Donate to The Schoolhouse Theater in Rockland / Westchester

Help us keep the magic of theater alive at The Schoolhouse - Give today and Westchester County will MATCH IT! This December, there are special reasons to include The Schoolhouse Theater on your year-end gift list. Your tax-deductible gift will be matched dollar for dollar up to the first $8,500 by Westchester County, through the generosity of County Legislators and George Latimer. Additionally, your donation will sustain our mission to bring visionary artists and world-class theater experiences to the stage - right here in Westchester. Each contribution makes possible quality productions that touch hearts and challenge minds. In 2024, your patronage has helped us bring critically acclaimed productions to our stage that continue to resonate deeply with audiences and critics alike. In Spring we presented “What Keeps Us Going”, a touching and introspective piece that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit. Directed by the incomparable Austin Pendleton and starring the legendary Karen Ziemba, this production was both uplifting and thought-provoking, earning high praise for its moving portrayal of hope and endurance. This Fall we proudly presented Athol Fugard’s “Master Harold...and the boys”, a powerful examination of human dignity and the complexities of racial injustice. In what BroadwayWorld called a “stellar production”, “Master Harold” demonstrated the transformative power of theater, shining a light on social issues that still impact our world today. And December will bring “Faith Healer”, the haunting, mystical masterpiece by Irish playwright Brian Friel that challenges us to discern truth amidst an array of healing miracles. Just imagine what miracles 2025 will bring!

The Schoolhouse Theater & Arts Center, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is a “venerable” (New York Times) cultural center devoted to professional theater at the highest possible standard. We are committed to bringing new, innovative and ground breaking programs and plays to the community. It is a place where new work is explored, and a place where things begin. Lee Pope is the legend behind The Schoolhouse Theater & Arts Center. Pope, the theater's founder, transformed an old elementary school building (1925) into a freshly minted visual arts center in Croton Falls in 1983, turning classrooms into galleries and studio spaces showing the paintings and sculpture of many Westchester's most acclaimed artists. At that time, the cafeteria/gym was simply a white-walled room with twelve borrowed lights and no risers. In 1986, Jack Palance's daughter Brooke and actor/producer Michael Wilding (son of Elizabeth Taylor) performed Bedroom Farce and the curtain went up on Westchester's oldest non-profit professional theater thirty-eight years ago! The Schoolhouse has been honored by visits from a number of theater luminaries including playwrights Jules Feiffer, John Barton, George Furth, Tina Howe, Michael Weller, and Paul Zindel, who all came to see productions of their work and lend support to our theater. Legendary New York critic Alvin Klein, (president of The Drama Desk), who wrote more than 40 reviews for the New York Times, summed it up best: "It's one of my favorite theaters. A jewel. 99 seats. There's nothing like it. Where else are you going to see Albee, Saroyan or Williams? Abundance by Beth Henley? They're gutsy!" We have successfully launched seven productions to Off-Broadway: B.H. Barry’s Enlightenment of Mr. Mole, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Ingmar Bergman's Nora, S.N. Behrman's Biography, Elaine Del Valle's Brownsville Bred, Stevie Holland and Gary William Friedman’s Love, Linda, which subsequently moved to The Triad, and L.O.V.E.R by Lois Robbins, which had an acclaimed stay at The Pershing Square Signature Theater in their intimate Griffin Stage on 42nd Street. Another charmer, Just Jim Dale (starring Jim Dale) made the reverse commute from The Roundabout to The Schoolhouse.