The New York premiere of HAMLET | TOILET by Japan’s acclaimed Kaimaku Pennant Race company brought PS21’s 2023 season to a delightful, delirious close. More than 100 unique events between Memorial Day weekend and the new year, with a glittering constellation of celebrated and emerging dancers and choreographers, musicians, singers, actors, directors, and international street artists breathing life into traditional genres and creating new ones.

Adventurous, collaborative, and engaged, our programming featured eight World and North American Premieres and four US company debuts of contemporary circus arts, global music, and performing arts from Europe, Africa, the Americas, and beyond.

The year’s offerings ranged over our 100-acre campus, from the state-of-the-art Pavilion and Black Box Theaters, to our fields, meadows, woodland trails, and orchards.

Especially notable, the success of PS21/PATHWAYS, our free, season-long participatory series at the intersection of nature and the arts: more than 40 free performances, workshops, participatory community events, educational residencies, and classes. These unique programs brought sustained creative engagement with leading international artists in dance, music, and theater to the diverse communities throughout Columbia County, rural and urban, fostering a spirit of discovery that grows organically from our programming, its largely untouched natural setting, and its commitment to creative experimentation.

These and other initiatives are attracting ever-larger audiences and increasing local and regional involvement in everything we do at PS21.