Waiting For Hope
The 2025 Ropp Award Winner

July 25-27, August 1-3
8pm Friday, 2pm Sat & Sun

Winner of the 2025 Ropp Playwriting Competition, Waiting for Hope is a suspenseful, character-driven mystery by Florida playwright Karen Poulsen. Set in a small Key Largo library as Hurricane Hope barrels toward the coast, a group of strangers takes shelter—only to discover their lives are more connected than they ever imagined. With power outages, secrets, and a storm raging outside, tensions rise until a decades-old murder resurfaces.

Karen Poulsen, a playwright based in New Smyrna Beach, crafts stories rooted in emotional complexity and real-world intrigue. Waiting for Hope marks her Surfside Playhouse debut—and this world premiere promises to keep audiences guessing until the final blackout.