A center for contemporary performance in the heart of the Hudson Valley

About PS21

A vibrant center for contemporary performance in the Hudson Valley, PS21 “presents work that challenges and invites” (The New York Times). Our adventurous productions by leading and emerging American and international artists showcase what's new and thought-provoking in music, international contemporary circus, dance, theater—and in entirely new genres. We're a must-see, must-experience destination for performances that you won't find anywhere else, at ticket prices that won't box anyone out.

On our open-air Pavilion Theater stage, in our Black Box Theater, across our expansive grounds—and in our surrounding communities—PS21 cultivates and presents productions that transcend boundaries and revitalize artistic conventions. Our programming often engages creatively with critical global and social issues: you’ll leave our campus recharged, invigorated, and perhaps thinking differently.

We also host residencies for dancers, musicians, actors, and creators—supporting their development of new, even unclassifiable, work.

Our PATHWAYS programs of participatory workshops, classes, installations, and immersive performances are offered on our 100-acre grounds and in the community, where we bring visionary international artists to schools, libraries, city parks, village streets, farms, and parking lots—all free of charge or at low cost. A creative placemaking program, PATHWAYS fosters collaboration between regional and community arts groups and the Town of Chatham, sustaining cultural life and strengthening communities.

PS21’s Pavilion Theater is a state-of-the-art, green-energy marvel, sitting atop our 100-acre campus of unspoiled meadows, woodlands, and trails—all open to the public every day. With the sights and sounds of nature seeping into every PS21 performance, the Theater offers a truly special performance experience and embodies our commitments to our community: open, inviting, and designed for everyone’s enjoyment—encouraging your expression and participation.

Mission

PS21 is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the performing arts. We are committed to:

Presenting innovative performances by leading and emerging artists in our state-of-the-art black-box and open-air pavilion theaters.
Fostering creativity through residencies and collaborations between performers working across disciplines and genres.
Serving the community via free and low-cost workshops, performances, and other programming.
Preserving our 100 acres of open spaces, meadows, woodlands, and orchards as an important resource for artists and the community.
Extending opportunities for arts engagement to all, regardless of age, economic status, and cultural background.

OUR SPACES

Our commitments are incorporated in the design of our theater and the surrounding grounds: open, inviting, and optimized for the public’s enjoyment and to encourage citizen expression and participation.

PS21’s Pavilion Theater, completed in 2018, is a 300-seat open-air proscenium stage protected by a pavilion roof, which converts in cooler months to a geothermally heated and air-conditioned black box seating 99. Nearby are the Dance Barn, a rehearsal and performance venue, and two artists’ residences accommodating sixteen visitors. The theater is built with technologically advanced systems that can accommodate all levels of artistic needs–from the analog use of our extensive system of sprung dance floors critical to the safety of movement-based performance, to our state-of-the-art lighting and sound capacities. The theater features one of the only fully LED green theatrical lighting systems in the country.

Our new facility sits above a nineteenth-century apple orchard at the apex of over 100 acres of beautiful Hudson Valley land, in the foothills of the Berkshires. Just five acres have been developed; the rest are meadows and woodlands. The PS21 property is also host to the Chatham Farm Animal Rescue.

Team

Staff

Elena V. Siyanko, Executive and Artistic Director
Kelly Mackerer, Director of Operations
Zack Levine, Development Manager
Maggie Pate, Marketing Associate
Connor Martin, Production Manager
Nate Mars, Artist & Production Associate
Clare Vance, PATHWAYS Coordinator
Liz Connell, Stagehand
Delia Ernst, Electrician
Steven Taylor, Staff Photographer

Board of Directors

Judith B. Grunberg, Founder and President, 1999–2019
Alice Kocis, Co-President
Louis Hedgecock, Co-President
Roger Sametz, Vice-President
Natasha Stevens, Secretary
Judith Albert
James Abruzzo
Pooky Amsterdam
Claude Arpels
Deborah Conrad
Marcia Fardella
Ted Jadick
Jamal Jackson
Julia Kent
Susan R. Kramer, Ph.D.
Marian S. Krauskopf
Tony K. Muoser
Jennifer Harrison Newman

History

1999
PS21 was conceived in 1999 by our founder and long-time board president Judy Grunberg to bring world-class performances to Columbia County and the surrounding region.
2006
Our first season, 2006, was held under a temporary tent in Chatham: performances of classical music, modern dance, and theater, film screenings, and workshops and free performances for kids.
2018
Our programming and audiences soon outgrew the saddlespan tent, and in 2018 PS21 moved into its new, state-of-the-art theater just a few hundred yards up the hill from the former tent site. Geothermally heated and air-conditioned, the visually arresting structure houses a 99-seat black box that in warm weather expands to a 300-seat open-air pavilion theater. The building also houses PS21’s offices, a kitchen, artists’ dressing rooms, and rehearsal space.