Hi!

We are Be Young. A Theatre Collective, a new, homegrown independent performing arts group based right here in Western North Carolina. Our mission is simple: to create professional, high-quality, original works that invite audiences of every age to rediscover what it means to Be Young.

We need your help!

Our First Production:

Hansel & Gretel - An Appalachian Musical Retelling

On June 12 & 13, we are taking over the beautiful North Carolina Stage Company in downtown Asheville to debut a world premiere adaptation:

A reimagining of the classic Grimm tale, now set in 1940 Appalachia, that follows a family navigating the hardships of the Great Depression through bravery, trust, loss, and love. Featuring a hauntingly beautiful score played LIVE with banjo, guitar, spoons, and vocal harmonies, it is unique mountain theatre for folks of all ages.

What makes this Production special:

Live Acoustic Score: The heartbeat of the show is its music. We feature 5 professional actor/musicians playing a live score of banjo, guitar, vocal harmonies, and spoons.

Local Professional Company: Our cast and crew are professional local artists who live and work right here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not to mention a heartwarming, full-circle moment: We get the opportunity to work professionally with Betsy Bisson (Witch), who was a theatre mentor to several of us as children and young adults.

Local Adaptation: Ben Mackel had the chance to write this particular show during the pandemic and has been itching to see it come to life ever since. Adapting this story to take place around 1940 in the Blue Ridge Mountains adds real history and heritage of our region to an age old tale that can still ring true to today’s audience. Especially with recent hardships our region has gone through. Not to mention a new twist that will pull on your heartstrings. It’s sure to be cathartic in the best of ways.

Why We Need Your Help (Where Your Support Goes)

Bringing professional independent theatre to life takes a village. Because we are building this collective from the ground up, every single dollar you contribute goes directly toward making this production a reality.

Your generosity directly funds:

Fair Pay for Local Artists: our goal is to pay living-wage stipends to our professional local actors and technicians.

Venue & Costs: Helping pay for our dates at the North Carolina Stage Company.

Securing a Future: Because this is such a short run (only three performances!), we won’t be able to rely on ticket sales to secure funding for our next production. We want to keep this good thing going!

We are incredibly grateful to be supported in part by a small grant from ArtsAVL, but we need community backing to cross the finish line!

Curious about more details? We’re happy to sit down with you and share the budget - just let us know!

How to Support Us (Tickets & Perks!)

On the right side of this page (or under the "Contribute" button on your phone), you can select your specific support tier. Whether you are buying tickets to come sit in the audience or sponsoring our debut from afar, we have some beautiful rewards to bring you into our world:

$25 | The Breadcrumb Tier: A personal thank-you email and a big ‘ol hug (or high five 🖐️) when we see you!

$50 | The Trail Tier: Your name listed in our physical programs + a shout-out on our social media stories.

$100 | The Guitar Tier: All previous tiers + 2 complimentary tickets to the performance of your choice (June 12 or 13).

$250 | The Banjo Tier: All previous tiers + 4 complimentary tickets with priority reserved seating.

$500 | The Spoons Tier: All previous tiers + a beautiful, custom signed art print from the cast and a sneak peak at the demo for the music.

$1,000 | The Cherry Pie Tier: All previous tiers + a verbal "thank you" from the stage right before the curtain rises and a chance to watch a rehearsal to see us in action!

Hansel & Gretel - An Appalachian Retelling

Support “Be Young. A Theatre Collective” in their first stage production.