The cultural heart of the campus has inspired tens of thousands of students who passed under its arches since it opened in 1962. on October 16, the newly revamped Hopkins Center is opening its doors again—to a fresh wave of students, creatives, and big dreamers. As the Hop kicks off a new chapter, we look back through the eyes of alumni who have gone on to renowned careers. In their reflections, they trace the spark of their artistic journey back to where it all began.

Rachel Dratch ’88    

• Tony award-nominated actress, comedian, and writer
• Best known for her roles on Saturday Night Live, including the iconic pessimist Debbie Downer
• At Dartmouth: Drama major, joined Said and Done improv comedy group, sang with the Glee Club

“In the improv group I finally felt like these are my people.”

Sharon Washington ’81

• Tony-nominated writer and actress who serves on the Hopkins Center board of overseers
• Best known for plays Feeding the Dragon and New York, New York and movies The Joker and Die Hard with a Vengeance
• At Dartmouth: government and African American studies major who joined Dartmouth Players

Sharon Washington ’81 (Photo by Sekou Luke)

“I did a couple of Main Stage productions, and that is how I found what I really wanted to do.” 

Connie Britton ’89

• Emmy award-nominated actress and producer
• Best known for The White Lotus, Nashville, and Friday Night Lights
• At Dartmouth: Asian Studies major who performed in campus productions of George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man and Larry Shue’s The Foreigner

“My dreams of life in the performing arts were honed and solidified in every corner of the Hop.”

Connie Britton ’89 (Photo by Ramona Rosales/August)

Shonda Rhimes ’91  

• Award-winning television creator, producer, director, author, and CEO of media company Shondaland
• Best known for creating Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, and Bridgerton
• At Dartmouth: English major with concentration in creative writing, directed with Black Underground Theater Association. Top of the Hop was her favorite hangout spot

“In BUTA (Black Underground Theater Association) I was supposed to direct. To have that experience and sort of find my place of leadership and comfort was enormous for me.”

Shonda Rhimes ’91 (Photo by Djeneba Aduayom/August)

David Harbour ’97    

• Award-winning actor nominated for two primetime Emmy awards, a Tony award, and a Golden Globe award
• Best known for his role as chief Jim Hopper in TV's Stranger Things and as Red Guardian in Marvel movies Black Widow and Thunderbolts
• At Dartmouth: Drama major who directed Macbeth and Hamlet and acted in Measure for Measure at the Hop as well as in plays by Samuel Beckett and Bertolt Brecht

“I was a big theater geek writing manifestos about Brechtian alienation.”

David Harbour ’97 (Photo by Ben Trivett/Getty Images)

Mindy Kaling ’01    

• Tony award-winning and Emmy award-nominated producer, actress, writer, and director
• Best known for writing and acting as Kelly Kapoor in The Office, created six television shows, including The Mindy Project and Never Have I Ever
• At Dartmouth: Drama major, joined Rockapellas and Dog Day Players improv troupe, won Frost award for playwriting

“I spent more time at the Hop’s Bentley Theater than any other place at Dartmouth.”

Mindy Kaling ’01 (Photo by Photo by Mamadi Doumbouya)