A $12,500 Grassroots Arts Project Grant is helping Artist Village Community Theatre take significant steps forward during its 2026-27 season, including exploring new theatrical genres, creating more opportunities for young performers, and taking a production beyond the traditional stage.
The Hope Mills-based nonprofit received a grant from the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County to support its upcoming season, which includes three productions, including Witches!? In Salem!?, The Toys Take Over Christmas and a youth production of Peter Pan. The funding will help cover artist and technician expenses, licensing, production materials, venue costs and marketing.
For Artist Village Executive Director Teresa Davis, the season represents an opportunity for the community theatre to stretch beyond what audiences have seen from the organization in the past.
“In the past, our productions have generally fit into well-known genres, with shows such as War of the Worlds, It’s a Wonderful Life, Dracula, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Nunsense,” Davis said. “Our previous seasons have also primarily been designed for adult actors, even when youth roles were available.”
This year, Davis said Artist Village wanted to step outside that model by exploring new genres and expanding its approach to casting and theatre education.
“It felt like the right time for Artist Village to grow, experiment and create opportunities for a broader range of artists and audiences,” she said.
That growth is being made possible in part through the Grassroots Arts Project Grant program. The Arts Council launched the program as part of a restructuring of its grant funding, with grants supporting smaller-scale arts, culture and history projects in Cumberland County. Funding for the program is supported in part by the North Carolina Arts Council Grassroots Allocation and the National Endowment for the Arts Grants for Art Projects program.
Davis said the $12,500 investment is particularly important because of the scope of what Artist Village hopes to accomplish this season.
“This season is ambitious for Artist Village in many ways, including financially,” Davis said. “We simply could not tackle a season of this scope without the generous grant funding we have received.”
The three productions are expected to provide artistic opportunities for approximately 60 artists and technicians from Hope Mills and the surrounding Sandhills area.
Something wicked, and funny, comes to Hope Mills
The season begins in October with Witches!? In Salem!?, a dark comedy by New York playwright Matt Cox set against the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials.
The production examines the accused, accusers and bystanders caught in the hysteria while using humor and history to explore fear, conformity, power and injustice. It is also new territory for Artist Village.
“This dark comedy, written by New York playwright Matt Cox, is Artist Village’s first real dive into comedy, and certainly our first exploration of dark comedy,” Davis said.
Adding to the atmosphere will be the venue. The production will be staged at the historic Thomas Campbell Oakman Chapel, located along Hope Mills Lake at 3715 S. Main Street.
“The combination of the location, the subject matter, and the unexpected humor of the play creates something we believe will captivate both our actors and our audiences,” Davis said.
Artist Village’s website describes the production as “edu-tainment,” using an eighth-grade student guide to take audiences through the events surrounding the Salem Witch Trials.
Taking Christmas on the road
For the holidays, Artist Village will present Patricia Clapp’s The Toys Take Over Christmas, a family production about a hardhearted toymaker whose nearly magical creations long to leave his workshop and experience Christmas with children.
The story introduces audiences to characters including Tina, a fashionable doll; Sunny the rag doll; a wooden soldier; a timid clown and an assortment of other toys working to change their creator’s heart. But the holiday production will also mark another first for Artist Village: the theatre plans to take the show on the road.
“This production will also mark our first step into ‘tour life,’” Davis said.
Artist Village hopes to bring the production to a Hope Mills-area school and an assisted-living audience in addition to offering public performances in December.
Giving young people the theatre
The spring portion of the season represents perhaps the largest expansion of Artist Village’s educational mission. For the first time, the theatre’s spring production will be dedicated specifically to middle and high school students with Peter Pan Youth Edition.
The production will offer young participants more than the chance to perform. Artist Village plans to structure the experience as a theatre workshop in which students can learn about choreography, costumes, props, scenic design and the fundamentals of directing.
The goal is to introduce young people to the many ways they can participate in theatre—not just the roles audiences see under the stage lights. Auditions are planned for January 2027, with additional information expected near the end of 2026.
Artist Village Community Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to entertain, inform and educate youth and adults while enriching the cultural life of the community through the arts. The organization emphasizes inclusiveness, participation, quality and collaboration, with a vision of becoming a significant cultural asset in the Hope Mills area.
For Davis, however, the impact of the new season and its grant funding reaches beyond what happens onstage. Artist Village hopes performances will bring people into Hope Mills, where theatergoers may also visit local restaurants, shops and other businesses. At the same time, Davis hopes the season encourages cultural appreciation and artistic development.
“Most importantly, we want people to see that the arts belong to everyone,” Davis said. “Whether you are nine or nearly 80, whether you have years of experience or have never stepped on a stage, there should be a place for you in the arts.”
That philosophy extends to people who have no desire to perform. Artist Village relies heavily on volunteers for everything from set construction and sewing to greeting audiences and selling concessions.
“I always say that if you can operate anything from a paintbrush to a power tool, we have a need for you at Artist Village!” Davis said. “Whether you want to perform, build a set, sew a costume, sing, usher, volunteer or simply share our programs with a friend, there is a place for you,” Davis said. “We hope to see you in the Village!”
While financial support makes productions possible, Davis said community participation remains the organization's most valuable resource. Artist Village currently brings together a variety of participants, creating a place where people with different backgrounds, experience levels, and abilities can participate in the arts.
Before the curtain officially rises on the new season, Artist Village will invite the community to help support its upcoming productions with a pre-season murder mystery dinner theatre fundraiser Aug. 21–22. Set in October 1776 amid the turmoil of the American Revolution, the interactive mystery takes guests to the Beacon Tavern on the Massachusetts North Shore, where a spy has infiltrated the resistance and a suspicious colonist who is close to uncovering the culprit is killed before he can reveal the spy’s identity. Tavern guests must then unravel the clues, identify the killer, and bring the spy to justice.
The evening includes dinner featuring salad, meat or vegetarian lasagna, dessert, and soft drinks, with a cash bar available. Taking place at the Arts XL building at 214 Burges Street, all the proceeds will help Artist Village meet the costs of producing its 2026–27 season. For more information or tickets, visit their website at https://ww.artistvillagehm.

(Photo: Actors with the Artist Village pose for a photo in costumes for their 2025-26 production of Nunsense. The company will be performing three new productions for this next season. Photos courtesy of Artist Village)