HWS News
29 May 2025 Gorges, Ghosts and Gender: History Reimagined at HWS Theatre
A motel full of secrets, reenactors in conflict, and a gender-bending epic—this HWS Theatre season, the past is not behind us, it’s center stage.
How does history shape our present moment? From ancient geologic formations of Finger Lakes gorges to 19th century immigrant experiences in New York City to a time-traveling fabulation that sets off in Elizabethan England, the HWS Theatre 2025-2026 season encompasses a broad and imaginative sweep of history.
What brings visitors to Watkins Glen, N.Y.? Hiking, NASCAR, wine, weddings, and once upon a time, a laser light show projected on the gorge wall. The HWS Theatre 2025-2026 season opens with The Gorges Motel by Gretchen Cryer, Lynne Halliday, Isaac Himmelman, James Hindman, Arlene Hutton and Craig Pospisil and directed by Professor of Theatre Chris Woodworth. The guests at the Gorges Motel have come to town with suitcases packed with secrets and those bags are about to burst! Described by The New York Times as “a tantalizing, comic daisy chain of short plays by six playwrights,” the HWS Theatre production of The Gorges Motel will be the Finger Lakes region premiere and features an intergenerational cast of HWS students and community artists. The Gorges Motel runs Thursday, Oct. 9 – Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
Gideon loves history and longs for the ways of the past. Margie is new to the city and struggles surviving in the moment. When the two are hired as historical reenactors at New York City’s Tenement Museum, their mismatched ideals and differing views on history prove both alluring and infuriating to each other. Written by Carly Mensch (Orange is the New Black, Weeds, GLOW), Now Circa Then will have you pondering the value of the past while you are laughing in the present in McDonald Theatre. Directed by Professor of Theatre Chris Hatch, Now Circa Then runs Thursday, Feb. 19 – Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.
The 2025-2026 HWS Theatre season closes with Orlando by Sarah Ruhl, adapted from the novel by Virginia Woolf. Ruhl’s adaptation of Woolf’s gender-bending novel is a feminist exploration of gender, time and space. We meet Orlando as he woos Queen Elizabeth and we leave Orlando moments after she finishes a poem that was 500 years in the making, crying out, “I am about to understand…” A testament both to the liberatory power of the imagination and the elusive nature of identity, Ruhl retains much of Woolf’s evocative language while embracing the transformative power of the actor. Like any great adventure tale, Orlando’s journey is shaped by the myriad of characters with whom they interact. In keeping with the fluid nature of Orlando, all characters are played by a small ensemble of performers who engage in ongoing shape shifting and adventure. Directed by Professor H. May, Orlando runs Thursday, April 9 – Saturday, April 11, 2026.
HWS Theatre welcomes back their extraordinary team of designers for the 2025-2026 season. Ed Hallborg returns for his ninth season as Resident Designer and Technical Director. Kelly Walker returns for a 13th season as HWS Theatre Resident Sound and Projections Designer. Katharine Tarkulich returns as HWS Theatre Costume Designer for a seventh season.
All productions are staged in McDonald Theatre in the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, with performances on Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets for all HWS Theatre productions are Free or Pay-What-You-Will and can be reserved through the HWS Theatre Box Office. Tickets are made available 1-2 weeks prior to opening night. Online ticket reservations close two hours before each performance. Remaining tickets will be available at the Box Office, a half hour before each performance. Seating is General Admission. In the event of a “sold-out” performance, a waiting list will be created. (Please note: We have good success seating everyone on the waiting list.)
Auditions for The Gorges Motel will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. Auditions for Now Circa Then and Orlando will be held later in the Fall semester. To learn more about the upcoming season as well as other exciting events in the Theatre Department, all members of the HWS community are invited to the HWS Theatre Ice Cream Social on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. in McDonald Theatre in the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts on the Hobart and William Smith campus.
To keep up to date on the HWS Theatre season as well as other exciting happenings, visit the Theatre Department webpage, Facebook: or Instagram (@hwstheatre). For specific questions, contact Department Chair Chris Woodworth (cwoodworth@hws.edu or 315-781-4581).
The Gorges Motel is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection (www.dramatists.com). Now Circa Then and Orlando (Ruhl) are presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. (www.concordtheatricals.com).
Top: Students perform in HWS Theatre's production of The Witch of Edmonton in April.
