in her 35th year
H ope H artup ARTS/DRAMA
W here some might see limitations, drama instructor Hope Hartup—who has helped shape the Hopkins theater program since the mid-1980s—has always seen an open door for creativity. For thirty-five years, the intimate charm of Lovell Hall has provided her with countless opportunities to make magic within a confined space. There are paint splashes on the ground? Repaint the entire floor before opening night. There’s no lighting booth? Design a brand new system on a paper napkin, secure some 4 × 8 scaffolding and a drill, then have it all placed behind the risers. That’s the Hope Hartup way.
Looking back to those early days, you could already find Hartup’s palpable combination of endless inspiration with her bold do-it-yourself attitude in the first Hopkins production she led, Dracula , which she staged with the performers at the theater doors and the audience on the stage. Even back then, Hartup realized what she was teaching in the classroom and on the stage could resonate with students far beyond their time at Hopkins. “I want them to understand the benefits of having a process and the power of long-term goals, but perhaps most important, I want them to value themselves and not be afraid to make new discoveries,” she said. When he graduated from Hopkins, Joseph Buberger ’90, who gave Hartup her first lesson in do-it-yourself lighting, gifted her a small piece of rope and a crescent wrench to honor the time they spent hanging lights for productions. To this day, Hartup still uses that wrench when she works on lights and thinks of Joe, who has since passed. She says gestures like the one from Joe make it all worth it, but she also finds joy in the small moments at Hopkins. “I feel the most alive during rehearsals with my students. That’s where we get to create and collaborate in the moment. There’s nothing better than that.” Hartup has a hard time singling out her favorite plays through the years. Today, she’s thinking about her next production, which will undoubtedly offer her another golden opportunity to make some magic with her students.
“The excitement is in creating something special no matter the circumstance,” said Hartup.
Hartup has spent her years at Hopkins helping to produce plays and teaching the art of performance. That wasn’t always the plan. As the product of a mother who was a theater actor/director and a father who was a Regent’s Professor at the University of Minnesota, Hartup thought she would wind up as a college theater professor or some- one working in the theatrical industry, until a part-time position teaching film and acting at Hopkins took hold. “I was surprised by how much I enjoyed teaching theater to young people and slipped into this career without any further thought. The Hopkins students made it an easy decision,” said Hartup.
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2023 • ISSUE 1 | VIEWS FROM THE HILL
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