Rage.
Blood.
Love.
There’s a clue about our name in our logo if you can read Hindi: lal beti - red daughter. Red symbolizes rage, blood and love; these three elements fuel women - forgotten women, shunned girls, outsiders daring to question patriarchal dominance while subverting beliefs that set up women and girls as accessories, impediments, or glorified servants.
10th Anniversary Podcast Series
Red Betty Theatre adapts five of Radha S. Menon’s most popular plays into radio dramas. Available for free download on Apple Music, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts in the Spring of 2022.
.jpg)
Decolonise Your Ears Festival
The 2nd Annual Decolonise Your Ears New Play Festival is a three-day festival running in October, 2022. Festival playwrights were chosen through an open submission call and juried process.
.jpg)
Our History
Red Betty Theatre (RBT) was formed in Hamilton in 2011 when founding Artistic Director and playwright Radha S. Menon realised that she was being excluded from professional opportunities due to institutionalized white supremacy. Radha formed RBT as a platform for her writing and soon thereafter began presenting her work to Hamilton audiences. As an artist-driven company without core operating funding, Red Betty Theatre has established itself against considerable financial odds as a leader in the Hamilton theatre scene. RBT has consistently presented provocative and critically acclaimed productions since its inception, carving out a space for diverse voices in Hamilton and Ontario.
In the winter of 2021, Red Betty Theatre welcomed Claire Burns as Artistic Producer of the company. Claire has been focused growing organizational capacity, expanding board membership, solidifying company policies, and developing a mentorship program for young IBPOC producers.
As Red Betty moves into its second decade and the next phase of its growth, we look ahead to fostering new playwrights with the annual Decolonise Your Ears New Play Festival and collaborating with partners like the Hamilton Fringe and the Great Canadian Theatre Company to produce multi-disciplinary work for audiences in and outside of Hamilton.
