he Hope College Department of Theatre will present Margot Connolly’s new play, “Havurah,” on Oct. 17-18 and 23-25 at 7:30 p.m., along with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Oct. 19. All performances will be held in the DeWitt Mainstage Theatre, located in the DeWitt Student & Cultural Center on Hope’s campus in Holland.

Directed by Rhett Luedtke, associate professor of theatre at Hope, “Havurah” follows two religious student groups – the Havurah group and the Christians for Social Justice (CSJ) – at a small college after a shooting incident at the local synagogue. When the CSJ attempts to grieve with the Jewish community, its attempts at building community result in new animosity between the two groups. “Havurah” explores how we can provide comfort and support to communities different than ours without unintentionally causing further harm.

“We are so proud to bring Margot Connolly's new play to life for the Hope College community. In a time like ours that is defined by division and hatred, ‘Havurah’ offers us a glimpse of hope even in the midst of life's most difficult moments,” said Luedtke, of the directing process. “Ultimately, the play urges us to continue to lean into the world's deepest concerns with as much grace, forgiveness and courage as we can muster.”

Playwright Connolly spoke about her experience working with Hope College, saying that she appreciated “the deep conversations we were able to have on faith, the comfort (and complication) being a part of a religious community can bring, and how groups from different backgrounds and perspectives can care equally deeply about what it means to do good and care for others around you.” She also spoke of her hopes for the audience, saying, “I was really inspired by the actor’s openness to look at things from another viewpoint and to dig into big questions and unfamiliar ideas. I appreciated how that made it easy for me to be open and learn. I hope that audience members can have a similar experience and view the play with that same openness and willingness, and have conversations with others after seeing it.”

While performances require a purchased ticket, the Sunday, Oct. 19 matinee is free to the public. The Saturday, Oct. 25 production will serve as “Accessibility Saturday,” which features optional live captioning, sensory-friendly light and sound design, and DeWitt Theatre’s standard hearing loop.

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About the Theater Team

In addition to Luedtke, the college’s production team consists of: Em Allen as guest scenic designer; Michelle Bombe – chair of the department – as costume designer; Eric Van Tassell – assistant professor of lighting and sound design – as lighting designer and sound designer; Kevin MacLeod as guest props designer; Stephen Krebs – technical director for theatre – as technical director; Anna Hill – theatre department costume manager and dance department costume designer – as costume shop manager; and Samantha Luken, from Grand Rapids, as cultural consultant. Also serving on the production team are: senior Deborah VanIwaarden of Holland, as assistant lighting designer; first-year Claire Amidei of Palatine, Ill., and sophomore Sophia Richards of DeWitt, Mich., as assistant stage managers; and senior Adeline Thalhammer of Swartz Creek, Mich., as stage manager.

The cast includes first-year Lee Tull of Delton, Mich.; sophomore Caroline Valdes of Canton, Mich.; juniors Jesalyn Ashby of Hudsonville and Castle Dettinger of San Diego, Calif.; Bridget Kenny of Glen Ellyn, Ill.; Kolton Muldowney of Buffalo, NY; and seniors Christopher Laubach of Macomb, Mich., and Kate Lawrence of White Bear Lake, Minn.

Ticket Information

• Tickets are $15 for regular admission; 

• $10 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff; and 

• Free for Hope College students and other 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. Reserved tickets must be claimed 10 minutes prior to performances in order to guarantee seating.

To reserve seats for the free Sunday matinee, please email theatre@hope.edu with the name and

the number of seats to be reserved.