Welcome Home, Dr. Sarah VandenBrink

“I’m curious to know what the post-show blues will feel like as a music director,” said Dr. Sarah VandenBrink as we chatted in the sun a few days ago. Currently the Theatre Department is wrapping up rehearsals for the musical Ordinary Days, which will be presented virtually Friday-Sunday, April 16-18, and Thursday through Saturday, April …

Spotlight on Detroit ’67

Dominique Morriseau’s Detroit ‘67 is set to stream from the Knickerbocker on February 26-28 and March 4-6. This piece was originally presented as a staged reading for the inaugural season of the Many Voices Project and will now be a fully-realized production.  Co-sponsored by the Theatre Department and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the …

Reflections on a Virtual Theatre Festival

Attending the Region III Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival is a long-standing January tradition in the Theatre Department at Hope College. The department participates in the festival’s initiatives throughout the year, faculty members regularly serve as respondents to productions within our five-state region, two of our faculty members have previously served as the region’s chair, …

Personal Reflections on Twelfth Night in a Pandemic

Covid-19 has put a full stop to the arts industry. Actors, musicians, technicians, arts administrators, and so many other people are in a state of limbo. Hope College is among the lucky few places that have implemented safety protocols that allow student and faculty artists to come together in these trying times to put on …

The Inauguration of the Many Voices Project

The Many Voices Project is a play-reading series that Assistant Professor of Theatre Richard Perez and the Hope College Theatre Department have launched in cooperation with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.  Over the course of this academic year, four plays representing culturally diverse characters and concerns will be presented as concert readings:  Fade by Tanya …

A Theatre Student’s Last Day of Class

Friday, April 24, 2020, the last day of classes for students here at Hope College. The “here” for most of these students is more varied these days — a handful remain in Holland, Michigan, while the rest of the 3,057 enrolled find themselves back home scattered throughout the country. Some, like myself, are fortunate enough …

The Past, The Present, and the Premiere

Hope College has the honor of being a part of the rolling world premiere of The Shakers of Mount Lebanon Will Hold a Peace Conference This Month along with four other universities nationwide. This play was commissioned by The Big Bridge Theatre Consortium, of which the Hope College theatre department is a part. This group …

Hope Theatre Welcomes Professor Andrew Dell’Olio to the Stage

Dr. Andrew Dell’Olio, professor of philosophy, is returning to the Hope College stage in the theatre department’s next production Smokefall. The play, by Grand Rapids-native Noah Haidle, will appear on the DeWitt Studio Theatre stage on Friday and Saturday, October 11 and 12, and Thursday through Saturday, October 17 to 19 at 7:30 p.m. On …

Hope Theatre Alums Tread the Boards Nationwide

Hope theatre majors often choose one of three large markets to start their careers – New York City, Chicago, or Los Angeles.  Recently, three graduates of the theatre department at Hope have started new and promising adventures at other prominent theatre hubs. Mollie Murk ’16 is an acting apprentice in the 2019-20 Professional Training Company …