Old Hat Theatre Company

Old Hat Theatre Company www.oldhattheatrecompany.com Our diverse artistic backgrounds are reflected in our work. Each production is sensitive to its surroundings.

Founded in 2011, Old Hat is a Brooklyn-based classical theatre company comprised of actors, academics, designers, musicians, and writers. We are dedicated to producing Shakespeare and other classical works in fresh, imaginative ways, faithful to the original texts. Our unique contribution to non-profit theater starts with our unifying belief that classical theater can be rigorous and exciting, mea

ningful and joyful, old and new. Our past projects include Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and our original adaptations of Chekhov short stories. We have worked in interesting spaces around Brooklyn, from an old bathhouse in Gowanus to a 19th-century parlor on Prospect Park West. Whatever the venue, we aim to use it fully, so that the work emerges naturally from the room. While our design concepts do vary, our work is characterized by an organic quality, with striking stage pictures, detailed performances, and specific use of time and place to create atmosphere. One of our primary goals is to promote ensemble-driven work that embraces complexity and explores marginalized figures in the world of a play. Many of the works we take on have become so enshrined, and their performance traditions so entrenched in a privileged worldview, that their revolutionary potential is fading. We believe that the best classical works are those that question power structures, by insisting on the humanity of all the characters and calling to our attention the silenced voices. We look at these works with fresh eyes and highlight the ways in which they illicit empathy. We want to make theater that confronts political ideas, illuminates profound psychology and poetry, and promotes analysis and literacy and debate. It is vital for young people to discover and stay connected to the wisdom of great literature and for all people to have access to affordable, challenging classical theater.

"Men are sometimes masters of their fates"
02/17/2018

"Men are sometimes masters of their fates"

Nearly a third of the way there, and two weeks to go! Thank you for supporting our KICKSTARTER campaign and sharing with...
01/31/2018

Nearly a third of the way there, and two weeks to go! Thank you for supporting our KICKSTARTER campaign and sharing with friends!

01/30/2018

Old Hat Theatre Company presents Julius Caesar | February 15-March 3, 2018

We are proud to present this visceral production of Shakespeare’s mythic and modern tragedy in Access Theatre, NYC and South Oxford Space, Brooklyn.

Picture an ensemble of ten actors in street clothes in a blank space. Using movement, sound, and the language of the play, their bodies and voices conjure the story. We explore the clash between speech and action, the tangle of personal and political desire, and the indelible stain of violence on character.

DONATE HERE
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1548490385/julius-caesar-0

WHO WE ARE

We founded Old Hat in 2011 with a creative mission to produce Shakespeare and other classical works in fresh, imaginative ways that inspire audiences to see and listen as though for the first time.

Our past projects include Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and original adaptations of Chekhov short stories. We have staged productions in interesting spaces around Brooklyn, from an old public bathhouse in Gowanus to a parlor in a 19th-century townhouse on Prospect Park West.

We are thrilled to be performing Julius Caesar in Manhattan and Brooklyn venues during our February 2018 run. This is the first portable production of what we envision as a portable repertoire, ensuring our work’s longer life and greater impact.

DONATE HERE
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1548490385/julius-caesar-0

WHAT WE DO

This production introduces a new, organic style for us. No sets, limited tech, driven by actors unwrapped from traditional performance tools, free to explore the muscle and sinew underneath. Our new methods accomplish many things:

They enable us to produce on a lower budget.
They facilitate the portability of our production.
They enhance our artistic vision.
These rewards in turn serve our broader social mission to devise ways to sustain independent work of high quality, to better compensate artists for their labor, and deliver classical theater to diverse audiences.

Our Kickstarter Campaign seeks a part of our total project budget, which goes to materials, transportation, space rental, and supports sixteen artists for a full-time rehearsal load and a three-week run.

Plus, once we complete the production, we’ll be situated to revive it again and again! So your gift of any sum will have a lasting impact:

$50 upgrades our lighting equipment.
$150 rents 10 hours of rehearsal space.
$300 pays an artist stipend.
$500 secures a performance venue.
$1,000 covers our entire tech budget.

DONATE HERE
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1548490385/julius-caesar-0

WHY IT MATTERS

In times when public funding has been severely limited, small arts groups depend on individual support to fulfill their missions. And it is at times when the arts are under attack that we need them the most.

We look to theatre and poetry to fortify us, because it opens our minds to the voices and experiences of others. Good theatre can help us understand what’s happening now, show us how to connect with the past, and inspire us to action.

Thank you for your continued support. Thank you for making our work possible.

DONATE HERE
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1548490385/julius-caesar-0

Dear Friends,We recently launched a home-stretch Kickstarter for our upcoming production of Julius Caesar. This is an ex...
01/30/2018

Dear Friends,

We recently launched a home-stretch Kickstarter for our upcoming production of Julius Caesar. This is an exciting, ambitious, and important project. And I'm very proud of it.

Please help us out with a donation. And remember to share all round! Spreading the word is a great help.

Love and gratitude to you all.

Old Hat explodes speech and movement in a vivid, primal rendition of Shakespeare's political tragedy.

12/29/2017

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Brooklyn, NY

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Our Story

Old Hat is a Brooklyn-based, classical theater company comprised of actors, academics, designers, musicians, and writers. We produce Shakespeare and other classical works in fresh, imaginative ways, faithful to the original texts. We liberate old works from dated conventions, to encourage people to see and listen as though for the first time.

Our work is characterized by an organic quality, with striking stage pictures, detailed performances, and specific use of time and place to create atmosphere. Our productions embrace complex political and emotional ideas and draw attention to marginalized voices in the world of a play.

Past productions include Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and our original adaptations of Chekhov’s short stories, staged in venues ranging from a old bathhouse in Gowanus to a 19th century parlor off of Prospect Park. Whatever the venue, we aim to use it fully, so that the work emerges naturally from the room.