News
Stay in the know about Hannah’s latest work and announcements regarding her plays, songs, and acting.
She Goes Before Me a Semifinalist –
for the inaugural Clive Award, 2024, Fellowship of the Performing Arts
Thrilled my life-and-death love letter of a play placed in FPA’s first global playwriting competition. The Clive Awards is a new playwriting competition presented by Fellowship for Performing Arts to encourage the writing of new works that advance FPA’s mission to produce theater from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience. FPA heralds a history of producing smart, imaginative, multilayered stories and adaptations on stage in New York City and nationally on college campuses. Notable productions include The Screwtape Letters, Martin Luther on Trial, and Shadowlands. Learn more about FPA here.
Name Announcement –
HANNAH HARTMANN McCLASKEY (H.H. McClaskey)
During the pandemic, Hannah Hartmann married a rather astounding man. The new springs up more glorious. Not just two names but three—I’ve always been H.H., but now plus McClaskey. And oh, how glorious to be in the state of becoming and embracing the new. So, to the seasons ahead, I say, come! To the plays and songs ahead, I say, come! To what God has in store for Hannah Hartmann McClaskey, I say, onwards!
Rockwell Scholarship 2021-2022 –
Primary Stages, ESPA
Since 2015, I’ve had the joy of writing and workshopping plays page after page at Primary Stages ESPA. There, around the table with other brilliant playwrights, screenwriters, and dramaturgs, I have flourished and furthered my voice as an artist. In a season of self-doubt, like a dear friend, ESPA surprised me with a year’s worth of opportunities to continue writing. Thanks to their support in 2021 and 2022, I wrote a new play, On 49th & Nowhere, and 3 short screenplays.
Marblehead a Finalist –
for the Woodward/Newman Award, 2020-2021, Bloomington Playwrights Project
“The Woodward/Newman Drama Award is an exclusive honor offered by Bloomington Playwrights Project, remembering the many great dramas Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman performed in together.” Each year the BPP honors a select group of playwrights from nearly 1000 annual submissions. Proud to share that my newest play Marblehead is one of 8 selected Finalists published on their site. A very fine list of plays and writers to be among. Thank you BPP!
Marblehead a Semifinalist –
for The O’Neill National Playwright’s Conference, 2020
Blown away to be an NPC Semifinalist for a third time – this year for my play MARBLEHEAD. I’m continually grateful to the O’Neill for their recognition and support.
Nightjar at Barter Theatre –
Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights
AFTER THE READING
During this time of Covid Quarantine, I received beautiful photos of the public staged reading of Nightjar at Barter Theatre. The people at Barter know what they’re doing - not only are their actors sharp, generous, full of life, and hungry for new plays, but the community is VIBRANT with folks who love theatre and love to talk about theatre. In the week of rehearsals I had opportunity to refine the script supported by director Nicholas Piper and a dynamic cast who’d already spent time thinking deeply about the play weeks before my arrival in VA. For a story about my Eastern KY coal mining family, Barter filled Nightjar with a deep recognition of the spirit of the region, their own experiences, and mutual desire to see stories of Appalachia and its people expressed without stereotype, but with dignity, spirit, reality and the humor & hope stitched through even the darkest places.
(images courtesy of Barter Theatre, by Garrett Houston)
A personal note
From the writer viewpoint, a few things to note - a full parking lot at every reading over the course of 4 days. Green velvet seating in Stage II specializing in plays and new plays because the big theatre wasn’t enough. Loyal patrons wearing Barter Jackets worn in through the years even when the style or design has changed. Handshakes and cheers around every corner. Audience members with notepads. Audience members sharing deep thematic reflections. Cheese plates and homemade meals. Professional standards in all that they do.
Nightjar Development Announcement –
Selected for The Barter Theatre’s Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights
JANUARY 2020
I’m so pleased to announce that my play NIGHTJAR was selected to be developed at Barter Theatre this January in the Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights! So excited to see it posted on @officialbroadwayworld and even more excited to work with Nick Piper & cast, and spend a week in historic Abingdon. Thank you Barter!
I’m looking forward to a week in rehearsals and the public reading on -
Sunday January 26 @ 1pm in Barter’s Smith Theatre
Audience & Regional Panel Talkback to follow
Read more about the event from Barter (click here)
Read the article on Broadway World (click here)
The Tour de Force Invited Reading –
at Primary Stages ESPA
NOV. 19TH 2019
Excited for an invited RSVP reading of my play The Tour de Force at Primary Stages ESPA! Synopsis: “In the near future, a once quaint coastal town evacuates in the wake of an apocalyptic storm, but six people choose to stay: a deli caretaker, a carousel popcorn lady, a doomsday prepper, a fading physicist with a tin choral top, a mother who’s fighting to keep what’s left, and a daughter seeking chaos itself. It’s a timeless place at the end of time where allegory and reality are the present, but what force is feeling and what force is fact?”
Short Film Drop –
watch We Can Never Leave the Tent
FALL 2019
After a year hitting the festival submissions, selections, and screenings - we’re excited to share the film!
"Best Director Nomination" Atlanta Comedy Film Festival
"Official Selection" Atlanta Comedy Film Festival
"Official Selection" Portland Comedy Film Festival
"Special Mention" London-Worldwide Comedy Short Film Festival
We Can Never Leave the Tent
Filmmakers Stacey Hanks and Tanya Pitt have made their first horror feature, WE CAN NEVER LEAVE THE TENT. For them, true horror is a woman's life - "From womb to tomb, she will never escape the cycle; she can never leave the tent, truly." When interviewed about their bold story-telling choices, Stacey and Tanya must now fight to offer their #relevant insight.
created by our all-female cast & crew
Writer & Director - Hannah Hartmann
Featuring - Mallory Moser & Sarah Sawyer
DP & Editor - Sarah Newton
Sound - Erika Grob
Play research abroad –
in London, the East Midlands, & the Cotswolds
SUMMER 2018
She Goes Before Me. This summer I set myself to the task of writing a play for all women. A circle of them in a gothic cathedral on a modern Tuesday morning trying to read the Bible - different ages, different races, different account balances, different social standings, different relationships with God. In the center I dreamt of Lady Jane Grey, a sixteen year old who lived under the thumb of man & country, put on the throne of England, and promptly beheaded by Bloody Mary in 1554. Jane Grey is a discounted figure of the Protestant Reformation, rarely included in discussion — as there are far more famous male figures than she.
To write Lady Jane, I went to England this summer to simply be where she had been. I spent most of the time feeling like I couldn’t breathe. As an actor/playwright, all I could think about was losing a head. Standing at the site of her death on Tower Green, staring at the window of her prison, walking the miles to her judgement, leaving London by train for her birthplace, walking the ruins of her home and sitting in her family chapel – now overgrown by ferns and slept in by deer. There are no confirmed portraits of her. She is spoken of in hushed tones in her own country; she is the overlooked nine- day English queen who was killed for her faith. Find She Goes Before Me on my Plays page.
Jane’s childhood chapel - East Midlands, Bradford Park
Outside chapel view - East Midlands, Bradford Park
Film Festivals –
Atlanta Comedy Film Fest, Best Director Nomination & Official Selection
WINTER 2018
Thank you Atlanta Comedy Film Festival for giving me my first “Best Director” Nomination!
Portland Comedy Film Fest, Official Selection
NOVEMBER 2018
Thank you to Portland Comedy Film Festival for making us an official selection for Fall 2018! Excited that folks will get to see our short Saturday night, November 10th. Thank you to Mikel Fair, the Festival Director, and the team who put together a weekend of hilarious films.
London-Worldwide Comedy, Special Mention
SEPTEMBER 2018
Thank you Rod Fraser, Festival Director, and your judges for awarding us with special mention laurels from across the pond!
Native a Finalist –
for The David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize, 2017
marin theatre company
Marin Theatre Company named Native a FINALIST for The Calicchio Prize! To be chosen as one of five finalists from over 500 plays nationwide is an accomplishment I will not forget. My sincere thanks to the Literary team and Artistic Staff at Marin for understanding NATIVE's intention.
"Quietly honest, with some wonderful unexpected moments that spurred all kinds of reflection on what is real versus what is 'authentic.'"
Short Film wrapped –
“We Can Never Leave the Tent”
FEBRUARY 2018
Written & Directed by Hannah Hartmann
Featuring - Mallory Moser & Sarah Sawyer
DP/edit - Sarah Newton
Sound - Erika Grob
Filming wrapped this month on "We Can Never Leave the Tent", a dark comedy short. Loved working with this all female team, making a film about women, and seriously taking ourselves so seriously.
"Stacey Hanks and Tanya Pitt have made a horror film, WE CAN NEVER LEAVE THE TENT. But this horror film is about a woman's life - from womb to tomb we will never escape the cycle. Because we can never leave the tent, truly. Join Stacey and Tanya as they watch and comment on their film."
Nightjar a Semifinalist –
for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, 2018
JANUARY 2018
I’m honored that my play NIGHTJAR was chosen as a SEMIFINALIST for this summer's National Playwrights Conference. Thanks again O’Neill!
Nightjar at Ensemble Studio Theatre –
After the Staged Reading
NOVEMBER 2017
Written by Hannah Hartmann
Directed by Jules Lucas
Hosted by Bob Jaffe
Feat: Maggie Bofill, Savannah DesOrmeaux, Delphi Harrington, Jim Murtaugh, Jack Sochet, and George Olesky
It may have been a month ago, but I'm still beamin. I was blown away by this cast, Jules’ direction and Bob's hosting of NIGHTJAR October 3rd at EST. A writer could not have asked for a better reading of her work. This play means more to me than anything I've written before – I am quieted by the passion it's been met with in rehearsals, by the intent listening audience, by the seats filled with family, friends and fellow artists, and by all the thoughtful words I'm receiving afterwards. I'm confident there is more for NIGHTJAR yet. Thank you to everyone who was a part of this one. It will be a night I remember!
Nightjar Reading Announcement –
Public Staged Reading at Ensemble Studio Theatre
OCTOBER 3RD @ 7PM
Officially announcing a staged reading of NIGHTJAR at Ensemble Studio Theatre in October! Graciously hosted and produced by Bob Jaffe and pointedly directed by Julie Lucas. I cannot wait to meet the cast and get to work.
Eastern Kentucky, coal country. The miner in his coal vein can't stand up straight; a young man in his black vein is dancing in light. In 1950 a mining family is kicking off coal dust; business is good, and Della is the first of her family to leave for college. In 2017 the coal dust's scrubbed clean, but Della's still here, housing a family she didn't expect. NIGHTJAR is a test of grace under pressure, from the interior and the exterior.
Admission will be free of charge.
Ensemble Studio Theater
545 West 52nd Street, 2nd Floor (between 10th & 11th)
New York, NY 10019
Nightjar Excerpt Reading –
at Primary stages ESPA
JUNE 2017
After a three month workshop with the unstoppable Crystal Skillman, I was thrilled to have an excerpt of my latest play staged for an invited audience in June. Plans for a full staged reading at EST nyc are underway!
Photos featuring: Jared Canfield, Mallory Moser, and Bob Jaffe
Atlantic Alumni Showcase –
at Atlantic Theater Company
JANUARY 2017
Selected to perform for a panel of agents, managers, and casting directors at the old homestead, Atlantic Theater Co.
A Taste of Honey –
at Pearl Theatre Company, dir. Austin Pendleton
SEPTEMBER 6 – OCTOBER 30, 2016
I’ll be working OFF-BROADWAY this fall understudying the principal role of JO in Shelagh Delaney's A TASTE OF HONEY. The play is set in a dingy flat in Greater Manchester in the 1950s. PEARL THEATRE COMPANY is a family of vibrant artists reintroducing us to classic scripts and reinventing them for modern audiences - I'm relishing being a part of it this year. Thanks Pearl!
"In 1959 at age 18, playwright Shelagh Delaney rocked the theatre world with a play that both defined and defied her generation. A Taste of Honey is the clever, passionate, and poignant story of a young woman facing an uncertain future in a hostile world—and learning to trust that love, in its every heartbreaking and messy form, will see her through." - Pearl Theatre Company
Native a Semifinalist –
for The O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, 2016
APRIL 2016
I’m absolutely ecstatic my play NATIVE was chosen as a SEMIFINALIST for this summer's National Playwrights Conference. An honor to be considered so among thousands of applicants. Thank you O'Neill!
EST’s Last Call –
FEBruary 2016
I was asked to play a short set of my original songs with the wonderful people at Ensemble Studio Theatre’s “Last Call.” Check it out – they do it the third Saturday of every month at 10pm!
Ensemble Studio Theater LAST CALL
545 West 52nd Street, 2nd Floor (between 10th & 11th)
New York, NY 10019
The Gulls at Fresh Ground Pepper –
DEC 17
Delighted to read for Sasha (Chekov's Masha) in this modern adaptation of "The Seagull" by Jamie Effros. "A modern adaptation of Chekov’s “the Seagull” spun around the family of Archie Nichols an aging rock start turned reality tv diva on the set of her show – her brother's long beach island ocean front estate."
FGP 7th Annual Playground Festival
The Gulls by Jamie Effros
Directed by Teddy Bergman
God is a Verb Reviews –
Hook & Eye Theater
REVIEWS ARE IN! Thanks to all of the critics for these thoughtful and exciting reviews for God is a Verb by Gavin Broady. It’s been such fun to play the brainy new girl in this production directed by Chad Lindsey.
New York Theater Review
Theater Is Easy Review - a "Best Bet!"
The Front Row Center Review
Culture Catch Review
Edge New York Review
Hyper Allergic Review
Show Announcement –
God is a Verb, Hook & Eye Theater
NOV 04 - NOV 21, 2015
I get to play a Minnesotan with a degree in marine biology in the 1960s. How cool and weird is that?
"An engaging and urgent portrait of a world – and a man – on the brink. In 1969, an eccentric professor gathers a team of offbeat academics to play a game with one goal: make the world work for all humanity. What unfolds tears space-time as we are whisked from a beatnik cafe to a treetop congressional hearing and back by way of a university telephone. As the clock ticks, the lines blur between the game and the real world and we wonder if we’ve detached from reality altogether."
Devised and Produced by Hook & Eye Theater
Written by Gavin Broady
Directed by Chad Lindsey
The Actors Fund Art Center
160 Schermerhorn Street Brooklyn NY 11201
Tickets: 25$
Visit Hook & Eye Theater
Show Announcement –
Cymbeline at Boomerang Theater Company
SUMMER 2015
Playing with the folks at Boomerang Theater Company in the Park this summer in their production of Cymbeline. A little Lancashire accent, a little fiddle, a little mandolin, and a lot of sun!
Directed by Cailin Heffernan
Music by Henry Aronson
Visit Boomerang Theater
Show Announcement –
Rex, a new musical at New Light Theater Project
MARCH 19 - MARCH 28 ACCESS THEATER
I’m excited to play fiddle, mandolin, and Antigone's Daughter in this new adaptation of the Oedipus story.
"Set in a brutal land now in ruins, ghosts of the dead walk among the living, reflecting and regretting the endless cycle of destruction they have witnessed. With little hope and no time left, a young woman attempts to confront her past in order to salvage what life is left. REX weaves new music and ancient storytelling into a tale about regret and change. REX is a continuation of NLTP’s adaptation of The Oedipus Project, our inaugural production in the summer of 2013. A condensed version of Antigone won the 2013 Theatre Now Soundbites Festival for Best Original Music."
Written by Mike Aguirre
Directed by Sarah Norris
Original music by Kyle C. Norris
Visit BroadwayWorld.com
Visit NLTP
Show Announcement –
Brighton Beach Memoirs at Seven Angels Theatre
SEPTEMBER 25 - OCTOBER 19
Come see me (with long hair playing a 13 year old Laurie) in Seven Angels' production of BRIGHTON BEACH. I may look like the Bad Seed child, but I swear I didn't put anything in the liver dinner...
"Part one of Neil Simon’s autobiographical trilogy: a portrait of the writer as a young teen in 1937 living with his family in a crowded, lower middle-class Brooklyn walk-up..."
