Many Hats Collaboration Receives $10,000 Grant

Amid lean times for local theater companies, Many Hats Collaboration has scored a massive win: a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts that will support the independent theater company’s creation of The Hatchery, an incubator program for developing new works.

“The NEA grant is a huge vote of confidence for starting a new works festival,” said Many Hats artistic director Jessica Wallenfels in a statement. “There’s a recognized need to reinvent our process in order to create the compelling new works that will bring revitalized audiences back to the theater, and I’m convinced it involves music, song, dance and the full breadth of expression that is available to us as theater makers.”

The Hatchery will develop plays that focus on music and movement. Two one-week workshops will be held simultaneously this summer Aug. 20-25, followed by public performances at The Judy.

“The ‘hot house’ support The Hatchery provides to music and movement-oriented theater makers, is tremendously exciting,” said Nicole Lane, Fertile Ground Festival of New Works director emerita. “To have professionals at the ready to assist in new works development of this nature is a game-changer—for the works of Fertile Ground, and far beyond.”

Many Hats will produce two projects with The Hatchery in 2024. Up first is WHY and HOW Are Not in the Picture, a play written by Monique Holt in American Sign Language for a cast of deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing actors. An additional new work will be chosen from submissions from local theater artists, and The Hatchery will offer its projects a 30-hour workshop with paid stipends to all collaborators.

“This is a learning year for us,” Wallenfels said.. “We’re treating this first Hatchery as a pilot, and plan to learn a lot about refining our process for the coming years. Next year, we’ll open the net even wider to submissions.”