Shandaken Theatrical Society Inc.

The Phoenicia Playhouse has an exciting challenge to meet and we need your help to get there!

This year, our Year-End Match Campaign aims to raise general operating funds to support all of our exciting 2025 season programming. To help make that happen, our board of directors will match every dollar up to $10,000 in individual contributions!

The Phoenicia Playhouse is home to the Shandaken Theatrical Society, a not-for-profit organization with nearly 50 years of dedication to bringing live theater, films, music, arts education, and youth workshops to our vibrant mountain community. Housed in a beautiful updated historic building constructed in 1887, our theater offers an unforgettable blend of tradition and creativity.

In our current 2024 season, the Playhouse has been an increasingly popular entertainment destination for thousands of theatergoers, featuring the theatrical thriller Wait Until Dark and memorable musicals like The Wizard of Oz and Always…Patsy Cline, as well as movies, musical performances and readings. Our annual summer youth programs offer young people unique opportunities to appreciate the magic of music and theater. We are continuously working to expand our programs, from staging diverse performances to hosting workshops, educational events, and special community gatherings. We strive to create opportunities that enable local artists, actors, playwrights, and volunteers to showcase their unique talents on our stage.

All of this requires lots of energy – and money. The Playhouse works hard to keep ticket prices low; many of our programs don’t show a profit. We’ve been fortunate to obtain some government grants, but they don’t cover all our operating expenses. That’s why the Playhouse board is asking for your help and offering to match your contributions to support an ambitious season of new programming in 2025. Composed of all local residents, the board believes passionately in the role of the Playhouse as a cultural hub and sees the value in reaching new audiences, engaging more deeply with the community, and exploring new ways for the theater to contribute to Phoenicia's ongoing renaissance.

If you have a love for the arts, want to be part of something meaningful, or are simply curious about getting involved, we invite you to reach out. Whether you're interested in volunteering, have questions, or want to learn more, please contact us at [email redacted]. We would be thrilled to connect with you and explore ways you can become part of our mission.

Together, we can make the Phoenicia Playhouse a place where creativity and community thrive.

By donating today, you’ll help us nurture creativity, enrich local culture, and ensure the arts continue to thrive in our region. Every gift, big or small, makes a difference. Together, let’s keep the magic of the arts alive!

Every gift and contribution to the Phoenicia Playhouse from our supporters gives us the opportunity to further enrich the cultural life of our community. The Phoenicia Playhouse is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, all contributions are tax deductible.

Make a Difference and double your donation – by supporting us, you support your community - donate to the Phoenicia Playhouse today!

Sincerely,

The Phoenica Playhouse Board of Directors:

Michael Connor President

Suzanne Frank

Allen Vella

Mike Cioffi

George Muller

Liz Piccoli

Ovi Vargas

Rebecca Brown Adelman

Roman Pietrs

Faye Storms

David Congdon

Visit our website to learn more about us

Phoenicia Playhouse has an exciting challenge to meet - we will receive a $10,000 match *IF* we can raise at least $10,000 with individual contributions by December 31, 2022.

Every dollar donated to the Playhouse will be doubled, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous supporter - if we meet the $10,000 threshold!

We would love your support to help us reach our fundraising goals!

When you donate to the Phoenicia Playhouse, you directly support a community resource that offers a diverse schedule of theater, music, film and performances that entertain and educate.

Here's a peek into this past year's programming:

In March, we hosted Siren Theatre Company's "Venus In Fur" production by David Ives to kick off emerging from the long and cold Catskill winter.

In May, we presented "Real Life Revival," an evening of storytelling and music hosted by Robert Burke-Warren.

In July, we produced a smashingly successful sold-out performance of Generation Women featuring six powerful narratives by local women from different age groups.

August was particularly busy. We . . .

Restarted our Youth Theater Program! Thirteen kids ages 7-13 took to our mainstage in their original production, "Into The Multiverse: The Grand Alignment."

Hosted a performance by ARKAI, an award-winning string duo that fuses classical virtuosity with rock and jazz.

And screened two movies, "Land of Little Rivers" and "Mountain River - The Esopus Creek: Headwaters to the Hudson," for our neighbor Esopus Creel, the fly-fishing outfit in Phoenicia.

This Fall we . . .

Provided musical entertainment during Fallnicia and participated in Trick-or-Treats on Halloween.

Screened Asbury Shorts, which returned for another fun night of award-winning short films from around the world.

And presented a staged reading of the play “What Would Esther Williams Do in a Situation Like This?” by award-winning playwright Ovi Vargas.

To end the year, we are again hosting local star Robert Burke-Warren on November 26th for a night of music and entertainment.

And, in December, TroupEnigma’s production of “World War II Radio Christmas” will run for two weeks - December 1 - 11.

We have ambitious plans for the 2023 season, with original theater productions like a new youth-based musical, a pair of mainstream theatrical productions, spoken word, and film festivals.

In addition, our summer Youth Theater Program will be expanded to two 2-week productions for children & young teens.

Please know that without the active support from our community, we would not have been able to do all that we have! We hosted two Volunteer weekends in July to help us prepare for the busy summer season. Dozens of local volunteers helped us build walls, paint, clean, and organize after the devastating flood in February 2021. We also were able to complete the ADA-compliant ramp.

I

In addition to donating for our match, we have volunteer opportunities in the theater. Please reach out to us via our website - www.phoeniciaplayhouse.com. We’d love to hear from you.

The Phoenicia Playhouse is governed by a board of directors composed of area residents. We believe it’s essential to expand our audience, increase community engagement and identify opportunities for our theater to be part of Phoenicia's continuing renaissance.

Every gift and contribution to the Phoenicia Playhouse from supporters like you enables us to enrich the cultural life of our community. The Phoenicia Playhouse is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, so your contribution is tax-deductible.

Please help us reach our match - and our community - by donating to the Phoenicia Playhouse! We can't do it without you!

Celebrating more than 40 years of performances, our playhouse is embarking on an ambitious adventure to revitalize our 1880's theater and expand our programming.

We began 2020 with our porch renovation which can be seen in the photos but during the this first phase of our ambitious plan, covid hit and has taken away our beloved gathering place and is preventing us from presenting any of our productions or from mounting any in person benefits to raise money so we may continue our work.

Since we cannot gather to fund raise, we are asking that you please help by contributing to this effort!!