The Department of Theatre at Hope College will present “Smokefall” by Noah Haidle on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11-12, and Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 17-19, at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a free matinee on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 2 p.m. All performances will be in the DeWitt Center studio theatre.
Directed by Daina Robins, professor of theatre, “Smokefall” follows several generations of an eccentric family as it navigates the complex dynamics among its members. Playwright Noah Haidle grew up in Grand Rapids, where he has placed “Smokefall.”
Robins described her attraction to the script: “I find it to be a poignantly comic and comically poignant play about family and the intimate and complicated relationships most of us have with that unit. It also presents a highly theatrical, even surreal, world that still reflects a recognizable truth, if not necessarily our ‘reality.’ I like plays that vividly use metaphor and do not try to duplicate the photorealism of film and television. ‘Smokefall’ does that.”
In addition to Robins, the production team includes faculty members Michelle Bombe, professor of theatre and department chair, as costume designer; Eric Van Tassell, assistant professor of lighting and sound design, as lighting designer; and Richard Smith, professor of theatre, as scenic and properties designer. Staff members Ken Chamberlain, Stephen Krebs and Darlene Veenstra serve as sound designer, technical director and costume shop manager respectively. Also on the production team are several students, including senior Emmie Sandstedt of Lake Zurich, Illinois, as stage manager; and freshmen Annika Dekker of Grand Rapids and Grace Mitchell of Zelienople, Pennsylvania, as assistant stage managers.
The cast includes Andrew Dell’Olio, professor of philosophy; junior Maxwell Lam of Holland; sophomore Ellyn Purnell of Zeeland; freshman Katy Smith of Plymouth, Indiana; and freshman Adam Chamness of Holland.
Tickets are $10 for regular admission; $7 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff; and free for Hope College students and students ages 18 and under. Tickets are available at the Events and Conferences Office located in downtown Holland in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at 616-395-7890. Tickets may be purchased by calling or visiting the ticket office, online at hope.edu/tickets, or in person at the performance.
Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college's Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The DeWitt Center is located at 141 E 12th St., facing Columbia Avenue between 10th and 13th streets. The studio theatre is near the southeast corner of the building’s lowest level.