Hope Summer Repertory Theatre’s (HSRT) final production of the summer season explores life through music in the critically acclaimed musical Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown. Opening Thursday, July 26 and running six performances through August 9, Songs for a New World will be performed at 8:00 p.m. at the Holland Area Arts Council (150 East 8th St). Connecting the craving for hope and a brighter tomorrow with the reality of having to make choices even when the outlook may be challenging, Brown’s reflective musical will have the audience reeling in beautiful songs and stories. With a setting similar to a storefront theatre, this limited seating engagement production encourages the audience to BYOB, hsrt will provide the cups.
“It’s about one moment. It’s about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, to take a stand, or turn around and go back,” Brown has said about his provocative musical revue. Songs for a New World introduces the audience to an array of characters and situations that explores important moments of life and the dynamic changes in people’s lives. Through their exploration of relationships, dreams, conflicts, and love, the characters overcome challenges to face an ever-changing world with renewed hope and optimistic dreams. The outstanding score is influenced by a broad range of musical genres including pop, gospel, jazz and classical.
Jason Robert Brown has been hailed as “one of Broadway’s smartest and most sophisticated songwriters since Stephen Sondheim” (Philadelphia Inquirer). Brown is the composer and lyricist of the musical, The Last Five Years, which was cited as one of Time Magazine’s 10 Best of 2001 and won Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Lyrics. He won a 1999 Tony Award for his score to Parade, a musical written with Alfred Uhry, and subsequently won both the Drama Desk and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Best New Musical. His first musical, Songs for a New World, has since been seen in more than two hundred productions around the world. His newest musical, 13, written with Dan Elish, premiered in 2007 to rave reviews at Los Angeles’s Mark Taper Forum, and opened on Broadway in the spring of 2008. He is the winner of the 2002 Kleban Award for Outstanding Lyrics and the 1996 Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Foundation Award for Musical Theatre and he was a Tony Award nominee for his contributions to the score of Urban Cowboy the Musical.
Songs for a New World’s cast includes Actors’ Equity Association member Teddy Yudain (Stanford, CT) and non-equity members Emily Austin (Boulder, CO), Lydia Blickley (Grand Rapids, MI), Jake Golliher (Peculiar, MO), Alyssa Magarian (Cincinnati, OH), Lili Torre (Hilton Head Island, SC), Durron Marquis Tyre (Richmond, VA) and T.J. Wagner (Malvern, PA).
Songs for a New World’s production team includes: Director Daina Robbins, Music Director Fred Tessler, Choreographer Matt Farmer, Scenic Designer Colt Frank, Costume Designer Megan Wiegand, Lighting Designer Andrew K. Gras, Sound Designer Richard B. Ingraham, Stage Manager Shannon Henley, and Technical Director Leah Busse.
Take advantage of Hope Summer Repertory Theatre’s best ticket offer and purchase a season ticket coupon. Season ticket coupons save patrons up to 27% off individual ticket prices and guarantees a terrific seat for every performance! With free exchanges, purchasing a season ticket coupon is the best way to support HSRT.
The Season Pass includes Mezzanine seating for four main stage performances and our bonus show for only $87 for adults and $82 for seniors. The Best Buy Pass includes admission to the four main stage productions for $67 for adults and $62 for seniors. The Super-Saver Pass includes seating limited to the balcony and orchestra for our four main stage productions for $50 for adults and seniors. The Children’s Package is great for children under 12 and includes tickets to both Children’s Performance Troupe performances and one ticket to a main stage musical for $25.
Individual tickets are on sale now by calling 616-395-7890 or by visiting the ticket offices: DeWitt Theatre (141 East 12th Street) and DeVos Fieldhouse (222 Fairbanks Avenue). Special pricing for Songs for a New World tickets $20 for adult, senior, faculty and staff admission. Tickets for children under 18 and students are just $12. Group rates are available by calling the box office at 616-395-7890.
HSRT’s ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The ticket office will be open on Saturday at noon. On performance dates, the DeWitt ticket office will be open through intermission.
For more information visit the HSRT website at www.hope.edu/hsrt or www.facebook.com/