We had the good fortune of connecting with Mikey Mulhearn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mikey, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Truth be told, I never intended to start a theatre company. The individual shows we produced led us here- people kept coming back. Eventually we realized that we’ve created this really awesome artistic community and in order to keep it going, we had to journey into the world of non-profit status.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Professionally, I’m very much a go getter- from producing my own short film or developing my theater company I’m always doing something.  Shakes for sure keeps me the most occupied. Shakes on the Deck is committed to the modernization of antiquated practice. I think what sets us apart from others is the fact that we not only honor the language and how we approach it, but we’ve made Shakespeare fun again. On every show we really ask, how can we make sure that the audience feels as involved as they did back in 1604, but in a way that makes sense for 2020. I think the biggest challenge has been to convince our audiences that Shakespeare isn’t just for the highly educated and that in fact he is not supposed to bore them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh man, I think there are so many hidden gems in LA! Food wise, you cannot pass up the tamales at Tamales Elena Y Antojitos; the smash burgers the boys at Love Hour grill up; or the BBQ that Moo”s Craft Barbecue has smoking. If you want to drink, you have to make your way to EverBar on a Thursday or Friday night (post COVID) where you can indulge in not only some decadent craft cocktails but hear up and coming LA based musicians. My favorite hangout I think is the most underrated and may be a tad touristy- it’s hiking up to the Griffith Observatory at sunset and just taking in all of the city at night.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Kat Landreth deserves so much recognition. Without her, Shakespeare on the Deck wouldn’t have gotten to where it is.

Website: shakesonthedeck.com
Instagram: mikeymulhearn
Facebook: Shakespeare on the Deck

Image Credits
Hugh MacNair, Kat Landreth, Kristin Andersson, Kelsey Dougherty-Heaps

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.