By Julie-Anne Whitney
Theater Mirror reviewer Julie-Anne Whitney sat down with Margaret McFadden, Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Boston’s newest theater company, The Hive, to discuss their inaugural season, the importance of creating opportunities for early-career artists, and the value of theatrical experiences for young people.
Celebrating its inaugural season with Sarah Delappe’s The Wolves (Oct 2025) and William Finn’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Jan 2026), The Hive produces contemporary theater that engages teen and young adult audiences with the intention of showing young people “how theater can relate to their lives and help them make sense of their place in the world.”
Theater Mirror (TM): Have you always been interested in theater?
McFadden: I found theater at a young age and started performing with Wheelock [Family Theatre] and Boston Children’s Theatre at 10 or 11-years-old. After going through the college audition process, I ended up at Boston Conservatory. In my sophomore year, my interests started to shift so I transferred to the University of Michigan where I could pursue other interests like business and teaching. I came back to Boston to get my teaching license and got my Master’s in Theater Education at Emerson.
TM: What made you change direction from performing to teaching?
McFadden: I’ve always had an interest in teaching and directing (both my parents are teachers). It’s always been something I saw myself doing, but when I was young performing was my primary interest. I fell into teaching in Detroit and Ann Arbor and found it really fulfilling. After getting my MA I started working in schools in Massachusetts and ended up at Walnut Hill School for the Arts where I worked with a small team to bring back their Summer Theater Intensive after the pandemic. And now I teach theater at Salem State University.
TM: What inspired you to create The Hive?
McFadden: I missed being in the heart of the theater industry. In a school, you’re often the only theater teacher and I missed collaborating with other people. So, that led me back to my connections in Boston and I started by creating The Hive’s Advisory Board which is a group of theater professionals in the area, many of whom are my mentors. Starting a theater company has been a long-term dream of mine. I’ve had a running Google doc for years with a list of ideas, and now it’s finally a reality.
TM: You recently opened your inaugural season with The Wolves by Sarah Delappe. What made you choose this play to introduce The Hive to Boston theater goers?
McFadden: There’s a million reasons why I chose that play. The script has endless depth. The characters are complex. There are nine female leads! I can count on one hand the number of shows that feature that many female characters. With The Wolves, I also wanted to prioritize early-career artists. The cast and production team ended up representing almost every major university in Boston – Boston College, Boston University, Boston Conservatory [at Berklee], Emerson, Northeastern, Suffolk, Salem State– which was the dream. I wanted a team that represented people from across the Boston area and I was very proud that we achieved that.
TM: Why is it important to you to work with early-career artists?
McFadden: There’s something so rewarding about being in a position to give young people opportunities. Each time I was given an opportunity, [the experience] was transformative and I want to do that for others. Hiring people– even if they’re still learning– doesn’t scare me. I think, in Boston, we need to take more chances on [less experienced] people. We all have to start somewhere.
TM: Working with college students must have its challenges, though. Just the scheduling alone.
McFadden: Our rehearsal schedules work around the college schedules. I was really intentional about that. We rehearse in the evening so we don’t conflict with their classes. We rehearse in spaces that are easy to get to. For …Spelling Bee, we’ll even take a week off from rehearsal to accommodate the students’ winter break. It is challenging but I think it’s worth it. Young people are worth it.
TM: Part of The Hive’s mission is to “engage teen and young adult audiences.” Theater is a uniquely effective tool for such a mission. Do you think more theaters should invest in younger audiences?
McFadden: If we don’t invest in them, we’re doomed. We underestimate what teenagers can handle, artistically and intellectually. Theater can empower them to realize that they can move people with a performance. And if you show them that they can move people, then that lesson is infinite. They will know that they can have an impact, they can make a difference. They don’t necessarily have to do that through theater– though that would be great.
TM: But theater can be the vehicle.
McFadden: Exactly. Theater is what empowered me to be a teacher, a director, and a leader. It taught me from a young age that if I put the work in, people will be impacted by something I do. Theater gave me purpose and community– which we need now more than ever. Teenagers are the future, and helping them understand their place in the world through a story is a beautiful thing.
TM: It shows them that they have value.
McFadden: Yes. It’s about empowerment. And teaching them how to think about the world. Teaching empathy. Helping them find community. Finding community and acceptance are big themes in The Wolves and …Spelling Bee, which is why I chose them.
TM: Is that what you hope The Hive will do for Boston theater– create a community for young people?
McFadden: That is my hope. And to strive for excellence and professionalism within that. It is possible to make theater that is marketable and accessible to young people and still has artistic integrity. You can have popular, exciting shows and still achieve your artistic goals. You can do both.
TM: Will The Hive offer additional programming for teens and young adults beyond the theater season?
McFadden: I can’t say too much right now, but there is a Youth Program in the works that will involve teen mentorship. The hope is to make theater with teens not just for them. That’s the goal for next year.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. See The Hive’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the BCA Plaza Black Box Theatre from January 22-February 1, 2026. For tickets and show information, visit The Hive Theatre Company’s website at hivetheatre.org
