We recently connected with Hannah Mceachern and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In 2023, I founded the Queer Theatre Collective of Boston (QTCboston). After I came home from getting my masters in Theatre Directing in August of 2021, I spent almost two years feeling sorry for myself and hitting dead ends when it came to my creative career. Once my 9-5 job started slowing down in the spring of 2023, I was sick of waiting for someone else to give me permission to be a part of the Boston theatre scene. I noticed a lot of people, especially queer artists like myself,
were waiting for someone to invite them in. So, I gave myself permission to create space in Boston for my fellow queer artists and I.
I built QTC with the understanding that new, queer plays weren’t being widely produced, and I wanted to change that. I wanted there to be a space where queer playwrights could trust their voice and vision would be preserved, and developed. I also wanted there to be a space where the queer artist community could come together and network, and create in a safe environment.

Building QTC showed me that I didn’t need anyone’s permission to be in the Boston theatre scene; I just needed to go for it. I had no idea what I was doing, but after following my gut and getting the help of some fellow theatre makers, QTC has blossomed. Now, a little over a year later, we’re running monthly Queer Coffee House events, and we are currently in our second iteration of our QTCresidency program which will help four playwrights develop their work this year. We also just brought on 6, dedicated, talented queer artists to help us run the collective. Not only did I build this cool, fun thing, it continues to grow, and I’m proud to say that it is becoming a staple in the Boston queer community.

Hannah , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a director and producer in the theatre and comedy industries in Boston, as well as the Founding Artistic Director of QTCboston.

I have been in the performing arts since I was 5 years old. When I went to college, it only seemed natural that I would get a theatre degree. While I was in school for acting, it became very clear to me that I preferred being on the other side of the table, and wanted to try my hand at directing. Right after I got my BFA in Theatre and Performance from Emerson College in 2019, I went straight to get my MFA in Directing from Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland.

During my time in Scotland, my love for developing and directing new plays was solidified. I developed and directed a new play by Rachel O’Reagan (now a founding member of F-Bomb Theatre) for a full run in the Fringe Festival in August of 2021. Our play, Afterparty was met with 5 & 4 star reviews and we were lucky enough to sell out each show, even in the midst of COVID.

Since I’ve been back home in Boston, I’m building a name for myself as a producer and director in the theatre and comedy world. Just in the past year, I have directed multiple short productions (and am slated to direct two more in March at Boston Theater Company’s Queer Voices Festival), and have produced a number of comedy and variety shows, both with QTCboston, and Fool’s Freedom. In addition, I am also the Project Producer for The Kittie Knox Plays, a new, historically-inspired outdoor theatre experience from Plays in Place and MassBike which will premiere in September of this year.

As a creative, I am a connector, a problem solver, and a get-sh*t-done-er. In my full time job at Emerson College (with the Business of Creative Enterprises Program), my part time job with Plays in Place, my role as Founding Artistic Director, and in my freelance work, I pride myself on being a servant leader that empowers the people I’m collaborating with to do their best work.

As a connector, I am most proud of the fact that everything I am building has benefitted my community. I’ve seen so many repeat customers at Queer Coffee House and Queer Comedy Night, and I have had a big hand in creating a safe & supportive space for local queer artists. I’m so excited to continue building (and selling out shows) in 2025.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Support the creation of NEW work. I’d much rather go see a staged reading of a work that’s in development, or a new production that’s been labored over for the a couple years. Seeing a new piece of work written by a living artist is such a special experience. Not only should society (and government services) be supporting this type of work, theatrical institutions should be doing more to support emerging artists. Programming the same old musicals (read: white musicals), or yet another adaptation of a Shakespeare show that just doesn’t quite work are not moving the needle forward in the arts industry. Theatrical institutions, and government bodies that support creatives should be focusing on fostering new works that will stand the test of time. Why stay stuck in the past, when we have artists NOW that have something to say and stories that need to be told. Personally, I’m done with white, straight-centric stories. I’d rather focus on lifting up art by marginalized folks. Especially now when their rights and freedoms hang in the balance, their stories need to be told now more than ever.

There is so much society could be doing to support artists; but let’s start by patronizing institutions that are uplifting the stories of queer, trans, BIPOC, AAPI indigenous, and other marginalized folks who need our support now more than ever.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Getting to create something and see both its immediate, and long-term effects.
When we hosted Queer Coffee House the first time it was clear we succeeded in creating a space for queer performers to spread joy, and our audience left very happy.
But after 5+ events: we have a recurring customer base, the venue booked us for the year because they wanted to see us grow, we gained even more support from our community because we put together really thoughtful shows, I was asked to produce Queer Comedy Night at the same venue, the list goes on.
Creating live art feels ephemeral in the sense that once it’s over, it’s over, but it can live on. An audience will remember the experience, and how it made them feel, forever.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @hanmcea
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-mceachern-856241176/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hanmcea

Image Credits

Marigold Photography (Headshot)