WV Collective

10/16/2026

🦇 There's something strange happening in Hope Falls, and Breanna is joining the madness!

Meet Breanna Bennett, who's taking the stage as Lorraine and performing in the Greek Chorus in WV Collective's production of Bat Boy: The Musical! Breanna previously appeared in WV Collective's production of Heathers, and her theatrical experience also includes portraying Jenny Parsons in Down in the Valley Opera. When she's not performing, she's an elementary music teacher, an avid reader, and a proud cat parent! She's especially excited to share her love of music and a little West Virginia culture with audiences through this wonderfully weird production!

🗓️ November 12–15 & 19–22

🎟️ Come see Breanna and the rest of our fang-tastic cast! Get your tickets at wvcollective.org!

10/14/2026

🦇 Behind every strange story is a cast bringing it to life!

Meet Heidi, who's taking on the role of Meredith Parker in WV Collective's production of Bat Boy: The Musical - Live at The Raleigh Playhouse & Theater in Beckley WV! Heidi is no stranger to the WV Collective stage, having appeared in productions like 9 to 5, 3 Short Stories, Heathers, Avenue Q, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! Some of her favorite theatrical memories include playing Kate Monster in Avenue Q and her most recent role as Rona Lisa Peretti in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Now she's excited to reunite with familiar faces, meet new cast members, and dive into another wonderfully weird production!

🗓️ November 12–15 & 19–22

🎟️ Join us for the madness! Tickets at wvcollective.org!

09/17/2026

🎶 The notes are learned. The harmonies are locked in. Now the real work begins. 🦇

We just wrapped our final vocal rehearsal for Bat Boy: The Musical, and this incredible cast is ready to bring it all together.

Next up: staging, choreography, characters, costumes, lights and turning all that beautiful noise into one seriously wild show.

Hope Falls is coming to life, and trust us… you’re going to want to see this one.

🎟️ Get your tickets now at WVCollective.org

BeckleyWV SouthernWV

09/10/2026

Kid in the Background, Inc really knocked it out of the park with this one. 🦇

We’re incredibly excited to share the artwork for WV Collective’s upcoming production of Bat Boy: The Musical - Live at The Raleigh Playhouse & Theater in Beckley WV featuring a custom, hand-drawn illustration created by Hannah and the team at KITB.

They captured the strange, dark, hilarious, wonderfully offbeat energy of this show perfectly, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

Now all that’s missing is you in the audience.

Stop by 105 Prince St, Beckley WV to pick up a couple of posters to hang at your local haunt, or drop a comment here and our Event Manager will deliver posters to you. Then come see Bat Boy: The Musical this November and experience one of the weirdest, wildest shows we’ve ever put on stage.

🎟️ Tickets and show information: https://wvcollective.org

Support local theatre. Support local artists. And come meet Bat Boy. 🦇

We had the chance to create the promotional artwork for WV Collective’s upcoming production of Bat Boy: The Musical, and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a little weird with it.

The poster illustration was hand-drawn by Hannah, our in-house illustrator here at Kid in the Background, Inc, giving the whole piece a look and feel that’s completely its own.

From the eerie Appalachian-night atmosphere to Bat Boy himself, every detail was created to capture the strange, dark, and wonderfully offbeat energy of the show. We’re pretty proud of how this one came together; we're even more excited to see it out in the wild!

Catch Bat Boy: The Musical this November at The Raleigh Playhouse & Theatre and support some incredible local theatre while you’re at it. 🦇

Need custom artwork to promote your show, event, or business? Want something made by an actual human instead of generated by AI? We’d love to make something weird, original, and completely yours. Get in touch with Kid in the Background and let’s make something uniquely AWESOME!

09/04/2026

🦇 WELL… WE FOUND SOMETHING IN A CAVE.

And naturally, we gave it a musical.

This November, WV Collective is heading deep into the hills of fictional Hope Falls, West Virginia for Bat Boy: The Musical - Live at The Raleigh Playhouse & Theater in Beckley WV — a bloody, hilarious, heartfelt, gloriously bizarre cult-classic rock musical about a half-boy/half-bat creature who just wants to be accepted by his community.

Honestly, the bat might be the most normal person in the show.

📅 NOVEMBER 12–15 & 19–22
📍 The Raleigh Playhouse & Theater
🎟️ $20 online | $25 at the door

If you like your musical theatre with rock & roll, horror, camp, forbidden romance, religious revival, small-town hysteria, dead livestock and deeply questionable life choices, we made this one for you.

👇 Check out the event, invite your weird friends, and get your tickets.

COME MEET BAT BOY. 🦇

He doesn't bite.

Probably.

🎟️https://wvcollective.org/buy-tickets/batboy-the-musical/

Buy Tickets to BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL. November 12-22, 2026 at the Raleigh Playhouse & Theatre in Beckley, West Virginia.

07/31/2026

🚨2026 Board Nominations Now Open! 🚨

Pursuant to our bylaws, WV Collective is accepting nominations for two seats on our Board of Directors — and we want to hear from YOU!

WVC Board seats have three year terms. Current board members Tony Martin and Dr. Ashley Caroll McGuffin are running to retain their seats. If you wish to submit a nomination to contest either, you may do so!

Whether you're a past performer, a parent of a theater camper, a volunteer, or just someone who believes in the power of the arts to shape our community — this is your chance to step up and help guide our mission.

🗓 Deadline to nominate: August 14, 2026 at 4:00 PM

🗳 If no new nominations are received by then, current board members Tony Martin & Dr. Ashley Carol McGuffin will automatically retain their seats. But if any others are nominated, we’ll hold a formal election.

💡 Know someone who'd be a great fit? Nominate them (or yourself!) here:
👉 https://wvcollective.org/august-2026-elections-for-wv-collective-board-of-directors/

Let’s keep growing, creating, and dreaming together — with your help 💛

07/15/2026

🦇 WE FOUND SOMETHING IN A CAVE.

And apparently, the responsible thing to do is give it a musical.

WV Collective is holding OPEN AUDITIONS for BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL — a dark, hilarious, completely unhinged rock musical set right here in the fictional hills of West Virginia.

We’re looking for singers, actors, comedians, movers, weirdos, creatures, townspeople, revivalists, and anyone ready to make some gloriously strange theatre with us.

🎭 Open Auditions
📅 Wednesday August 5, 2026
📍 The Raleigh Playhouse and Theatre

Check out the event below for complete audition information and character breakdowns.

Come out of the cave. We’ve been expecting you. 🦇

👇👇👇

WV Collective is excited to announce open auditions for Bat Boy: The Musical, the award-winning dark comedy about a half-boy, half-bat creature discovered in a cave in West Virginia.

06/04/2026

The WV Collective has reached capacity for its 2026 Sooooo Dramatic Theater Camp! With 19 kids signed up, registrations are now closed.

We are proud to announce that EVERY CHILD who requested a full or partial scholarship will be granted the same! These scholarships were made possible through the generous partnership of the The City of Beckley, West Virginia . Earlier this year, the WVC was grateful to receive $15,000 from the City to be used on our children’s programming. These tuition waivers are reflections of the City’s investment in itself, the arts, and most importantly, these children.

Camp runs from June 15-26, 2026. Those who applied should receive emails soon with more information. We can’t wait to work with these kids to create something truly magical!

05/18/2026

🎭 Friendly reminder: WV Collective’s 2026 Youth Theater Camp is almost FULL!

With camp just under 1 month away, we’re officially down to just 4 remaining spots 👀

If your child has been thinking about joining us this summer, now’s the time to grab a seat before registration closes.

Campers will spend the week:
✨ Building confidence
✨ Learning theater skills
✨ Making new friends
✨ Exploring creativity
✨ Performing on stage in a live showcase

No prior experience needed — just imagination and a willingness to have fun 🎬

📍 St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
200 Virginia St. Beckley, WV

🎟️ Register here: https://wvcollective.org/2026-youth-theater-camp-registration/

Once these final spots are gone, that’s it!

WV Collective is a 501c3 Non-Profit dedicated to promoting performance art projects in Southern WV. Theater, Musical Theater, and Live Music.

04/24/2026

🎭 Now Enrolling: WV Collective Youth Theater Camp 2026!

Looking for something fun, creative, and confidence-building for your kids this summer?

Our Youth Theater Camp is the perfect place to:
✨ Build confidence
✨ Make new friends
✨ Learn acting, music, and movement
✨ Perform on a real stage