. Shannon Huneryager is fantastic as the brooding Sonia. Her constant complaining is elevated to distinguished distress when she dresses up for a costume ball as Maggie Smith at the Oscars.
Boeing-Boeing 08/11–08/20 Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater Buy Tickets | Show Details
Only a Day 08/11–08/21 Spinning Dot Theatre | Ann Arbor
William Hulings is a wonderful Vanya, long-suffering and patient until he explodes into a show-stopping rant about all that’s wrong with our shallow world. Hulings’ best moments, however, are whenever the gay Vanya struggles for a better view of sexy Spike’s outlandish antics.
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Noah Bridgestock is a definite scene stealer as hunka-hunk Spike, whether putting on a tricep-flex show in the background or exiting with a high-kicking howl. His reverse striptease is provocatively over-the-top, and Vanya isn’t the only one in the room craning to see what Spike would do next.
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Kathleen Mary Mulligan has the right touch for the difficult role of Masha, the hateful heroine who must be convincingly beautiful, heartbreakingly vulnerable and viciously rude all at the same time. Mulligan pulls it off, along with sizable character growth. Shonda L. Thurman is another eye-magnet in this cast, selling Cassandra’s voodoo magic and predictions with the eerie flutter of her hand, mesmerizing eyes and a haunting laugh. Bridgette Karl tops off a talented team as the darling Nina. Beyond her basic lithe blonde good looks, Karl has a twinkle in the eye and a crinkle of the nose that’s just irresistible. Director Steitzer has developed very precise pacing. At one point the sisters’ argument dissolves into a pity party of Lucille Ball wailing. Vanya arrives with tea to soothe them. The wails simmer down slowly and all three siblings raise their cups of tea at exactly the same moment. Scenic designer Kristin Ellert has created a formidable set with stone walls, massive beams, delicate wood trim and a huge fireplace surrounded by shelves filled with a lifetime of memorabilia. The show also features wonderful Snow White and dwarf costumes right out of the animated Disney movie, which add a lot of impact whether they were rented or created by costume designer Kathryn Wagner. Between the laughs, Durang writes a wonderful tale about our times. And yet the parallels with Chekhov’s stories of a century ago add a spooky sense of timelessness. The siblings are passing mid-life with a fear that they never lived at all. Their
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relationships waver between love and hate, and their greatest satisfaction comes from the simplest things.
Stuart Little 08/11–08/20 Flint Youth Theatre | Flint
What Am I Doing Here? 08/12–08/28 Theatre Nova | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
Love Letters 08/12–08/28 The Snug Theatre | Marine City Buy Tickets | Show Details
Aladdin 08/12–08/13 Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater Buy Tickets | Show Details
Henry IV 08/12–09/09 The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company | Grand Rapids Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Great American Trailer Park Musical 08/12–08/28 Mason Street Warehouse | Saugatuck Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Tempest 08/12–08/21 Flint Youth Theatre | Flint Buy Tickets | Show Details
Vanya’s rant in the second act probably goes on too long. After his point has been made he’s still ranting and ranting and ranting. More Chekhov perhaps than modern theater. We got it already. But overall, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” is a great piece of theater that will keep you laughing and give you something to think about on the way home. Click here for show days, times and details. Read more about Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike 07/08–08/12 Read more about Hope Summer Repertory Theatre
Hairspray 06/17–08/13 Hope Summer Repertory Theatre | Holland Buy Tickets | Show Details
Richard II 07/09–08/13 Michigan Shakespeare Festival | Jackson Buy Tickets | Show Details
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee 07/29–08/13 Monster Box Theatre | Waterford Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Killer Angels 07/14–08/14 Michigan Shakespeare Festival | Jackson Buy Tickets | Show Details
P.Y.G. 07/22–08/14 Slipstream Theatre Initiative | Ferndale Buy Tickets | Show Details
Ernie 07/28–08/14 City Theatre | Detroit Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Rocky Horror Show 08/02–08/14 Barn Theatre | Augusta Buy Tickets | Show Details
Morning’s At Seven 06/16–08/27 The Purple Rose Theatre Company | Chelsea Buy Tickets | Show Details
Greater Tuna 07/15–8/21 The Dio – Dining and Entertainment | Pinckney Buy Tickets | Show Details
American Wee-Pie 07/21–08/21 Tipping Point Theatre | Northville Buy Tickets | Show Details
Kolobok 08/06–08/20 PuppetART Theatre | Detroit Buy Tickets | Show Details
Summer Retreat 07/14–08/21 Williamston Theatre | Williamston Buy Tickets | Show Details
My Fair Lady 08/04–08/28 The Encore Musical Theatre Company | Dexter Buy Tickets | Show Details
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THE FANTASTICKS
“Brilliant.” “Astounding.” “Elegant.”
“A work of art that is utterly captivating and works on a symbolic level at every turn.”
“Whimsical.”
- Marin Heinritz
“The Fantasticks treads on familiar ground, telling the age-old tale of a boy and a girl falling in love. Every actor in Hope Summer Repertory Theatre’s (HSRT) season-ending production of The Fantasticks deserves an ovation for a job well done...” - Kurt Van Koevering
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Hope Rep’s “Fantasticks” lives up to its name REVIEW
July 24, 2016
Marin Heinritz
HOLLAND, Mich.—On opening night of Hope Summer Repertory Theatre’s final production of the summer, The Fantasticks, its fawn-like leading lady, Emily Brett, an elegant tiny dancer songbird of a woman, tripped while making her entrance and skinned her left knee. She made it look intentional, like part of the choreography, and seamlessly carried on to perform several numbers of the first act as the audience worried for the bright red gash seeping through her tights and the knee swelling before our very eyes. But she returned with her next entrance unscathed, an invisible band-aid covering the wound, and gracefully sang sweetly and danced the demanding balletic choreography like a pro. And her little ordeal ended up working as foreshadowing in this seemingly anointed production. Her character leaps with gusto into the youthful promise and possibility of life and love yet to be experienced, is knocked down by its harsher realities, and yet still chooses love.
WEEK OF 8/8/2016
CURRENT SHOWS
It’s a message and a metaphor for all of us, and comes as if guided by a power beyond our control, much as the action of this play within a play unfolds as orchestrated by its narrator, El Gallo.
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This particular production of the world’s longest-running musical (opened in 1960 and ran for 42 years; the 2006 Broadway revival is still going) is exquisite. Magnificently cast and beautifully staged, director and choreographer Joe Niesen has created a work of art that is utterly captivating and works on a symbolic level at every turn—both literal and figurative, deliberate and, apparently, unintentional.
Detroit Improv Festival 08/10–08/13
This beloved allegorical love story by Tom Jones with music by Harvey Schmidt is based on the play The Romancers by Edmond Rostand, a kind of mash-up of elements from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Nights’ Dream as well as Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore.
Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater
Next door neighbors fall in love, and their fathers orchestrate a twisted plot that involves a theatre troupe staging a fake abduction in which Matt can heroically rescue Luisa, and therefore cinch their love. Their wonderment and infatuation turns sour in the light of day, they part, go off and get hurt, and then reconnect, a little wounded, a little wiser. It’s a deceptively simple premise, as is the artful design. The scenic design by Tyler M. Perry focuses on a circular raised platform center stage mirrored by a circular cut out lined with light bulbs and ladders framing the cyclorama that shifts from moon to sun with lighting designed by Peter E. Sargent. Plot and subplot, imaginings and reality, take place simultaneously at times, with brilliant use of these separate spaces by the actors. A large striped chest is an additional platform on which the actors play and into which they sometimes disappear.
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Buy Tickets | Show Details
Only a Day 08/11–08/21 Spinning Dot Theatre | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
Stuart Little 08/11–08/20 Flint Youth Theatre | Flint Buy Tickets | Show Details
What Am I Doing Here? 08/12–08/28 Theatre Nova | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
Love Letters 08/12–08/28 The Snug Theatre | Marine City
Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater
In this eight-person cast, every actor seems at the top of their game. Tom Bengston and Chip DuFord are wonderful as the fathers; Tom Emmott is highly amusing as the old actor Henry; Bryce Michael Wood is spectacular as his chiseled girlie-voiced sidekick Mortimer. And perhaps most outstanding is Chaz Arnett Sanders as the lithe and sinewy glittertossing Mute who speaks volumes with his beautifully expressive face and body. An
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Boeing-Boeing 08/11–08/20
certainly deliberately) falls out of her fouette turns, symbolizing the larger movement through which she’s going, from innocent to knowing, a fall of sorts we all must endure.
touch of sinister and takes every opportunity to connect to the audience, literally occupying the aisles of the theatre and quietly interacting with people in their seats.
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Buy Tickets | Show Details
Buy Tickets | Show Details
the orchestra which also includes Meg Rodgers on harp. The success of this show can rest on the actor who plays El Gallo, and Daniel Lindgren’s charm is effortlessly seductive, pulling the audience into the world he’s creating. His “Try to Remember” is warm and rich, never saccharine. He balances whimsy with the right
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The Ringwald Theatre | Ferndale
“Round and Round” is the apex song, and by the time its sinister twists and turns arrive, the symbolism of the design has prepared the audience to enter it fully. Even the choreography here spirals and turns, and Emily Brett as Luisa expertly (and most
Brett is spritely, her dancing spry, and her soprano operatic. She sings wonderful duets with Nate DeCook as Matt, who is earnest, and also sings the often high-pitched part with depth. Music Director Fred Tessler creates magic with these voices, and plays half of
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Aladdin 08/12–08/13 Buy Tickets | Show Details
Henry IV 08/12–09/09 The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company | Grand Rapids Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Great American Trailer Park Musical 08/12–08/28 Mason Street Warehouse | Saugatuck Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Tempest 08/12–08/21 Flint Youth Theatre | Flint Buy Tickets | Show Details
astounding acrobat and dancer with swagger and style in spades, his performance is magnificent. Everyone is expertly dressed in costumes by Kristen P. Ahern that are beautifully constructed and designed to highlight movement and character. Made mostly of brightly colored plaids and stripes, with dapper hats and suspenders, they’re out of time, really, neither contemporary nor belonging to a particular age, and perfectly whimsical. It may be one of the most often produced musicals the world over, but Director Joe Niesen has made certain this show is uncommon in its excellence. With great care for a brilliant concept supported by every actor, every member of the design team, this Fantasticks succeeds as a true work of art. Click here for show days, times, tickets and details Read more about The Fantasticks 07/22–08/11 Read more about Hope Summer Repertory Theatre
Hairspray 06/17–08/13 Hope Summer Repertory Theatre | Holland Buy Tickets | Show Details
Richard II 07/09–08/13 Michigan Shakespeare Festival | Jackson Buy Tickets | Show Details
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee 07/29–08/13 Monster Box Theatre | Waterford Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Killer Angels 07/14–08/14 Michigan Shakespeare Festival | Jackson Buy Tickets | Show Details
P.Y.G. 07/22–08/14 Slipstream Theatre Initiative | Ferndale Buy Tickets | Show Details
Ernie 07/28–08/14 City Theatre | Detroit Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Rocky Horror Show 08/02–08/14 Barn Theatre | Augusta Buy Tickets | Show Details
Morning’s At Seven 06/16–08/27 The Purple Rose Theatre Company | Chelsea Buy Tickets | Show Details
Greater Tuna 07/15–8/21 The Dio – Dining and Entertainment | Pinckney Buy Tickets | Show Details
American Wee-Pie 07/21–08/21 Tipping Point Theatre | Northville Buy Tickets | Show Details
Kolobok 08/06–08/20 PuppetART Theatre | Detroit Buy Tickets | Show Details
Summer Retreat 07/14–08/21 Williamston Theatre | Williamston Buy Tickets | Show Details
My Fair Lady 08/04–08/28 The Encore Musical Theatre Company | Dexter Buy Tickets | Show Details
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THE CAT IN THE HAT
“Vivid.” “Dynamic.” “Fun that is Funny.”
“The stage adaptation of The Cat in the Hat is “fun that is funny,” the Cat himself’s favorite kind, and it reminds us all that plays are, indeed, play—for children and adults alike. The dynamic cast of acting interns, the majority of whom, are African American, gave their all and bonded with the sold-out audience of mesmerized children from diverse backgrounds. Such active representation of a commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and excellence is both commendable and notable.” - Marin Heinritz
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“The Cat in the Hat” is Thing One to see REVIEW
July 02, 2016
Marin Heinritz
HOLLAND,Mich.–The stage adaptation of The Cat in the Hat is “fun that is funny,” the Cat himself’s favorite kind, and it reminds us all that plays are, indeed, play—for children and adults alike. The Hope Summer Repertory Theatre’s production, based on the original stage adaptation done by the Royal National Theatre in London, runs with the simple elegance of the original children’s book to create a lively, interactive, playful 40-minutes of fun especially geared toward children but pleasing to adults alike. Sally and her brother are stuck inside on a rainy day and, despite desperate protests from their anxious pet fish, receive a visitor—the mischievous Cat in the Hat—who arrives with clever games and his rambunctious friends Thing 1 and Thing 2, who, though they are fun and do not bite, practically tear the house apart while the children’s mother is away. “I do not like the way that they play. If mother were here what would she say? . . . She would not like it to find it this way,” the children cry. “This mess is so big and deep and tall we cannot pick it up. No way at all. . . . “ Words are few and far between and echo the rhyming iambs of Suess’s original work. The children narrate the tale, but the focus is on the nonstop action that appears as if it has leapt off the book’s original pages thanks to set pieces and props by Keenan R. Minogue that mimic Seuss’s drawings. Emily Westing’s costumes also evoke the characters splendidly and appropriately simply. A carefully-placed oversized red bow here and there and turquoise-feathered wigs on the Things are just the right touch to call to mind vivid cartoons and leave the rest to animated faces and bodies rather than painted-on make up. These, along with colorful lights by Emily M. Brown paired beautifully with sound design from Tyler Knowles to effectively create weather and mood effects, are wonderfully deliberate choices by Director Desha Crownover to transform the intimate black box space of the Dewitt Theatre into an interactive storybook that teaches children about responsibility, imagination, and theatre appreciation in wonderful ways. The dynamic cast of acting interns, the majority of whom, are African American, gave their all and bonded with the sold-out audience of mesmerized children from diverse backgrounds. Such active representation of a commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and excellence is both commendable and notable. As are the performances. Lance Spencer is a truly delightful Cat in the Hat, with hugely expressive movement and faces. Alexis Ijeoma Nwokoji gets the most laughs as Fish, showing her chops as an impressive puppeteer and actor. AlissaBeth Morton also deserves recognition as one of the Kittens but most notably as the terrific choreographer of everything from the fish dream sequence ballet to a jazzy soft shoe with the Cat and his kitten entourage. This Cat in the Hat is short, sweet, fun that is funny, a playful play geared toward kids, but excellent poetic theater in its own right—the best an adaptation can be in that it’s true to the original but transformed for the stage. Click here for show days, times and details. Read more about Hope Summer Repertory Theatre
WEEK OF 8/8/2016
CURRENT SHOWS ALL
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Detroit Improv Festival 08/10–08/13 The Ringwald Theatre | Ferndale Buy Tickets | Show Details
Boeing-Boeing 08/11–08/20 Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater Buy Tickets | Show Details
Only a Day 08/11–08/21 Spinning Dot Theatre | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
Stuart Little 08/11–08/20 Flint Youth Theatre | Flint Buy Tickets | Show Details
What Am I Doing Here? 08/12–08/28 Theatre Nova | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
Love Letters 08/12–08/28 The Snug Theatre | Marine City Buy Tickets | Show Details
Aladdin 08/12–08/13 Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater Buy Tickets | Show Details
Henry IV 08/12–09/09 The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company | Grand Rapids Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Great American Trailer Park Musical 08/12–08/28 Mason Street Warehouse | Saugatuck Buy Tickets | Show Details
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The Tempest 08/12–08/21 Flint Youth Theatre | Flint Buy Tickets | Show Details
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GO, DOG. GO! “Colorful.” “Magic.” “Playful cartoon dogs.” “In other words, it’s a one-hour, colorful, musical, physical comedy that’ll capture the imagination and attention of a toddler. And what’s most pleasing of all in this excellent production is witnessing the child audience members’ utter suspension of disbelief and sheer joy.” - Marin Heinritz
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Dogs dancing and singing will tickle the kids at Hope Summer Rep REVIEW
July 15, 2016
Marin Heinritz
HOLLAND, Mich.–The six dogs in Go, Dog. Go! at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre work hard, play hard, rest a little, sing just about every 20th century style of music there is, dance–from tap to ballroom to jazz to ballet–and speak very few words. In other words, it’s a one-hour, colorful, musical, physical comedy that’ll capture the imagination and attention of a toddler. Based on the 1961 P.D. Eastman children’s book that introduces beginning readers to concepts such as colors and shapes and their relative positions, the 2003 musical adaptation by Steven Dietz and Allison Gregory is like a pop-up book vividly come to life. WEEK OF 8/8/2016
Director Desha Crownover has a gift for wildly playful and sensually delightful children’s theatre. She makes magic with very little and has brought together a tremendous cast and crew here. Every actor in this six-person ensemble brings energy and good humor in spades. They play well off each other and the audience of children who are intermittently invited to verbally interact with the dogs. And one of the great pleasures of this show is watching how the actors and Music Director Alex Thompson respond to one another. Thompson, though tucked away behind an upright piano stage right amid audience members, plays a character all his own, reacting to the dogs’ shenanigans and creating all kinds of percussive sounds as well as every variety of song with his piano—from silent movie score to blues to jazz to the Mario Bros. Nintendo game theme song. Likewise, the actors shift gears effortlessly, scatting, crooning, be-bopping, do-wopping, as well as barking, snoring, growling, bow-wowing, whining, and mewling among other hilarious sound effects. The purple dog narrator may provide the majority of what little dialogue there is (Work, Dog. Work!), but that doesn’t mean the show isn’t a cacophony of sound, both silly and beautiful. The show is also full of impressive movement and dance that runs the gamut, most notably a tap dance number with a sheet of bubble wrap, a joyous conga line, and a sweet little solo ballet in which Lance Spencer (Blue Dog and co-choreographer) shows off his lovely classical training with airy pas de beurres, turns, and a grand jete.
CURRENT SHOWS ALL
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TUE
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THU
FRI
SAT
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Detroit Improv Festival 08/10–08/13 The Ringwald Theatre | Ferndale Buy Tickets | Show Details
Boeing-Boeing 08/11–08/20 Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater Buy Tickets | Show Details
Only a Day 08/11–08/21 Spinning Dot Theatre | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
Stuart Little 08/11–08/20 Flint Youth Theatre | Flint Buy Tickets | Show Details
Clever props and costumes amplify myriad interesting scenes and allow for minimal set changes. These dogs are busy. They work construction, drive cars, play baseball, throw parties, climb trees, swim and sail, eat lunch, and make shadow puppets instead of sleeping, and each scene is distinct with transitions so quick you don’t even notice them.
What Am I Doing Here? 08/12–08/28
For example, three dogs having a party in a boat means actors sitting on the ground between a small ship’s striped bow and a pole with a paper lantern hanging from it. It’s very creative work from Scenic Designer Keenan R. Minogue as well as Costume Designer Nicole Angell. Hats, from a sequined straw skimmer to a beanie with propeller to baseball caps, with dangling felt dog ears to match attached tails complement the otherwise fun and colorful costumes: polka dotted dresses with tulle petticoats and plaid trousers with suspenders or vests among those fit for humans dressed as playful cartoon dogs.
Love Letters 08/12–08/28
And what’s most pleasing of all in this excellent production is witnessing the child audience members’ utter suspension of disbelief and sheer joy. It’s the magic of theatre. And the promise of audiences for this art form for generations to come.
Henry IV 08/12–09/09
Theatre Nova | Ann Arbor Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Snug Theatre | Marine City Buy Tickets | Show Details
Aladdin 08/12–08/13 Tibbits Opera House | Coldwater Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company | Grand Rapids Buy Tickets | Show Details
Click here for show days, times and details. Read more about Go Dog, Go 07/13–08/12 Read more about Hope Summer Repertory Theatre
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The Great American Trailer Park Musical 08/12–08/28 Mason Street Warehouse | Saugatuck Buy Tickets | Show Details
The Tempest 08/12–08/21
RADIO APPEARANCES THE PLEDGE 96.5FM & AM 1260 David Colacci and the End of the Season Wrap-Up on The Pledge https://goo.gl/uE31e7 AlissaBeth Morton & Robert Riordan talk Hairspray and what it means to be a “Nicest Kid”. https://goo.gl/Ytq5EQ Bill Hulings & Kathleen Mulligan discuss their roles in Hope Summer Repertory Theatre—Oedipus & Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike https://goo.gl/wxmiOw Emily Brett & Nate DeCook talk about the message of The Fantasticks and the inspiring message of love. https://goo.gl/ZAbkiV David Colacci and Bryce Wood promote Oedipus live on-air! https://goo.gl/k9TmGt JQ 99.3 Akia Nyrie Smith & Samantha McHenry visit JQ 99.3 to talk about The Children’s Performance Troupe, specifically Dr.Seuss’s The Cat In The Hat! https://www.facebook.com/JQ993/videos/10153656095441811/ https://www.dropbox.com/s/0j3tp39y3v0borz/JQ99.3.mp3?dl=0 WHTC AM 1450 Director David Colacci and members of the cast of Oedipus joined Ed Ver Schure to talk about this upcoming production during a June 22, 2016 visit. http://whtc.com/podcasts/talk-of-the-town-today/99/tackling-a-classic-hope-summer-repertory-theatrejune-22/ WGVU NEWS All About Holland, a monthly conversation with guests from the Lakeshore. Today, Art Council’s Lorma Freestone and HSRT’s David Collaci discuss the theatre’s scheduled offerings and more happenings in Holland. http://wgvunews.org/post/all-about-holland-6 Hope Summer Repertory Theatre presents a variety of productions including Hairspray and The Fantasticks. Guests Kathleen Mulligan and Bill Hulings are here in studio to discuss these shows and more. http://wgvunews.org/post/hope-summer-repertory-theatre *Interviews on The Van 92.7 and Blue Lake Public Radio are not readily available for sharing at this time.
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NPO/GRTV SHOWCASE
[JULIE] Hello, and welcome to GRTV’s NPO Showcase. I’m Julie Way, your host from the Community Media Center. Today we’re joined by Fred and Desha from Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. They’ve got an exciting summer season lined up so they’re here to tell us about that. Let’s meet them and hear more about it. Welcome! [FRED] Thank you. [DESHA] Thank you. [JULIE] Thank you both! Fred, Desha glad to have you here. Excited to hear about what you’ve got in store for us this summer. So just to get started can I have each of you just introduce yourselves briefly and tell us a little bit about what your role is with the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. We can start with you. [FRED] Sure. I’m the Associate Ar-
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tistic Director and this summer I’m directing Hairspray, which I’m looking forward to and is the first show we open with and then I’m music directing The Fantasticks which is the last show to open this season. [JULIE] Good, so involved in a couple of ways then. [FRED] I’m involved in a couple of ways and I’m having a great time. [JULIE] Good. Looking forward to hearing more about the shows a little bit later. And Desha, what about you? I’m directing both of the Children’s Performance Troupe shows so we are opening with The Cat in the Hat and a little later in the summer we open Go, Dog! Go. [JULIE] Just to give an idea for the audience of what the model looks like for the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre: you perform a series
of shows throughout the summer. Tell us a little about that process and really how you got connected here with Hope College. [FRED] Oh way long ago. (laughs) It’s really a great organization. This is our 45th anniversary season which is great. We bring in over 100 performers and technicians from all over the country who gather for 12 weeks and do 6 shows in those 12 weeks; the four main stage shows and the two CPT shows which Desha’s involved with. We rehearse them and perform them in repertory so, for example, Hairspray opens on the 17th and a week later Oedipus opens and then I think[DESHA] And then The Cat in the Hat opens… Check out the rest of the interview at: http:// www.grcmc.org/grtv/node/11249/npo-showcase---hope-summer-repertory-theatre
DANNY LINDGREN, WGVU
Shelley Irwin: Hope summer Repertory Theatre is west Michigan’s premier professional theatre company and the season is booming. To share the specifics I have one actor here in the studio AEA actor Danny Lindgren to do just that. Danny, have you been breaking legs on the stage this summer?
rate one. But for the mainstage there are four separate shows with separate sets and separate casts, and most people are, most actors are in two out of the four. So in any given night it’s going to be a different play. So let’s say out of four days of the week I’ll probably be in two shows and playing completely different parts.
Danny Lindgren: Yes, I have. We’ve Shelley Irwin: Is that good? had a lot of luck on the stage. Danny Lindgren: It’s a lot of fun, it Shelley Irwin: Well, congratulations keeps you on your toes as an actor! to you on landing a gig with Hope You wake up and you which role am Summer Theatre, Summer Reper- I doing, what was that blocking like? tory theatre. Tell us about Reperto- Because last night I was doing somery theatre, what’s unique about this thing different. It keeps you sharp. down on the campus, Hope? Shelley Irwin: Well that’s why we Danny Lindgren: So in rep, when mention the professional part of this. you’re doing repertory theatre, there’s Lets do some one on ones: where are usually just one stage and a lot of dif- you playing, what theatre? ferent productions. And this season, there’s four productions in one the- Danny Lindgren: The theatre at atre and two children’s in the sepa- Hope.
Shelley Irwin: At the Dewitt Theatre Danny Lindgren: Yes, the Dewitt Theatre, yeah. Shelley Irwin: And, there are, here we are early August and there are four shows going on and you’re in two of them. Danny Lindgren: Yes, I’m in Fantasticks and Hairspray – both musicals. Shelley Irwin: Yes, and the character differences in both of those? Danny Lindgren: Oh boy, so in Hairspray I’m a TV show host, kind of like American Bandstand. And his name is Corny Collins, and he’s very corny, and Check out the rest of the interview at: http:// video.wgvu.org/video/2365822108/
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CAT IN THE HAT, FOX17
Reporter: Welcome back. It is a Dr. Seuss book that has been brought to life on the big screen, but now thanks to Hope Summer Repertory Theatre it has been brought to the stage. I am here with Desha, Akia, and Darius. Good morning.
production. The people, the set, everything. Tell us about it.
I will try not to rhyme everything that I ask.
Desha: Well if you are a fan of the book then you will be a fan of the show. The show is running around 35 minutes. Very quick adventure but is perfect for children and adults alike. Anywhere from 3 to 83.
But thing 1, let's talk about what you do in the theatre.
Reporter: Did you say 35 minutes?
Desha: I am Desha, I am the director of Cat In The Hat and Go Dog! Go both of the children's shows at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre.
Desha: About 35 minutes is the run of the show.
Akia: I am Akia. I am an actress for Hope Summer Rep. I play Lorraine in Hairspray, a Greek Chorus member in Oedipus, and Sally in the Cat in The Hat. Darius: I play her brother, I’m also apart of Hairspray and I am apart of the Greek Chorus in Oedipus. Reporter: We have the Sally and her brother, which for those of you who have read the books or seen the movie knows the story knows the crazy hi-jinx that the crazy cat gets the two kids into and the mess he makes. Desha, let’s start with you. Tells us an overview about this
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Reporter: So it is a very short show for younger kids who have shorter attention spans perhaps. Kid shows normally run a hour or hour and a half. So it is in and out. Desha: It is very in and out. It’s great seeing them run all over the place from the beginning of the show to the end.
Check out the rest of the interview at: http://fox17online.
com/2016/07/05/cat-in-the-hat-hope-summer-repertory-theatre/
ARTISTIC DIRECTORS, FOX17
Reporter: Live Theatre is a love of mine, and Hope Summer Repertory Theatre is launching their 45th season this year and they are kicking it off with a great show: An eight time Tony award winning musical, Hairspray. Fred and David are here to talk with us about what to expect, as well as some of the other productions they are putting on this summer. Can you tell me from a 300,000 feet perspective, can you tell me what Hope Summer Repertory Theatre is? David Colacci: Well, we do four mainstage shows and two children’s plays in rotating rep, which means we open them one after the other, but they all keep running, so by the end of the season you could see six plays within one week. Reporter: So, it’s not like you run a show and then that one ends and then another one opens? They overlap.
next.. Not this season of course, but you know what I mean. Actors love to do it and audience members love to see it. Reporter: So, it has to be a challenge to be able to change roles, night after night, from play into musical. David Colacci:It is, which is something why I consider it to be an actor’s playground honestly. Fred Tessler: It’s a summer camp for adults. Reporter: So, you are directing the opening musical. You are directing Hairspray. Fred Tessler: Yes. Reporter: So, can you tell those who haven’t seen Hairspray, what it is about and how fun it is?
David Colacci: Right. Reporter: I love that. David Colacci: It’s also the same company, so one of the joys for the audience is they will see someone in the Scottish play one night and see them in Sound of Music the
Check out the rest of the interview at: http://fox17online.
com/2016/06/17/hope-summer-repertory-theatre-presents-hairspray-oedipus-and-more/
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CHILDREN’S PERFORMANCE TROUPE ON WZZM13 and outside the theatre. That is something really special that we get to share with the kids. It really encourages that way of thinking.
Reporter: A trip to the theatre is an excellent way to stay cool during the summer. Hope Summer Repertory Theatre has two children troupe shows this season, Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat and Go Dog! Go! Here to tell us more about both shows, we have actors Lance Spencer, Samantha McHenry, and Lydia Burke. Okay guys, this is awesome. We are so excited to have all three of you here today. First of all, tell me which shows you are in and which characters you play. Samantha McHenry Yeah, I am in Cat in the Hat and I play Thing 2. Lance Spencer: I’m in Cat in the Hat and I play the Cat. I am also in Go Dog! Go! And I play the Blue Dog. Lydia Burke: I’m in Go Dog! Go! And I play Red Dog. Reporter: Wonderful. You guys have such fun roles for sure. Okay, let’s talk Cat in the Hat first. What can, people who attend, what can they expect from the show? Samantha McHenry Yeah, it’s a really cool show in fact it is a lot like the book. So if you have young ones that are really excited about the book then they will be in love with the show, because they are absolutely identical. It’s really fun because it encourages kids to use their imagination, and to really think outside of the box and to think creatively in
Reporter: I love that. We have video right now showing The Cat in the Hat and you are the Cat. You are doing a fabulous job. It’s obviously a colorful, vibrant, entertaining, and I love the theatre too. It’s intimate, it’s not a huge theatre. It’s where kids and family can get a close to the action and be apart of what is going on. Now, Go Dog! Go! Is not a show that I am familiar with at all. Now it is a musical, correct? Lydia Burke: Yes, it is! Go Dog! Go! Is a cool thing because it exposes children to a lot of different types of art. The storyline is not as exact as The Cat in the Hat, it has a bunch of dogs who go on adventures. But within that, kids will be exposed to ballet, scatting, and even Jazz dance. That’s my favorite things, because they are going to be exposed to many different types of theatre, art, and music. It’s just a really cool opportunity to do just that. Both shows have a lot of audience participation, so that is one thing that they can expect, especially with The Cat in the Hat and something that I do in Go Dog! Go! And it really helps kids memorize different types of words and opposites are a really big thing in Go Dog! Go! Such as In and Out, Up and Down, that type of stuff. Reporter: A lot of teaching moments it sounds like. That is wonderful. Now, Lance I know that Cat in the Hat runs through August 12th is that correct? And Go Dog! Go! Goes until August 10th is that correct? How can people get tickets? Lance Spencer: They just need to get in touch with the box office or visit the website. It is really easy for people to get tickets. Reporter: We have a link on our website! Thanks guys for coming today!
Find the interview here at: http://www.wzzm13.com/features/-the-cat-in-the-hat-comes-to-life-on-stage/280288536
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HAIRSPRAY ON WZZM 13 side-kick. It is fun, we have a blast together. Reporter: Good. So I know the show opened this past Friday and it will be open to the public all throughout the summer. Can you tell us what dates we you have?
Reporter: Well now through August 13th, the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre is presenting Hairspray. It is a high energy musical that takes place in the 1960’s with an important message and incredible music as well. Opening night is Friday. Joining me today to tell me more about this vibrant show is Samantha McHenry and Hannah Clark Levine. Ladies, thank you both for being here today. Just talking with you both during the commercial break I can tell that you both have perfect personalities for this show. I loved getting to know you a little bit. For people who are not familiar with Hairspray can you tell them what this show is all about? Hannah Levine: Sure. It follows the story of Tracy Turnblad who is my character. She is kind of an awkward teen growing up in Baltimore in 1962 and her dream is to dance on this after school sock hop show called the Corny Collins Show. She gets turned away from her audition because she doesn’t look like the other dancers on the show. It kick starts this journey for her where she fights to integrate the show racially because it is in 1962 and just make it open to kids of all shapes, sizes and colors. Reporter: I love that. Such a very important message. So as you mentioned, ladies you both are leads in this show, correct? So you play one of the main characters, probably the star. What is your role? Samantha McHenry: My role is Penny Lou Pingleton and she is Tracy’s best friend. She is the dorky
throughout the summer.
Hannah Levine: I would say that we have at least one show a week from now until August 13th. They are kind of popcorned all
Reporter: Wonderful. Now I know I want to take my family to see this show. We have tons of information on our website on Wzzm13.com and we have created a link to their schedule. Do you ladies know what the other shows are that you have running this summer? Samantha McHenry: Yes, it is Oedipus, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and The Fantasticks. And then we have two children shows which is The Cat in the Hat and Go Dog! Go! Reporter: Thanks ladies, what would you to say to those people who are watching this segment at home what would you say to encourage them to come out and experience Hairspray? Hannah Levine: It is a blast! It is so much fun. It is topical and it is important. It is really touching but it’s also so colorful and vibrant and lots of big dance numbers. It’s a blast to take the whole family. Samantha McHenry: Yes, it is so fun. There are big dance numbers and the dance numbers will leave you so pumped. We are excited and the costumes are so so beautiful and the set is gorgeous. It is something for the whole fam. Reporter: I love it. Okay ladies, just as you said, it is kind of popcorned throughout the summer up until August 13th. Plenty of time to get tickets to see the show. Ladies thank you so much for being here today.
Find the interview here at: http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/holland-zeeland/hrst-presents-hairspray/247444212
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publicity appearances. This season, the office of marketing and public relations created and held strong to the initiative to integrate the organization into the community as an audience development and engagement element to our marketing plan. The team took advantage of programming opportunities in downtown Holland’s Street Performer Series and the Holland State Fair, which equated to 6 individual external performances reaching out to hundreds of community members per night.
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HOPE SUMMER REPERTORY THEATRE 141 East 12th Street Holland, MI 49423 616-395-7600 hsrt@hope.edu