ABOUT
The Hearth Collective was born from a desire to showcase and celebrate new and under-produced work. We aspire to create art that is inclusive and relatable to our community. The Collective seeks to honor age, gender and human equality. If theatre is a mirror of our society, we exist in order to more accurately portray our current social circumstances through our selected works. Not theatre for others; theatre for all of us.
We are Megan Kate Ward, Courtney Freed and Jill Westerby.
MEGAN KATE WARD
Producer. Founder.
Megan most recently directed and co-produced Maple & Vine by Jordan Harrison for CoHo Productions.
Other directing credits include Fool For Love by Sam Shepard for CoHo Productions, 99 Ways to Fuck a Swan by Kim Rosentstock for Theatre Vertigo, and My Name is Rachel Corrie for Three Good Friends, Famished by Eugenia Woods for Portland Playhouse. With her company, The David Mamet School for Boys, she has produced and directed Dutchman by LeRoi Jones and the world premiere of The Bullet Round by Steven Drukman. She is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and holds a BA (Honors) in Theatre, with an emphasis in directing, from Goldsmiths College, University of London.
COURTNEY FREED
Producer. Founder.
Courtney is a musician, actress, producer, teacher and lover of creativity! After spending the last several years living and performing in Los Angeles and Chicago, Courtney recently came to her senses and returned to her beautiful hometown of Portland. No stranger to the local theatre scene, she has trod the boards of Portland Center Stage, Pixiedust Productions, Broadway Rose, Lakewood, Profile, Triangle Productions and many more! She has a BA in Theatre from Loyola Marymount University.
JILL WESTERBY
Producer. Founder.
Jill has performed on stages all over Portland, OR including Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Profile Theatre, Portland Playhouse, The Broadway Rose, CoHo Productions, Live on Stage and Lakewood Center. Other credits include Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival, Capitol Playhouse and NBC’s Grimm. She has a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University and isn’t afraid to use it after all these years. Dance Off!