I must have walked by or driven by this old church hundreds of times to and from downtown Youngstown without paying it much attention. At one time, it was the home of the Church of St. George and built in the 1890’s. It is located at 702 Mahoning Avenue, in the Mahoning Commons neighborhood just west of the Spring Common underpass, a rail bridge over Mahoning Avenue.
In 1992, Dr. Jean McClure Kelty, a former Youngstown State professor led an effort to convert this small church building into an intimate theatre, forming a theatre company then known as the Victorian Players. The original aim was to focus on plays from the Victorian era. They called the building The Victorian Players Theater. From pictures, it looks like a cozy space with 55-60 seats that are close up on the stage, more a large living room than an auditorium.
The organization changed its name to the Hopewell Theatre, reflecting an expanding scope of plays. From photos on the Theatre’s Facebook photo page it appears that the new name for the company and theatre made its debut in the summer of 2017. In recent years their performances have included An Evening of O’Henry, Snoopy The Musical, Godspell, The Man with the Plastic Sandwich, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 20th Century Blues, I’ll Be Back Before Midnight, Rude Awakening, Child of Glory: A Gospel Nativity, and Becky’s New Car. The Business Journal offers a preview of Becky’s New Car, which performed in Spring of 2023, giving a sense of the play and the intimate setting of the theatre.
The 23-24 season starts soon with a slate of six plays scheduled. They include:
- August 25-September 3: Grace and Glorie, Hopewell Theatre
- October 20-29, Sweeney Todd, Millenial Theatre Company
- December 8-17, Exit, Pursued By A Bear, Hopewell Theatre
- January 19-28, Cabaret, Millennial Theatre Company
- May 17-26, It Shoulda Been You, Millenial Theatre Company
- June 14-23, Rabbit Hole, Hopewell Theatre
As you might notice, three of the plays are offered by the Millenial Theatre Company, which also performs at the Youngstown Playhouse as well as offering a variety of classes. Their website describes the Company’s purpose as follows: “The Millennial Theatre Company (MTC), a 501(c)3 nonprofit theatrical organization, founded in April of 2016, aims to produce excellent theatrical experiences while focusing on the involvement of the Millennial Generation.”
Tickets for the performances are available through the Hopewell Theatre website. The Youngstown Foundation, The Thomases Family Endowment, and the J. Ford Crandall Memorial Foundation help provide funding for the Hopewell Theatre, but performing to full houses will certainly help the bottom line of this non-profit organization. Recent construction of ramps has enhanced handicapped access.
Dr. Kelty passed away in 2003 but her vision lives on. This year marks the 30th season for this arts organization, one that has weathered recessions and the pandemic and continues to offer live theatre productions in a unique intimate setting. I think it is amazing to see the number of cultural opportunities available in Youngstown!
To read other posts in the Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown series, just click “On Youngstown.” Enjoy!