Dear friends,

The first nine months of my time at PS21 as Artistic & Executive Director have been an exhilarating, wild, beautiful ride—and we’re just getting going. I could not be more proud to be at the helm of an organization that is rapidly evolving from a summer theater to a year-round home for groundbreaking performance—and much more. This growth is only possible because of you, and your belief in PS21. Thank you.

With your help, our 2025 summer season broke records in attendance, breadth, and affordability. And this year, we haven’t just grown—we’ve also started to think a bit differently. We are shaping a future for PS21 rooted in generosity, artistic fearlessness, global awareness, and local care. As we look towards next year and beyond, we are committing to a vision for PS21 that focuses on:

  • Programs with community participation and co-authorship at their core;
  • Commissions and residencies generating new work inspired by this place;
  • Productions beyond the stage—across our campus and community;
  • Collaboration with local, national, and international artists and organizations;
  • The enhancement of our landscape, and its dialogue with our art; and
  • Our boldest initiative yet, coming this February: The Dark.

A new annual weeklong winter festival of interdisciplinary performance, The Dark is for this community, made with this community, and about what it means to live here in the winter. It will take place across Columbia County, illuminating the region with a packed week of world-class performance, installation, and energy, exploring themes of cold, dark, fire, light, and ritual. A blazing fire around which we can gather—and a regional economic shot in the arm.

This all comes at a precarious time for the arts. In a moment characterized by volatility and retreat, we seek to advance and evolve—from a “hub for adventurous art upstate” (NYT) to a national leader on the stage of contemporary performance.

So with great joy—and urgency—we invite you to join us. Thank you for making this essential work possible.

Vallejo Gantner, PS21 Artistic & Executive Director

 

Donate now

SEASON STATISTICS

Thank you for making our record-breaking summer 2025 season possible. All photos by Steven Taylor.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

COMMONGROUND

A free weekend-long festival of spectacle and circus that brought thousands to PS21 for gravity-defying performances across our grounds.

SEE MORE

GROUNDTONE

A new four-day festival of unexpected musical explorations across PS21, including Study of Slope, a powerful performance-installation from Lithuanian artist Lina Lapelytė featuring a choir of Chatham-area residents.

SEE MORE

HATCHED ENSEMBLE

A two-night dance work and the US debut of South African choreographer Mamela Nyamza, plus a free offsite after-concert at Chatham’s People’s Pub.

SEE MORE

In these extraordinary times, your support is essential.

Thank you for making the magic possible.

SUPPORT PS21