About

The Stissing Theatre Guild was started in 1989 at Stissing Mountain Junior-Senior High School to foster an appreciation of the art of musical theater and, with the support of the Pine Plains Central School District and the Teachers Union, has produced a play a year every year since its inception. For the 30 years that the plays have been produced all of the production costs, except for the Director’s salary and for this and last year the Music Director’s salary, have come from the sale of tickets, program advertising and fundraising. These costs include royalties, set design and production, lighting design, choreography, costumes, props and the cost for professional musicians who play alongside students in the live pit band.

The Director and Choreographer, Lisa Baldwin, is in her 12th season at Pine Plains. She was Director, Choreographer and Teacher at Governor’s School for the Arts in Virginia and winner of the Director/Artist in Residence in Norfolk, Virginia. The Musical Director, Joseph Deveau, is an accomplished musician, composer and teacher at Pine Plains High School. This is the fifth year the lighting designer will be Robert Cordella. Now a professional lighting designer this 2001 graduate of Pine Plains High School returns to his alma mater to bring magic and spectacle to our productions.

The Stissing Theatre Guild has an Advisory Board made up of parents, teachers and community members who volunteer their time and effort to help make each show a success. The board members each head a committee that is involved in some aspect of the behind the scenes show production or in fundraising. Volunteers help on the committees. Without these efforts the show would not be possible.

Students in the district have been influenced by their exposure to the theatre both on and off the stage. They learn about the importance of the group effort involved, and many have gone on to pursue careers in acting, set and lighting design, theatre education and production. At graduation ceremonies the Stissing Theatre Guild presents awards to graduating students who have been active in the many aspects of the theatre program during their years in the Pine Plains School District. These meaningful awards are paid for through fundraising and donations.