The 2026 PS21 Gala

$500: Wild Thyme

• 1 balcony seating ticket to the Gala including cocktails, dinner, performances, a live auction, dessert, and afterparty
• Limited quantity available
• $300 is tax-deductible

$1,250: Dandelion

• 1 floor seating ticket to the Gala including cocktails, dinner, performances, a live auction, dessert, and afterparty
• $1,000 is tax-deductible

$1,500: Ramp

• 1 VIP preferred seating ticket to the Gala including cocktails, dinner, performances, a live auction, dessert, and afterparty
• Your name in the program as a VIP supporter
• Local gift box from Quiet Botanist (one per couple)
• $1,200 is tax-deductible

$6,000: Fiddlehead Fern

• 4 VIP preferred seating tickets to the Gala including cocktails, dinner, performances, a live auction, dessert, and afterparty
• Your name on the Host Committee in the Gala invitation, website, and program
• Local gift box from Quiet Botanist
• Two-month subscription to Hudson Wine Merchants wine club (first month will be available for pick up at the Gala) 
• $4,800 is tax-deductible

$10,000: Morel

• Table for 8 at the Gala including cocktails, dinner, performances, a live auction, dessert, and afterparty
• Your name on the Host Committee in the Gala invitation, website, and program
• Local gift box from Quiet Botanist
• Two-month subscription to Hudson Wine Merchants wine club (first month will be available for pick up at the Gala)
• Two transferable 2026 PS21 summer season tickets
• $7,500 is tax-deductible

$15,000: Hen of the Woods

• VIP Table for 10 at the Gala including cocktails, dinner, performances, a live auction, dessert, and afterparty
• Your name on the Host Committee in the Gala invitation, website, and program
• Local gift box from Quiet Botanist
• Two-month subscription to Hudson Wine Merchants wine club (first month will be available for pick up at the Gala)
• Two transferable 2026 PS21 summer season tickets and two festival passes to The Dark 2027
• $11,500 is tax-deductible

$25,000: Chanterelle

• Premium VIP Table for 10 at the Gala including cocktails, dinner, performances, a live auction, dessert, and afterparty
• Your name as “Lead Supporter” on the Host Committee in the Gala invitation, website, and program, and acknowledgement during the evening
• Local gift boxes from Quiet Botanist for you and your guests
• Two-month subscription to Hudson Wine Merchants wine club for you and your guests (first month will be available for pick up at the Gala)
• Four transferable 2026 PS21 summer season tickets and four festival passes to The Dark 2027
• $20,000 is tax-deductible

• Anthony Calnek, Co-Chair

• Deborah Conrad, Co-Chair

• Marcia Fardella

• Vallejo Gantner

• Claire Greenburger

• Louis Hedgecock

• Elaine Khosrova

• Marian Krauskopf

• Zack Levine

• Lisa Light

• Kelly Mackerer

• Jennifer Newman

• Pooky Amsterdam & Tony Jones

• Claude Arpels & Winsome Brown

• Sean T. Buffington

• Anthony Calnek & Linda Sugin

• Joe Cohn & Amy Chosky

• Deborah Conrad & Robert Weiss

• Marcia & Jess Fardella

• Vallejo Gantner

• Louis Hedgecock & George Hall

• Julia Kent & Ernest Wurzbach

• Fred & Valerie Knecht

• Alice & Jim Kocis

• Marian Krauskopf

• Tony Muoser & Sara Cashen

• Lynn Rubin

• Roger Sametz & DuncanRhys Liancourt

• Nick Van Alstine

For more than half a century, Chatham resident Lael Locke has dedicated her time, energy, and philanthropy to the pursuit of a thriving local community. Across countless roles, an enduring commitment to Main Streets and small towns—and most importantly, to Chatham—has remained the driving force behind her life’s work.

From 1996–2005, she served on the Board of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Early on in her tenure, she anonymously established the Our Town Fund, providing critical support to nonprofits in Chatham and four other local towns. In 1999, she greatly expanded the fund’s reach, transforming it into the Fund for Columbia County, where she served as President and spearheaded its tremendous early growth. The fund has gone on to become an essential force for our county to this day, responsible for more than $2.5 million in grants to local nonprofits. She remains an active member of the fund’s committee today.

Lael was elected eight times to the Chatham Village Board, serving from 1997–2012. During her tenure, she founded and served as president of the Chatham Business Alliance (now CABA), led the successful effort to plant trees on Main St., and helped establish Borden’s Pond, a nature conservancy within walking distance from downtown Chatham, now stewarded by the Columbia Land Conservancy.

In 2010, Lael played an essential role in preserving Chatham’s beloved Crandell Theatre. After the unexpected death of its owner, the Chatham Film Club (the nonprofit entity that is today the Crandell Theatre) set out to raise money for its purchase. With a private prospective buyer looming, Lael stepped up, joining PS21 founder Judy Grunberg, the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, and local champion Jack Shear to commit the funds needed to secure the purchase. The group promptly turned ownership of the building to the nonprofit, ensuring the theater’s future as a community asset. Lael continues to serve on the Crandell’s board to this day, and was co-chair of its recent successful capital campaign, which led to the theater’s recent renovation and reopening.

Lael is a humble and dedicated supporter of numerous local organizations, including the Shaker Museum, where she serves on the Board of Directors. She has long supported PS21, with a particular commitment to Sharing Stories—PS21’s program bringing storyteller Nancy Rothman to local assisted living communities.

Earlier in her career, she published The Paper, a monthly publication focused on local communities, history, and the arts, serving Columbia and Berkshire Counties and parts of Dutchess County and northwest Connecticut from 1982-1995. She also spent fifteen years working with the New York Planning Federation, helping communities make informed decisions about land use, zoning, and planning. 

Lael’s daughter, Jennifer Lawrence, is an Old Chatham resident and has taught the popular Community Fitness class at PS21 for over a decade.

Photo by John Dolan, courtesy of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Support the PS21 Gala and align your business with the Hudson Valley’s leader in interdisciplinary contemporary performance. Purchase an ad in the program or select a sponsorship package that includes tickets to the event. Become a business sponsor here.