About PGT online from PGT Spring and Summer 2020 parents

You guys did an incredible job. I was amazed how you were able to matriculate to online so quickly with such a high level of quality. You should write a case study.

He loved being able to meet live with scene study and monologues this summer and has been enjoying the online format as well. You have been doing a great job at providing both and maintaining the happiness, fun, safety, and quality of your program! This cannot be easy and we are grateful to you for your thoughtfulness and diligence in reaching out to families and making PGT possible.

Kids love it! What an amazing experience for them even online!

Amazing! I feel like it really changed her life and instilled an early love of musical theater which has made me very happy :)

She is LOVING camp every day!! Thank you for giving her so much joy during this very difficult summer!

Kids love it! My son's first year and it is online —-first time this summer he is up early dressed to get ready two hours too early. It’s so fun. My daughter loves it and tells stories from her last year’s experience in person. PGT has an amazing team!! The best.

Nurturing and exciting!

The transition to YAE in March was seamless. This class was honestly the highlight of my son's week during such a difficult time for all.

PGT was a light in the darkness of quarantine for sure.

I appreciate the hard work and effort of each staff member to keep the kids busy and most of all entertained. The creativity that was put together to face the challenge of online theater camp to me is amazing.

What an incredible summer you put together. Thank you and your entire staff for bringing so much fun, joy, music and learning to our home. We are going to miss your "Woo Hoos" every morning.Thanks again and again!

What a great 3 weeks!! My daughter had so much fun. We are so happy to be a part of PGT at long last!

Thank you for a truly amazing virtual summer program. It brought my daughter such great joy every day to participate in the show rehearsals, morning meetings, awards and campfire activities!! The magic of watching her shine in performance was strong as ever!

Thank you for being so creative and managing to make PGT come so alive on a computer.

Safety Guidelines for In-Person Programs

We are very excited to include in-person programming in our schedule this season. It is important that all of us work together to ensure a safe and healthy space for everyone at PGT. Please read the important information below thoroughly. It includes NYS and PGT safety requirements for participation in PGT's in-person classes.

PRIOR TO ARRIVAL

• ~ Parents are responsible for screening their children for symptoms each day that they will be attending in-person programming at PGT. If your child has any symptoms or known exposure, please DO NOT attend in-person class or come to the PGT building. Contact PGT staff for remote access and next steps information.
• ~ In the event that a student, or family member, tests positive for COVID-19 or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you must refrain from taking in-person class, or coming to PGT, for 10 days - this time may be reduced with negative COVID-19 test results.
• ~ Staff will be following the same screening procedures.

WHEN IN THE PGT BUILDING

• ~ All program sizes are reduced this season to allow distancing and full participation in all activities.
• ~ PGT Staff has been fully vaccinated.
• ~ Zoom will be available as needed for kids who are sick and need to stay home.
• ~ Masks are mandatory for all common areas in the PGT building.
• ~ Masks are mandatory for all indoor classes, rehearsals, and any indoor activity that includes one or more unvaccinated student.
• ~ When permissible by CDC and NYS guidelines, masks will not be required within an indoor class if all students and staff are fully vaccinated.
• ~ Masks will not be required outside for classes, rehearsals, and outdoor activities. If the activity includes distancing of less than 3 feet, students may be asked to wear a mask outside.
• ~ There is air purifier equipment located in both theaters and all rehearsal studios.
• ~ No touch soap dispensers are available in each of the bathrooms and no touch hand sanitizer dispensers are located in the lobby area.

Please be on the lookout for follow up communications from PGT as we continue to update these safety requirements. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let us know.

We can’t wait to get into the theatre with you!

From a few more students

Thoughts they shared as they were graduating from PGT

You have taught me how to be a good friend and an even better person. You have taught me that theatre isn't just an art, it's a craft, in which every actor, director, designer, technician and production assistant is responsible for the success of the final product. You have taught me that no matter how many lines you recite or how many appearances you make, taking care of your fellow actors, your show, and your audience is really what counts. I feel so lucky to have experienced the magic you make possible every day. To have spent the rollercoaster of my youth in the creative play land you have built. ~ Brenne Rimberg

I will always bear in mind the lessons you have taught me - about being true to myself, about questioning and observing the world around me, about taking care of others, and about living in the moment. You have no idea what a profound impact PGT has had on my life. ~ Ross Baum

PGT has been worlds more than just learning how to act and sing. When I was younger, I was the shy, quiet girl. I really do believe that PGT was ultimately the reason that I was able to come out of my shell. For the first time, I felt like I was in a place where people were not judging me, and would appreciate me for my real self. All of this sounds corny, but it is the truth. ~ Sarah Stein

You taught me to take pride in my work and share it with others. ~ Kyle Moore

PGT is much more than actor training and Jill is much more than my director. PGT is life training and Jill has assumed the position of my life coach over the past decade. Her notes are not just "you missed a cross" or "don't mumble your lines." She tells us to listen, to react honestly, and to trust our instincts and impulses. While those notes maybe given in the context of the absurd musical theatre world of The Velveteen Rabbit or Chess, their universality and applicability to our life beyond the stage is always clear. ~ Naomi Riemer

What is truly unique to PGT is that you take us so seriously. That you have treated my seven-year-old and seventeen-year-old concerns as real problems is something that means so much to me - most people my age do not know what it's like to be taken seriously by adults whom they respect and who opinion they value so highly... You have instilled in me from such a young age drive to take every project seriously and treat every role, as well as every director, fellow actor, and technical member with respect. What you have taught me about life, friendship, responsibility, and the importance of living in the moment, has made me realize that it is possible to surround myself with people who support me wholeheartedly if I look hard enough. Thank you for helping me grow up. ~ Liza Pincus

Life learning experience...

When my daughter Madeline, age 11, expressed interest in taking acting lessons and performing in shows, I began my search for the right place to get her started. Having worked professionally in the theatre for 13 years, I had very specific standards I was looking for. I wanted a place where process was as highly valued as product, someplace where they would get to know themselves and others a little bit better. It had to be an environment that was nurturing, where they felt they could explore creatively without being judged, and, in so doing, gain confidence. It was a tall order, to be sure, but I looked around at what was available and was delighted when I found PGTheatre. If I could have designed a children’s theatre experience myself — this would be it! I now have two daughters involved at PGTheatre, Madeline and Susannah, and they both feel they have a very special home away from home there. And, if I tried to sum up how my daughters’ lives have been enriched by PGT… well, I would have to say that it has been the single greatest life learning experience we have been able to give them.

Sincerely,
Carol Scheffler