About Hope Rep

Hope Rep produces plays and educational programs of the highest professional standards that address the needs of, and enhance the quality of life for, Hope College and the community.

Values Statement

Inclusion
The company is a unique blend of distinguished professionals and young theatre artists from all over the United States, creating a synergy between younger and more mature artists. Those who are more experienced are infused with the enthusiasm of youth while they pass important artistic values on to the next generation.

Excellence
We are distinguished by a wide variety of plays performed by one resident acting company. Our varied repertoire is unified by the goal of exploring and celebrating the joy and complexity of the human spirit.

Company
The company numbers more than 100 annually and features a unique blend of distinguished professionals and young theatre artists from across the United States.

Education
We bring together professional actors, directors, technical staff and administrators with students from around the country in an atmosphere which provides interns and young theatre professionals the opportunity to learn and practice all aspects of theatre.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

STATEMENT ON RACISM

Hope Repertory Theater denounces racism and the oppressive systems birthed from it. 

We believe that it is imperative as artists to be anti-racist and recognize that to do so we must face the complexity of our tainted past, and embrace the possibility of our welcoming future.

To do this, we acknowledge that we must consistently engage in conversations about race and racism, and how racism shows up in our daily work. We must be willing to listen to the experiences of our non-white leadership, staff, and company members, and allow those experiences to shape how we combat racism in every aspect of what we do. 

While we have made progress, we must continue to engage in actionable steps to ensure that Hope Repertory Theater is a place that fosters a community of belonging, and rejects the evil of racism. 

WHAT WE’RE DOING

Hope Repertory Theater is committed to:

• Dedicating events and programming that allow our company members to celebrate their individual and intersecting identities
• Facilitating a culture of belonging through company-wide events and social gatherings
• Maintaining transparent casting and hiring practices 
• Creating and supporting education programs that engage communities in Holland, MI that may be considered marginalized
• Partnering with organizations that serve marginalized communities so that we may learn from the work that they are doing
• Mitigating financial barriers for students that wish to be a part of our educational programming
• Casting and hiring individuals that reflect the diversity we see within our artistic field and the world around us
• Engaging in Anti-Racist education for theater leadership

Meet our Executive Director

Michelle Bombe

Executive Director

Executive Director Michelle Bombe has been a Hope faculty member since 1991 and is chair of the theatre department. In addition to her educational background, Bombe brings artistic and financial experience to her new role.  Bombe most recently completed a 4-year term as the national chair of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and CEO of American College Theatre Management LTD, where she led the artistic direction and vision of a national organization featuring 8 regional festivals and a national festival, featuring nationally known professional guest artists.  Prior to her role as chair, she served as vice chair and CFO of the $1.5 M organization and previously served as the Region 3 chair for KCACTF and continues as the Region 3 financial director.  

Bombe is no stranger to Hope Repertory Theatre and indeed started her career at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre as an acting intern in 1984. Since that time, she has spent 17 seasons with HSRT, 10 seasons as head of design for the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, and a season with Theatre at Monmouth.  

Bombe is a two-time recipient of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival’s most prestigious honor, the Gold Medallion. Bombe will guide Hope Repertory Theatre along with the support, expertise, and wisdom of the talented Hope College Theatre faculty and staff.

Meet our Director of Community Engagement

Jared DeBacker

Director of Community Engagement

Jared DeBacker attended Hope College 2001–2005 and participated in HSRT as an acting intern (’04), assistant house manager, crew member and props assistant over three separate summers. He also participated in two CPT May Tours that brought him around the community performing at local schools.
After Hope, Jared freelanced in NYC (2005–2010) as a multiple-disciplinary artist, where he joined Actor’s Equity as a stage manager through The New Group before transitioning to a technical director role at Montclair State University. While living in Chicago, 2010–2012, he supported the DIY arts scene and could be found lighting punk bands and immersive dance companies in a mix of official and unofficial performance venues.
Now a Holland resident, he is thrilled to be working as the director of community engagement to promote the experience of theatre as a way for the community to engage, grow and connect with each other and the artists in an energy exchange that only theatre can bring.