Rick Hammerly has had a remarkable career in the entertainment industry,
encompassing both stage and screen. He received a prestigious 2003
Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for his
outstanding performance as Hedwig in Signature Theatre's production of
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch," as well as earning nominations for his
work in "Angels in America" as Prior Walter and "Me and Jezebel" as a
post-stroke Bette Davis. His impressive directing credits include
productions of "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom," "A Manual of Trench
Warfare," "Etta Jenks," and "The New World Order."
Rick Hammerly earned his bachelor's degree in Drama and
Anthropology from the University of Virginia. He furthered his education
by completing his master's degree in film and video production at the
American University in 2006. This led to the formation of his own
production company, Idle Rich Productions.
Hammerly wrote, directed, produced, and acted in "signage," the first
film for Idle Rich Productions, which has been screened in over 60
film festivals worldwide. The film has garnered five festival awards
and was a finalist for the inaugural Iris Prize. The film premiered on
MTV's LOGO channel in November 2007 and secured distribution in the
US/Canada through Wolfe Releasing and internationally through Ouat
Media. In June 2008, Wolfe Video released the film on DVD as part of
a shorts compilation.
In April 2009, Rick Hammerly co-founded Factory 449: a theatre
collective with six other DC-based artists. He produced Factory 449's
award-winning workshop production of Sarah Kane's "4.48 Psychosis"
for the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival, which won "Best Drama" and "Best
Overall Production" awards, as well as "Favorite Festival Play" by
DC Theatre Scene. He also produced the company's inaugural production
of "4.48 Psychosis" at the Warehouse in October 2009. Rick Hammerly
serves as Factory 449's Producing Artistic Director.
