Alchemy Theatre has evolved from a nomadic troupe into a year-round destination for live theater and the arts.
By Amanda Larch Hinchman, photo by Rick Lee
HQ 135 | AUTUMN 2026
Stitched together from the remnants of a local volunteer-run theater company that had closed its doors, Alchemy Theatre was born in 2018.
“I always say Alchemy was born out of necessity,” said Nora Joseph, executive director of the organization. “We wanted to make sure live theater continued in our community. We were ready to produce shows, but we had one major challenge — we didn’t have a home.”
For the next several years, the troupe performed wherever it could. Productions were staged everywhere from the Barboursville Park amphitheater and West Edge Factory to parking lots during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve performed on just about every stage in town at one time or another,” said Mike Murdock, artistic director.
As a producing theater, Alchemy needed more than a performance venue. Each production also required space for auditions, rehearsals and performances — a process that typically lasts six to eight weeks.
“Finding a venue willing to give us that much uninterrupted time was incredibly difficult,” Murdock said. “Most of the time we rehearsed in one location and performed somewhere else.”
Determined to find a permanent home, Joseph and Murdock broadened their search. Rather than looking only for space for Alchemy, they envisioned a building that could serve multiple arts organizations under one roof. Their realtor introduced them to the former Huntington Prep Post Grad school on Holley Avenue, and they signed a lease in early 2023.
Less than two years later, in December 2024, Alchemy purchased the building and renamed it the Geneva Kent Center for the Arts.
Today, the center is home not only to Alchemy Theatre but also to tenants including Kindermusik and Regeneration Church, which supported the troupe from its earliest days by providing rehearsal space. Alchemy plans to continue renovating the property, including the former school’s library, to create additional classrooms and rehearsal areas.
“We have people ready to teach music lessons, acting classes and other arts programs,” Murdock said. “Now it’s simply a matter of creating the space to make those opportunities possible.”
Since moving into the Geneva Kent Center, Alchemy has doubled its programming, hosting at least one event each month. In addition to plays, musicals and cabarets, the schedule now includes festivals, lectures, children’s camps and educational classes.
“I don’t know of another theater in West Virginia offering this much programming this consistently,” Murdock said. “We’re producing work year-round at both the amateur and semi-professional levels.”
Alchemy describes itself as a semi-professional theater, with paid leadership and compensated production staff. Joseph said the long-term goal is to become a fully professional company. She and Murdock work year-round as contractors, and this year the organization added both a technical director and a building manager.
From the beginning, Alchemy has made paying artists and technicians a priority.
“Rather than producing the biggest shows right away, we started with smaller productions so we could afford to pay everyone working behind the scenes,” Joseph said. “Each year we’re able to increase those stipends because we believe investing in people ultimately leads to better productions.”
Auditions for every production are open to the public, and Joseph said newcomers are always encouraged to participate.
“I love it when Alchemy is someone’s first experience with theater,” she said. “Whether you’re 7 or 70, there’s a place for you here.”
Beyond acting, singing and dancing, volunteers help build sets, sew costumes, paint scenery and work backstage. Each production also employs directors and production staff on a contract basis, while musicals feature local live bands and orchestras.
For anyone curious about getting involved, Joseph recommends attending an opening-night performance.
“Seeing a show is the best way to understand what we do,” she said. “If it inspires you, audition, volunteer or apply to work on a production. There’s a place here for just about every creative talent.”
As a nonprofit organization, Alchemy also relies on donations and sponsorships. Every contribution supports programming, building improvements and expanding access to the arts throughout the region.
“When people donate to Alchemy, they can see the impact of their investment,” Joseph said. “They’re helping build something that directly benefits this community.”
Murdock believes that community support has helped transform Alchemy into one of Huntington’s cultural assets.
“We’re about to begin our 10th season, and we’ve been in this building for three years,” he said. “We want people to realize what a tremendous resource they have here — one that’s committed to giving back to the community.”
One of those efforts is the annual West Virginia Shakespeare Festival, which includes touring local high schools with an abbreviated Shakespeare production.
“For many students, it’s not only their first Shakespeare performance — it’s their first live play,” Joseph said. “The program has grown so much that teachers now incorporate our adapted script into their classroom lessons before we arrive.”
Alchemy has also strengthened its partnership with the Marshall University School of Theatre and Dance, where both Joseph and Murdock teach. Together, the organizations have developed an internship program, and faculty members regularly collaborate on productions.
“We’ve directed productions for one another, and other Marshall faculty have guest-directed for us,” Joseph said. “The school’s director even serves on our board.”
For Joseph, theater’s greatest strength is its ability to bring people together.
“Theater is one of the most collaborative art forms,” she said. “It brings together artists from many different disciplines to create something larger than any one person could accomplish alone. That’s a deeply human experience, and it’s why preserving live theater matters.”
Follow Alchemy Theatre at alchemytheatretroupe.org and on social media @alchemytheatretroupe.
Amanda Larch Hinchman is a freelance writer and editor living in South Charleston, West Virginia. She is a 2020 graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism & Mass Communications at Marshall University.
