In 1961, Summer Theatre at the Sticky Wicket featured Stravinskys A Soldiers Tale, which Hughes had conducted during his graduate years at the University of Buffalo; Edna St. Vincent Millays Aria da Capo, for which Hughes composed incidental music; and Glucks Orpheus and Euridice. Sidney Jowers created the costumes for all three offerings. Hughes served as Drama Director and Conductor for the Stravinsky and Gluck works.

In 1962 the summer program, renamed The New Vic Theatre, featured Molieres Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme; An Evening in Salzburg 1790 (Music by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven written for the outdoor gardens of Salzburg); An Intimate Evening with Geddis and Martin, Actors with Puppets (and not for children); and Samuel BeckettsWaiting for Godot. Hughes conducted the three music programs and composed this incidental music for Becketts play.