Our Story Continues

The year was 1995. A group of 45 children and teenagers came together for the first production of The Play Group Theatre. It ran to sold-out audiences at the North Castle Public Library Theatre. Finding rehearsal space in local school classrooms (and sometimes their own living room!), Jill and Steven and a group of pioneering parents and their kids embarked on the creation of a full production calendar, multiple classes, and a school residency program. Sets were built in parents' garages and driveways. Costumes were sewn by volunteer moms (including Jill’s!). A board of trustees was formed and the governance of this small non-profit was set in motion. Jill and Steven found day jobs in local pre-schools, where they taught and drove a bus! When their pre-school day ended, their PGT day began and they would teach, direct, choreograph, set design, and squeeze in a few phone calls and budget meetings.

Over fifteen years, The Play Group Theatre (PGT, as the first cohort of students dubbed it - and as it still known today) rented just about every theatre in the county, presenting nearly 150 shows from Irvington Town Hall Theatre to the Purchase PAC to Portchester’s Capitol Theatre. PGT Summer Theatre, a summer intensive for all ages, started with just twenty-two students in 1998, and grew to over one hundred and twenty students. Steven and Jill left their day jobs and devoted full-time to PGT (and parenthood! Enter: Aviva and Ilana!) and were joined by a team of Teaching Artists who also directed, choreographed, designed and music directed. A rehearsal studio facility was finally rented where PGT had 3 studios and offices to work from, providing a bit of an anchor as shows were loaded and unloaded across the county. PGT graduated groups of kids each year, who went on to amazing colleges, universities and conservatories…..and, ultimately, even more amazing careers in education, non-profit management, law, public health, entrepreneurship, finance, and of course, the arts.

The year was 2010. After a long, exhaustive search riddled with several disappointments along the way, Jill and Steven, the board of trustees, parents, alumni, students, staff and friends cut the ribbon on PGT’s beautiful, state-of-the-art theatre complex. The construction took only four months to turn the former NY Sports Club into PGT’s dream come true. It was a true “barn-raising” with every member of the PGT community picking up a paintbrush, screwdriver, or mop. Seats were installed, curtains were hung, lights were rigged - and everyone took part. The ribbon cutting was a glorious celebration of PGT’s past and future, and the true power of community.

With two theatres, scene and costume shops, rehearsal studios, offices, and a beautiful lobby with floor to ceiling windows, PGT’s home at One North Broadway has provided the opportunity for a new chapter, filled with innovative new programming, partnerships with local agencies, a robust scholarship program, and a future in which PGT can keep growing.