Mission Statement
Hatch Arts Collective makes socially-engaged theater.
Working across disciplines and differences, we activate communities through meaningful arts experiences.
History
Hatch formed in late 2012 in Pittsburgh, PA, when three friends set out to produce a new play called Chickens in the Yard. Written by Paul Kruse, directed by Adil Mansoor, and produced by Nicole Shero, Chickens brought together a wide range of creative minds to help realize a single vision. Since that first production, Hatch has grown to create multiple new works of performing and interdisciplinary art around this same idea. We believe that diverse views and skills engaged in the same conversation can create powerful artistic work.
Check out this amazing article by Kayla Berkey about Hatch’s first few years.
Contact
For more information, contact info@hatcharts.org.
The Team
Adil Mansoor Adil Mansoor is a theatre director and educator centering the stories of queer folks and people of color. He directs plays and creates original work orbiting spirituality, horizontal violence, and direct action. He is a founding member of Pittsburgh’s Hatch Arts Collective and has directed all 7 Hatch productions. Hatch projects include Reasonable Assurance, a performance connecting undergraduates and adjuncts confronting the economic realities of higher education and Driftless, a series of performances inspired by court transcripts, interviews with folks impacted by fracking, and the bible. Adil directed Chickens in the Yard by Paul Kruse as the inaugural project supported by Quantum Theatre’s Gerri Kay New Voices Program. He also directed The River by Jez Butterworth with Quantum. In addition, Adil has directed for Bricolage, Prologue Theatre, Pittsburgh Playwrights, and others. He has also served as a dramaturg for choreographers Staycee Pearl and Dahlia Nayar. As an educator, Adil has worked at Middlebury College, The Mori Art Museum, The Warhol, and others. He was a member of the Heinz Endowments’ Transformative Arts Process, a grantmaking initiative supporting justice based arts education within black communities in Pittsburgh. Adil is currently the Artistic Director at Dreams of Hope, an LGBTQA+ youth arts organization. Adil is a Point Scholar and pursuing his MFA as a John Wells Directing Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more at www.adilmansoor.com.
Nicole Shero is an administrator, project manager, and producer. She has gained experience in a wide variety of administrative practices, including medical practice management, non-profit and for-profit marketing, arts programming, contracts management, facilities management, organizational finances, individual giving, artwork and document archiving, grantwriting, and events planning. After receiving her bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh, Nicole served as a member of Public Allies Pittsburgh, a non-profit leadership development program. In 2013, she co-founded Hatch Arts Collective, a multimedia and performance group, where she produces theater and performance workshops. Previously, Nicole has worked with Einhorn Media Group, PearlArts Studios, Carnegie Mellon University, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, and Pittsburgh Child Guidance Foundation.
Paul William Kruse is a playwright, film/video maker, and teaching artist from western Wisconsin, living in Austin, Texas. He is a founding member and the resident playwright of Hatch Arts Collective in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Paul's work flows from his queer identity, Catholic roots, and ever-evolving experience of family. He creates stories in the context of community. Paul also has a fascination with speculative fiction and the creation of alternate realities. He loves to explore what other worlds can tell us about our own. Paul is excited to be a fellow at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. Learn more at www.paulwkruse.com.