The Hippodrome Theatre proudly presents its
52nd Season - IGNITE
Igniting the night with stories – that is the Hippodrome’s 52nd Season. We are proud to bring to our community a season full of passion, joy, curiosity, challenge, and change.
We will challenge the status quo in the perfectly balanced sitcom-esq Perfect Arrangement, and take a deep and passionate dive into the document that founded our nation in What The Constitution Means To Me. We will look for joy through the little things in our lives in Every Brilliant Thing. We will kick off our Christmas festivities with Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big Gainesville Christmas Show and of course no holiday season would be complete without our traditional journey with Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Dive into an irreverent, fast-paced romp through ALL the Bard’s plays, in a brand new adaptation, The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) (Revised) (Again). In the spring, join us for a heartwarming comedy set in a Florida retirement community, exploring love, loss, and aging with humor and depth in Morning After Grace featuring the return of Nell Page and Kevin Rainsberger to the Mainstage.
And as always, we will reveal our Summer Musical later in the season, one that will be sure to take you on a joyous ride.
Perfect Arrangement
by Topher Payne
August 30-September 22; Previews August 28-29
“Perfect Arrangement” seamlessly merges sitcom laughs with stirring drama to tell the story of two closeted State Department employees struggling to not blow their cover during the Red Scare. Laugh until you cry in this comedy inspired by true stories of the early American gay rights movement.
Every Brilliant Thing
by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe
October 11-October 27; Preview October 10
Could you name a hundred things that make life wonderful? A thousand? A million? Beginning with “Ice cream” and “Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose”, a boy’s handwritten list to cheer up his despondent mom takes audiences on a transcendent and tender coming-of-age journey that reminds us to pay attention to life’s smallest joys—and to each other.
What the Constitution Means to Me
by Heidi Schreck
October 11-October 27; Preview October 9
A Pulitzer Prize finalist and nominated for two Tony Awards, this hilarious, hopeful and achingly human love letter to the Constitution breathes new life into our founding document and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans.
Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big Gainesville Christmas Show
By Gordon Greenberg & Steve Rosen
November 29-December 23
A Christmas Carol, a story about transformations, is transformed into a fast, funny, and highly theatrical reimagining of the most beloved holiday story ever told. The show gives us everything we love about the story of Scrooge, from ‘Bah, Humbug!’ to the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, to Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family.
Don’t miss this riotous Dickens mash-up described as fun, fast-moving, full of laughter and festive.
A Christmas Carol
Adapted by Niall McGinty from Charles Dickens
November 30 - December 23
Snowflakes and sleigh rides might not be a Gainesville tradition, but the Hippodrome’s Christmas Carol is. Become a part of the tradition as we celebrate Scrooge’s redemption through music, dancing, and as always, joy.
The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) (Revised) (Again)
Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield
January 24-February 16; Previews January 22-23
Dive into an irreverent, fast-paced romp through ALL the Bard’s plays, come join these merry mad men in a brand new adaptation. They weave their wicked way through all of Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter.
Morning After Grace
By Carey Crim
March 28-April 20; Previews March 26-27
After an unexpected connection at a funeral, Abigail and Angus find themselves waking up together the next morning with some questions. Enter Ollie, their next door neighbor with troubles of his own, and watch as this unlikely trio tackles love, loss, and coming to terms with growing old. This new comedy set in a Florida retirement community, is heart-warming and hilarious, and takes us on an unexpected journey toward a new lease on life. Starring Nell Page and Kevin Rainsberger.
Summer Musical TBA
May 30-July 6; Previews May 28-29
Whether it’s The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Avenue Q, or Million Dollar Quartet, our famous musicals are the most entertaining thing you can do in Gainesville every summer, and 2024 will be no exception. Stay tuned for our exciting title announcement coming soon.
