At Hand Productions producer Andrew Hanna says: "Start from scratch"

Much in the way of the performance arts consists of producers that attempt to create new productions by altering a few aspects of an original production in the hopes of appealing to their muse or for audience satisfaction. Philadelphia Producer Andrew Hanna of At Hand Productions has a different take on using old concepts in a new fashion.

"When I was in the conservatory, I would see various productions in Philadelphia and occasionally producers would take an old opera and change the costumes or they might update the names to more modern sounding names, but I’d also wondered if the artistic directors or producers ever ask themselves if what they were doing was new or cutting edge. From my perspective the productions that I’ve seen regardless of changing a dress here or there or changing a name is not being creative," says Hanna, producer at At Hand Productions.

Hanna went on to say, "Fundamentally, the changes that I speak of are so minute that the production hasn’t changed in any other form. Because one still has the carriage that carries the story line. So if anything, if a producer wants to take an old opera and create something new, then they should take the theme or a general view of the old production and create something totally new. A production that is created from scratch will have more artistic merit versus taking an old production and changing a costume or a character’s name."

Hanna has several years and productions to his list of credits when it comes to developing new and exciting productions. Currently, he has been developing other productions. His latest production that he is in development is Erotica. Erotica explores issues surrounding sex and religion.

At Hand Productions officially began in January 2005 with its earliest origins dating back several years subsequent. It has set out to bring concerts and theatrical events to its audiences. Many of At Hand Productions' performances are designed by CEO and production manager Andrew Hanna. Some of Hanna’s more known pieces include ‘Prophecies of War’, ‘Values’, and ‘My Journal’. At Hand Productions is unique for its use of collective arts to portray its themes. In ‘Prophecies of War’, one will hear progressive rock, fusion, and spoken word. Along with these musical elements, ‘Prophecies of War’ uses video to give further depth to the production. ‘My Journal’, like ‘Prophecies of War’, uses much of the same elements, but unlike ‘Prophecies of War’, ‘My Journal’ incorporates movement and speech into the scheme. Furthermore, ‘My Journal’ uses an orchestra to create the musical atmosphere.

Andrew Hanna began his professional development in 1998 when he went to the conservatory in Philadelphia, PA. While at the conservatory, Hanna developed a unique way of creating performance art that placed him on the vanguard. Since graduating from UARTS in 2002 with a BM, Andrew has continued pushing and developing new productions in performance art. He recently completed My Journal. A operatic production that explores the psychological depths of Janice whom is sentenced to death. In addition to Hanna’s productions and compositions, he founded At Hand Productions in 2005. At Hand Productions is a Philadelphia theatrical and concert production company that places emphasis on developing productions that push large events like opera and concerts into new artistic directions.

Interested persons are encouraged to go to At Hand Productions’ website (http://www.AtHandProductions.com) to find out more about At Hand Productions and its repertoire. Furthermore, production companies and other interested persons can directly contact At Hand Productions concerning rentals and buying materials for their company.