Woodstown, NJ–This coming weekend BeeKind Theater Company will perform their second annual summer production, as they bring Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” to The Blue Moon Theatre in Woodstown, NJ for two nights, Friday August 8th and Saturday August 9th.
This much anticipated performance will be the product of a summer-long labor of love for the troupe, which is completely run by and for teens and young adults. The production company came together in the summer of 2024 as the brainchild of two local teen friends who share a deep love of theater – Hannah D’Aquila and Chris Tighe.
BeeKind was founded with a focus on creative expression, community building and most of all making space for young adults to come together through the art of live theater.
BeeKind Theater Founders Hannah D’Aquila and Chris Tighe
“I have so much passion for the arts and love inspiring people to share my passion,” Hannah said, a 17-year-old Mantua resident who is a rising senior in the Gloucester County Institute of Technology’s drama program.
“For the longest time I’ve wanted to direct my own shows, and when I found a person who shared the same aspirations as myself, I knew the time was right.” D’Aquila said.
Tighe, who is about to start his sophomore year at Rider University studying Arts and Entertainment Management, and D’Aquila discussed the prospect of starting their own project, and they quicky jumped right in to exploring that process. “We were constantly talking about shows that we wanted to not only perform in, but also direct and produce,” Chris said. “Both of us have a passion for the arts and wanted to express ourselves, while allowing other members of the community to express themselves too.”
Hannah and Chris with Mantua Township Mayor Bob Zimmerman during rehearsals in 2024 for “Much Ado About Nothing”
Since they were just starting out on their own, with little resources to work with, they decided the best course of action would be to put on a production of something where the material was in the public domain and therefore free to use. The works of Shakespeare seemed the obvious choice, and then it was just a matter of which play to pick. “Much Ado was one of Shakespeare’s most comedic plays, so we thought it would be a fun and lighthearted first show to direct,” Tighe said.
“Much Ado About Nothing” debuted at The Blue Moon Theatre to a completely sold out, packed house last summer. Guests raved about the production, from the cast to the set to the concessions, it was a magnificent debut for the company.
“There are so many ideas that Hannah and I have stored away, and I hope that all of our dreams come to fruition,” Tighe said.
Over the winter they wasted no time planning BeeKind’s next production, “Uncle Vanya.” This summer, the production is under the directorial debut of one of last year’s cast members, Dominic Traini. Dom is a rising senior at Kingsway High School and is so happy to be a part of BeeKind.
“Directing this show is a dream of mine and I am so excited for this opportunity!” Traini said.
“Uncle Vanya” explores regret, love and disillusionment and how those things haunt a man and those around him.
BeeKind once again also turned to support from their community. For the second summer, Mantua Township provided the town’s community center in Sewell as a place to practice the show.
“That was really special for me,” said D’Aquila. “Living in Mantua and having my hometown help support my vision means a lot to me. We are so thankful for everyone who has helped us bring this theater company together.”
Charlie Temple, who is from Collingswood and is an Education major at Rowan College, was cast as the lead in this summer’s production.
“This show has been on my radar for a little while now, and the role of Vanya is one that I’ve wanted to play since I became aware of it. I think the role of Vanya takes an unapologetic look at the darker aspects of growing old, the regret of things missed out on, the pain of loss, and the desire to numb all of that by any means necessary. He’s a good man who has either made all the wrong choices or has had them made for him without a say in the matter and that’s all very enticing as an actor. Being able to step into that light alongside all these other talented actors in the show is something really special and cool and reminds me of why we do this thing that we love,” Temple said.
Avery Frost, a rising junior at Kingsway High School, plays Sonya.
“Bringing to life an emotional piece like this with such a talented cast has been really great. Despite the fact that it’s over a century old, ‘Uncle Vanya’ still feels relevant, grounded and is definitely something audiences will enjoy,” Frost said.
When asked what the audience can expect from the show this weekend, Traini says, “‘Uncle Vanya’ is a play about time…how we spend it, how we waste it, and how we live with what might have been. Although this may seem existential and depressing, our show ends with a message of hope. Audiences can expect a show that is definitely challenging to take in but makes you think about life in a different way after. It assures the audience that no matter what steps we have taken in the past, there is always tomorrow.”
Regarding the future of BeeKind, Tighe says “We want to do everything under the sun! We want to do plays directed by other people, we want to do musicals, we want to do shows with rights, we want to do bigger and better productions, we just want to shoot for the stars! And it’s people like you, people donating, people coming out and supporting, everyone sharing our stuff, you guys are the future of BeeKind, and we really appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts!”
You can catch “Uncle Vanya” this weekend at The Blue Moon Theatre for two nights, Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available here!