Coming Fall 2027
Our mission is to create
a new pathway for meaningful
theatre experiences to take shape.
Our Community
The California Central Coast has a long history of a vibrant performing arts community.
Hat Rack Theatre Co.'s intention is not to recreate what already exists, but to contribute something distinctly our own.
We want to create a new pathway for meaningful theatrical work to happen; bringing together local and regional performers, musicians, directors, choreographers, designers, technicians, creators, and collaborators around projects chosen for their artistic potential.
Hat Rack Theatre Co. can act as an artistic partner with selective projects that align with our mission and vision.
CHOOSE WITH INTENTION
We choose the work for a reason.
BUILD A GREAT ROOM
Every project deserves the right combination of collaborators.
RESPECT THE WORK
Every production detail matters.
VALUE THE PEOPLE
Create an outstanding chosen workplace prioritizing equity, inclusion, clear expectations, meaningful collaboration, and professional respect to create, learn, and share.
PRODUCE RESPONSIBLY
Artistic ambition and financial responsibility must coexist.
STAY CONNECTED
Collaborate with the larger Central Coast arts system.
Our Core Values
What We Believe In
We are at the beginning of our story.
We believe good theatre starts with an idea worth pursuing and the right people around the table.
Hat Rack is building a theatrical company capable of originating its own productions, championing work from creators we believe in, and collaborating with other artists and organizations when the right project brings us together.
Our vision is to build Hat Rack into a sustainable, trusted artistic home for good ideas, talented people, and quality accessible theatre.
Our mission is to create a new pathway for meaningful theatre experiences to take shape.
Why Hat Rack?
The idea behind Hat Rack began with something simple: every hat has a story.
Through theatre, a hat can tell us something about who a person is, where they’ve been, or who they’re about to become. With each hat, you can step into another life, another time, another point of view. A hat rack is where all of those possibilities wait.
We found ourselves imagining the kind of company we would want to build together, one rooted in the things we have come to value most: thoughtful collaboration, beautiful craftsmanship, respect for the people who make the work possible, and the willingness to take a creative chance.
Somewhere in those conversations, Hat Rack just felt right.
We loved that the name was a little unexpected. It didn’t define us by one kind of theatre or one kind of story. Instead, it gave us a place to hang all of them. Different artists, different perspectives, familiar stories seen in new ways, and perhaps a few things none of us have imagined yet.
That is what we hope Hat Rack Theatre Co. can be: a place where artists and audiences come together, where there is always another perspective to discover, another possibility to explore, and another story waiting to be told.
After all, every story has to begin somewhere.
The story starts here.
FOUNDING TEAM
Zach Johnson is a director, choreographer, producer, and arts leader with more than 20 years of professional experience in theatre and the performing arts. His work spans directing, choreography, performance, production, and creative leadership, giving him a perspective shaped by many sides of the theatrical process.
Throughout his career, Zach has been drawn to ambitious work and to bringing together the right artists and collaborators to make it possible. His approach is grounded in intentionality: choosing projects worth pursuing and creating an environment where strong ideas and exceptional craft can thrive.
Zach is the co-founder and Managing Artistic Director of Hat Rack Theatre Company, a nonprofit theatre company based in San Luis Obispo, California. As he approaches his 100th theatrical production, Hat Rack represents a new chapter-an opportunity to take bigger artistic swings, collaborate with exceptional artists, and contribute a distinct new voice to theatre on the Central Coast.
Zach Johnson
Founder & Managing Artistic Director
Rebecca Johnson
Rebecca Johnson is a creative leader and theatre artist with a range of experience performing in both professional and community theatre settings. In recent years, she has expanded her interest beyond the stage through production support, developing an even deeper appreciation for the collaboration, craftsmanship, and creative detail that bring a theatrical production to life.
Beyond the theatre, Rebecca oversees senior living creative experiences and projects for a California nonprofit, as well as two art studios in California, where she leads creative programming and experiences that explore the connection between creativity, well-being, and longevity. Her work is grounded in a belief that opportunities for creativity, curiosity, and discovery remain vital throughout our lives.
As Co-Founder and Creative Engagement Director of Hat Rack Theatre Co., Rebecca brings these experiences together, helping shape the company’s creative identity, storytelling, and experiences. Whether onstage, behind the scenes, or through her broader creative work, she is drawn to the ways art can connect people, open new possibilities, and create experiences that stay with us.
Founder & Creative Engagement Director
Intentional theatre.
Meaningful experiences.
The story starts here.
Connect with us
zach@hatracktheatreco.org
www.hatracktheatreco.org
(805) 801-8294
Hat Rack Theatre Company is a California nonprofit corporation. Federal recognition as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code is currently pending.
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