The Hope Summer Repertory Theatre announces its 37th season, and will once again bring unforgettable musicals, drama, and comedy to the Holland community.  The season will open June 13th and will run until August 9th at three different venues, including the Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland for the second year in a row. 

The season opens on June 13th with Tony Award winning musical "Kiss Me Kate" by Cole Porter in the DeWitt Theatre.  This musical follows two actors through a tangled web of love while they are amidst a performance of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew."  Things get even more complicated when two singing gangsters show up and stir things up a bit.  The show includes classics such as "Wunderbar" and "So in Love."  The New York Times called the 1999 revival of the show "...one long ear to ear grin." Additional performances at 8 p.m. are on June 14, 19, 25, 27, July 2, 8, 10, 15, 17, 23, 28, and August 1, 9.

"Forever Plaid" is a hilariously funny musical that features four young men who are killed in a car crash on their way to their first-ever performance, but phenomenally revived to have a second chance at their dream.  These four guys have fun joking with each other while perfectly performing hits from the 1950's.  Their song list for the night includes "Catch a Falling Star," "Heart and Soul," "Sixteen Tons," "Three Coins in the Fountain" a special tribute to the Ed Sullivan Show.  Performances run June 20, 21, 24, 26, 28, July 1, 21, 30, and August 4 at 8 p.m. 

"The Foreigner," a comic classic that HSRT performed 21 years ago, revolves around two men, Froggy and Charlie, who are guests at a fishing lodge in rural Georgia.  Charlie's extreme shyness overcomes him around these strangers, and he remains mute for most of the trip, allowing people to think that he is indeed a foreigner that cannot understand English.  Before long, Charlie finds himself learning a lot more than he expected about the people around him with the most comic of melodramatic resolutions.  "The Foreigner" runs July 11, 12, 16, 22, 25, 29, and August 2, 6, 8 at 8 p.m.

Winner of a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, "Doubt" is a thriller that is sure to make you think.  'Time Out Chicago' calls it "An eloquent and provocative investigation of truth and consequences. A gripping mystery, tightly written." The story takes place in the Bronx in 1964 and follows the lives of a very conservative nun and a more laid back priest who have very different ideas about how their school should be run.  Conflict arises when Sister Aloysius questions the way that Father Flynn treats one of the students.  Performances are at 8 p.m. on July 18, 19, 24, 26, 31, and August 5, 7.  

"Closer Than Ever" is HSRT's cabaret featured at the Holland restaurant Till Midnight.  This show stopper brings to light sensitive issues such as love, security, aging, second marriages, unrequited love, and mid-life crisis, things that real people can relate to.  Performances begin and 8:30 p.m. July 5, 9, 16, 22, 24, 29, 31.        

Tickets go on sale on Monday, May 19 through the DeVos  Fieldhouse ticket office.  The DeWitt Theatre Ticket Office opens May 27.  Prices range from $8-$26 for musicals, and $8-$18 for plays. Season tickets, ranging from $45-$85, are also available.

The ticket office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Beginning June 14 the ticket office is open on Saturday's at noon. On performance dates, the DeWitt Ticket Office will be open through intermission.  The ticket office is located in DeWitt Cultural Center at 12th Street and Columbia Avenue. For tickets call the ticket office at 616-395-7890.

For more information visit the HSRT website at
https://hope.edu/hsrt/

The DeWitt Theatre is located at 141 East 12th Street. The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in Holland's downtown on 8th St. and Till Midnight is located at 171 East 24th Street.