The Hope Summer Repertory Theatre continues its 37th season, opening its third main stage production, "The Foreigner," on July 11. 

"The Foreigner" by Larry Shue is a comic classic that HSRT performed 21 years ago.  The plot 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.  

Director John Tammi has been involved with theatre at Hope College since 1968. He is Founding Artistic Director of HSRT and a professor in the Hope theatre department. He has directed more than seventy-five productions for the two Hope theatre programs including last summer's She Loves Me.

The cast features Chip Duford as Froggy and David Colacci as Charlie.  Chip Duford celebrates his 15th year with HSRT this summer and also can be seen as General Harrison Howell in Kiss Me Kate. Chip has played Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Touchstone in As You Like It, Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing, Mr. Bumble (twice) in Oliver, The Scarecrow in Wizard Of Oz, The Bullfrog in HONK!, and The Pharoah in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.   Also director of Kiss me Kate, David Colacci is in his 23rd season with HSRT, 17th as Artistic Director. Productions he has directed include Godspell, Seussical, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Oliver, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare in Hollywood, Return to the Forbidden Planet, I Hate Hamlet, Johnny Pye, Suds and Go Dog Go.

Tickets have already gone on sale at both the DeVos Fieldhouse and the DeWitt Theatre Ticket Office.  Prices range from $8-$26 for plays and season tickets range from $45-$85.

The ticket office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, is open on Saturday, noon to five. On performance dates, the DeWitt Ticket Office will be open through intermission.  The ticket office is located in the 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 www.hope.edu/hsrt

The DeWitt Theatre is located at 141 East 12th Street.  While 12th Street is under construction, the DeWitt and Martha Miller Center parking lots are both accessible from the North.

And while at the ticket office, make sure to check out HSRT's other productions

such as "Forever Plaid," "Kiss Me Kate," the cabaret at Till Midnight, "Closer Than Ever," and "Doubt, A Parable" opening July 18. The Children's Performance Troupe will also be presenting "Sarah Plain and Tall" opening July 18 and "Petite Rouge, the Cajun Red Riding Hood" opening July 16.