Purple Hare Theatre Company is a professional Irish Theatre company based in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in February 2016 by two Franco-Irish artists, Nathalie Clement and Stella Godmet.
Our company brings original, high quality writing and thought-provoking work on to the stage. Our aim is to make people experience, feel and reflect about timeless yet current issues.
At Purple Hare, we celebrate differences and embrace diversity. We belong to the The Magdalena Project network, whose common interest lies in a commitment to ensuring the visibility of women’s endeavour in the field of performance.
Why Purple Hare?
The Hare
There is a well-known Parisian Cabaret, Le Lapin Agile, dating back from the late 17th century and located at the heart of the artists' quarter, Montmartre. Le Lapin Agile’s name comes from the cartoonist André Gill who represented the attempted escape of a hare from a pot. Over the years, it became an artists' hub, welcoming renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Toulouse Lautrec, Auguste Renoir, Paul Verlaine and many others. It is at Le Lapin Agile that singer Edith Piaf was discovered.
In Celtic mythology and folklore, the hare has links to the mysterious Otherworld of the supernatural. In Irish folklore, the hare is also often associated with the Otherworld (Aos Si) community whose world was reached through mists, hills, lakes, ponds, wetland areas, caves, ancient burial sites, cairns and mounds. Shapeshifters were often said to take the form of the hare.
The Colour Purple
Purple’s rarity in nature and the expense of creating the colour has given purple a supernatural aura for centuries. Purple is also the most powerful wavelength of the rainbow – and it’s a colour with a powerful history that has evolved over time. In fact, the origins of the symbolism of purple are more significant and interesting than those of any other colour. It is associated with creativity, magic and unity.
Purple Hare
We believe in taking our audience into an imaginary world, and aspire to let creativity and magic take over. Inspired by Le Lapin Agile and the Celtic Mythology, and to commemorate our debut production, THE SADNESS OF THE LITTLE SPARROW, which narrates the life of Edith Piaf, we chose to become Purple Hare Theatre Company.
Our name translates our vision for the company while reflecting our Franco-Irish cultural heritage.