The Hive Theater Company: A New Stage for Boston's Young Talent

The Hive Theater Company, a brand new company in Boston, is giving young talent in the city a place to shine. Margaret McFadden, the company's founder and artistic director, said she thinks "the best way to engage teens and young adults is to do shows for and about teens and young adults." As for the name, why The Hive? "I want a place that's buzzing with energy and with everybody helping out and everyone working hard together to do something exciting," she said. "I would describe Hive as an open world for like young artists," explains actor Kaden Mays. The entire cast of the upcoming production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" are all recent college graduates or college students, like Maya Gopalslamy. "I was really excited to expand and like get real-life experience before I actually graduate and get a feel for what it is to work in a non-educational setting," she said. "The experiences that I had when I was young were so transformative in theater, and to be in a position to offer that to other people is so incredibly fulfilling," McFadden explained, Mays is thrilled to see a company like this exist. "It's just such a great opportunity for young artists and emerging artists, and in a city that is so tight-knit. Getting your foot in the door is the first thing that's important," Mays said. Like The Hive's first production, "The Wolves," which was about a high school indoor girls soccer team, "Spelling Bee" focuses on young characters. "It's really a story about resilience, a desire to be heard and seen for who you are, and it's a coming-of-age story about finding your place in the world," McFadden said. Gopalslamy added, "I feel like every individual character in 'Spelling Bee' is like a reminder to still be a kid, even when you're an adult." All feel it's the perfect outlet to let up-and-coming actors in the community take the spotlight. Mays said, "There's just so much fresh talent. And I think that the Hive is just a representation of the open world that could be awaiting Boston, but hasn't yet." "We're all discovering this new world together," said Gopalslamy. "Margaret's discovering the Hive Theater and what she wants it to be, and we're discovering what it means to be professional actors." The Hive Theater's production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" opens on January 23rd and runs through February 1st at the Plaza Theater in Boston's South End. All tickets cost less than $50, and the show on January 28th is a pay-what-you-can performance.