By Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
The sights and sounds of theater, concerts and other live events will hit the stage once again in Hopewell, as the owners of the former site of the Off-Broadstreet Theater get ready to begin the venue’s next act., Earlier this month, Sara Scully was officially named the executive director of the Hopewell Theater, located at 5 South Greenwood Avenue. She joins Mitchell Skolnick as the head of a new production team., “Our aim is that this theater will serve a wide range of artists and community members and be a resource and intimate, inviting sanctuary to enjoy the arts,” Scully said in a press release., Scully has been a producer and social entrepreneur for nearly twenty years, with experience in creating multi-media projects “that build community, increase awareness and encourage creative participation.” Through her company, ScullyOne, she founded the ACME Screening Room nearly a decade ago in Lambertville., The announcement came shortly after the January 31 deadline for the venue’s previous owners, Bob and Julie Thick, were required to vacant the premises after rising rent costs forced them out of the building., The Thicks had been putting on “dessert theater” productions ranging from comedy to dramas to musicals for over 30 years before they learned that the playhouse’s monthly rent would increase by approximately 375 percent from $2,000 to $7,500., According to the building’s owner, Jon McConaughey, the rent hikes were part of an agreement with the Thicks when they sold the property in 2012 and came as a direct result of the more than $1 million in renovations at the venue., Though the Thicks sold the property, they were allowed to continue running their theater productions out of the venue, with what McConaughey said was an agreement that additional events would take place to generate a more steady revenue., With the Off Broadstreet group now out of the building, Skolnick and Scully are planning to host a “carefully-curated programming schedule” that will feature “live music by local and regional singer-songwriters, to movies, talks, guest artist Q&As and some performances.”, Additionally, the theater could also be the site of various “TED-style” talks and discussions on a wide range of topics “with the leading goal of creating community through inspiring and stimulating idea exchange.”, Unlike the previous owners, the McConaugheys said they are looking to have the theater rented out during the day, as well as the evening, to keep the venue active with Scully’s help., Currently, there are plans for a dine-in theater atmosphere complete with “a hybrid of cabaret-style banquette seating with tables and traditional fixed theater seating to support patrons comfortably enjoying a meal or a snack during the show.”, Food options will include the regular concession stand fare, as well as “grab-and-go” options. The theater will also host full dinner “Supper Club” nights prior to a show, which will be provided and served by a local caterer., Though the theater recently underwent renovations, it will feature a “mix of urban-style meets classic country with a sense of casual elegance” after some additional minor cosmetic renovations take place in the coming months., “With state-of-the-art sound and lighting, comfortable and inviting seating options, and diverse slate of programming, the theater will be a welcoming place to have a unique cultural experience, to practice or perform,” Scully said., Officials said programming scheduling is currently underway, with an opening date expected for later this year during the spring.
