Current Season

2025 Productions

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman

Winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has charmed audiences across the country with its effortless wit and humor. Featuring a fast-paced, wildly funny and touching book by Rachel Sheinkin and a truly fresh and vibrant score by William Finn, this bee is one unforgettable experience.

An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming "ding" of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves a champion! At least the losers get a juice box.

A riotous ride, complete with audience participation, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a delightful den of comedic genius.

Appropriate for all ages. 

Location

Knickerbocker Theatre | 86 E. 8th Street 

DATES

• June 11–14 –  7:30 p.m.
• June 17–21 –  7:30 p.m.
• June 24, 28 – 7:30 p.m.
• July 1, 3 – 7:30 p.m.

PRICES

• Adult – Main floor $50; Balcony $45
• Senior/Hope Faculty and Staff – Main floor $40; Balcony $35  
• College Student – Main floor $30; Balcony $24
• Children (under 18) – Main floor $20; Balcony $15

Hope Repertory Theatre is for everyone! We are offering a pay what you can option available starting 30 minutes before curtain at the theatre only for the last three rows of the balcony. 

Mary Poppins

A Musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film
Original Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Book by Julian Fellowes
New songs and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe
Co-Created by Cameron Mackintosh

One of the most popular Disney movies of all time is capturing hearts in a whole new way: as a practically perfect musical! Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Walt Disney film, Cameron Mackintosh and Disney’s Mary Poppins delighted Broadway audiences for over 2,500 performances and received nominations for nine Olivier and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

The jack-of-all trades, Bert, introduces us to England in 1910 and the troubled Banks family. Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family members how to value each other again. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones upon whom she has a profound effect. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises that “Anything can happen if you let it.”

Cameron Mackintosh and Disney’s Mary Poppins is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

www.mtishows.com 

LOCATION

DeWitt Main Theatre | 141 E. 12th Street

DATES

• June 27; July 2, 9, 18, 22, 25, 29; August 1 – 7::30 p.m.
• June 28, 29; July 5, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26; August 2 – 2 p.m.

PRICES

• Adult – Main floor $55; Side seating and balcony $50
• Senior/Hope Faculty and Staff – Main floor $45; Side seating and balcony $40
• College Student – Main floor $30; Side seating and balcony $25
• Children (under 18) – Main floor $20; Side seating and balcony $15

Hope Repertory Theatre is for everyone! We are offering a pay what you can option available starting 30 minutes before curtain at the theatre only for the last three rows of the balcony.

Primary Trust

By Eboni Booth

Primary Trust  is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals www.concordtheatricals.com 

Received the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama!

Meet Kenneth, a 38-year-old bookstore worker who spends his evenings sipping mai tais at the local tiki bar. When he’s suddenly laid off, Kenneth finally begins to face a world he’s long avoided – with transformative and even comical results. Primary Trust is a touching and inventive play about new beginnings, old friends and seeing the world for the first time. concordtheatricals.com

Contains adult language and themes — most appropriate for patrons ages 14+

LOCATION

DeWitt Main Theatre | 141 E. 12th Street

DATES

• July 10, 11, 15–17, 23, 24, 30, 31 – 7:30 p.m. 

PRICES

• Adult – Main floor $45; Side seating and balcony $40
• Senior/Hope Faculty and Staff – Main floor $35; Side seating and balcony $30
• College Student – Main floor $20; Side seating and balcony $15

Hope Repertory Theatre is for everyone! We are offering a pay what you can option available starting 30 minutes before curtain at the theatre only for the last three rows of the balcony.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

A Theatre for Young Audiences Performance

Script by Mo Willems and Mr. Warburton, Lyrics by Mo Willems, Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma

Appropriate for all ages — production is designed for young audiences. 

LOCATION

Bultman Student Center Outdoor Amphitheater | 141 E. 12th Street

In the event of inclement weather, please come to the lobby of the DeWitt Main Theatre and you will be directed to the event’s alternate indoor location.

DATES

• July 11, 12, 15–19, 22–26, 29–31; August 1 and 2 – 10 a.m.

PRICE

• All tickets – $15

Acting Intern Showcase

Presented by Hope Repertory Theatre Summer Interns

We are very proud of our young theatre artists who are part of the Hope Rep 53 Summer Season. Come see them present an evening of songs and monologues and catch the next rising star of Hope Repertory Theatre. 

Location

DeWitt Main Theatre | 141 E. 12th Street

Date

• July 27

Price

• All tickets – $20

What the Constitution Means to Me

By Heidi Schreck

Playwright Heidi Schreck’s boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans. Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful and achingly human new play, she resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. 

Contains adult language and themes — most appropriate for patrons ages 14+

LOCATION

Jack H. Miller Recital Hall | 221 Columbia Avenue

DATE

• July 3, 5, 8–13 – 7:30 p.m.

PRICE

• Adult – $40
• Senior/Hope Faculty and Staff – $30
• All Students – $20

Myths & Hymns

Music and Lyrics by Adam Guettel

In his song cycle, Myths & Hymns, Guettel paints an emotional landscape of faith and yearning that embraces a boundless spectrum of ideology and spirituality. The lyrics were inspired by Greek mythology and a 19th Century Presbyterian hymnal; the musical vocabulary sweeps from romantic art song and rock to Latin, gospel and R&B. Myths & Hymns elucidates our fantastic desire to transcend earthly bounds, our intrinsic need to connect with something or someone greater in our restless search for enlightenment.

LOCATION

Jack H. Miller Recital Hall | 221 Columbia Avenue

DATE

• July 20, 23, 24, 30, 31 – 7:30 p.m.
• July 27 – 2 p.m.

PRICE

• Adult – $40
• Senior/Hope Faculty and Staff – $30
• All Students – $20

It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play

By Joe Landry 

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is based on the story The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern. The Greatest Gift is used by permission of The Greatest Gift Corporation.

This beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve.

• Adult – Main floor $40; Balcony $35
• Senior/Hope Faculty and Staff – Main floor $30; Balcony $25
• All Students – Main floor $20; Balcony $15

Ticket Information