Creating theater in the shadow of decades-old institutions like Hartford Stage can be a formidable challenge for a theater company, but Hartford’s HartBeat Ensemble has found its niche by focusing on community and creating works that resonate with the people who live here. Two years ago it took over the Carriage House Theater, allowing the company of roving players to forgo its nomadic ways. It became an artistic home not only for its nine company members and resident designers, but for its extended family of far-flung artists and devoted followers.
