REBIRTH AND REOPENING: The historic Hopewell Theater, closed for the past two years, will soon reopen as the Hopewell Valley Stage for a variety of arts and community events.
By Anne Levin
When the Hopewell Theater closed its doors just over two years ago, the site on South Greenwood Avenue had been a cultural landmark in Hopewell Borough for 144 years. Rising costs and the inability to obtain a liquor license contributed to the then-owners’ reluctant decision.
Thanks to a foundational grant from the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation, the venue is reopening under a new name. The Hopewell Valley Stage, owned by a group known as Hopewell Playhouse LLC, is a nonprofit with a liquor license — allowing rentals for private parties along with concerts, theater productions, film screenings, art workshops, and community talks.
The public is invited to check out the space at an open house on Saturday, April 18, from 3 to 6 p.m. There will be live music and tours of the venue, and the box office will be open for the purchase of tickets to upcoming events including James Popik and Supernova on April 25, the Constellation Big Band and Swing Dance on May 2, and a Pat Metheny Tribute Show on May 8.
“We’re doing a bit of a soft opening to get a feeling of things like traffic flow, and just getting the kinks out,” said Carol Lipson, executive director of the Hopewell Arts Council, which will have its administrative offices in the building. “We’re trying to be very transparent about everything. We want people’s feedback.”
“We’ll test out what types of events and offerings speak most to our community and refine our vision for success,” said Maeli Goren-Wilson, the newly-appointed theater manager, in a press release. “We can’t wait to welcome artists and audiences to the Stage.”
The history of the site stretches back to 1880, when a building known as Columbia Hall served as a community center, theater, and headquarters of the local fire department. In 1940, that building was demolished, reopening a year later as a movie house called The Colonial Playhouse. George Gallup bought the building in 1960, and it was used for Gallup polling through the mid-1980s, when it became the Off-Broadstreet Theater. The building was taken over and extensively renovated in 2015, and renamed the Hopewell Theater.
“We’ve actually been working on this for four years,” said Lipson. “Things finally aligned, and it’s happening. The last owners [Sara Scully and Mitchel Skolnick] bought it and renovated it, and rented to a group of tenants, calling it the Hopewell Theater. They were a for-profit organization, which had a lot of limitations. As a nonprofit, we’re able to do fundraising, and make it more of a friendly space. And the liquor license can be another revenue source. We’ve have signed a two-year lease. We’ll give it our best shot and see how things stick. We have first right to renew the lease.”
Lipson called the grant from the Johnson Foundation “sizeable,” adding that philanthropist Betty Wold Johnson, who died in 2020 at the age of 99, was committed to Hopewell. “It wouldn’t have been possible without the generous grant,” she said. “But we still have major fundraising to do.”
The Hopewell Valley Stage (HVS) is a program of the Hopewell Valley Arts Council. “We champion local and emerging talent and expand our community’s horizon by bringing acclaimed artists to our neighborhood,” reads the mission statement. “With diverse performance and educational programming serving audiences of all ages, HVS weaves art into our community’s everyday life.”
Seating is flexible in the theater, allowing for a variety of options. “That’s our big differentiator,” said Lipson. “We will focus on hospitality. We want people to have a great experience when they come, to feel like they belong here. We care about their experience. Everyone is welcome, and there are different price points for different shows. A lot of it is about just treating people nicely, and having a welcoming spirit about the place.”
The theater is located at 5 South Greenwood Avenue For more information, visit hvartscouncil.org.