named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Catskill Mountain Shakespeare Youth Company (CMS YOCO)
Week-long summer intensive for youth in grades 6-12 featuring text work, voice, improv, theater games, and stagecraft, culminating in a public performance
Community Tour
Traveling 90-minute Shakespeare production performed at schools, arts collectives, and community venues across the Catskills and New York State
Free Theatrical Workshops
Free community workshops for youth and adults, including acting, clowning, improv, and Shakespeare for teens, taught by CMS professionals
Low Cost/No Cost Ticket Initiative
Need-based ticket discount program offering discounted or free tickets to anyone who requests them
Summer Main Stage
Annual outdoor Shakespeare production held under a tent behind The Red Barn in Hunter, NY, running for several weeks each July
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Performing Arts Ticket Access Programs 2 activities
- Deliver community outreach and accessible programmingOffers Pay What You Can performances, need-based ticket discounts, Relaxed Performances for families and individuals with special needs, post-show talkbacks, and free theatrical workshops led by professional artists. Also hosts inclusive events such as an LGBTQ+ Summer Social and teen acting workshops to broaden access to the arts.
- Distribute tickets through multiple channels with flexible policiesOffers online ticket sales via its website, walk-up sales at the venue on performance days, need-based discounts, ticket transfers, full refunds or donations when performances are canceled due to severe weather, and maintains a waitlist for sold-out performances.
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Youth Musical Theater Productions 1 activity
- Conduct regional and school-based touring productionsStages community tours of Shakespeare plays, bringing performances to schools and community venues across the Catskills region and beyond. The 2024 tour featured The Tempest, and the 2025 Pericles tour reached 1,769 audience members across five counties through eight school and seven community venue performances.
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Digital Music and Performance Archiving 1 activity
- Create digital Shakespeare content for public accessProduced and released two free online “Forest Scenes” performances featuring iconic Shakespeare scenes filmed outdoors in the Catskill Mountains during 2020, expanding access to performances beyond live audiences.
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Inclusive Social & Recreational Events 1 activity
- Host pop-up and local engagement eventsEngages communities through pop-up events at local farmers' markets offering free arts and crafts for children and information about free outreach programming, as well as hosting free community events like book clubs and kid-focused workshops.
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Youth Theater Arts Education 1 activity
- Operate youth theater education programsRuns the Catskill Mountain Shakespeare Youth Company (CMS YOCO), a week-long summer theater intensive for youth in grades 6–12 that includes training and culminates in an abridged outdoor production of a Shakespeare play.
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Professional Theatrical Production 1 activity
- Produce professional Shakespearean theater performancesProduces outdoor, modern interpretations of Shakespeare plays as part of a summer main stage season under a tent in Hunter, NY, including multi-week runs with evening and matinee performances. Recent productions include Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and Hamlet.
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Event and Production Volunteer Coordination 1 activity
- Provide front-of-house and audience experience servicesManages audience engagement through ushering, greeting patrons, ticket taking, program distribution, concessions, event setup, and late arrival accommodations. Also offers pre-show picnicking opportunities and maintains a waitlist for sold-out shows.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$85K
Contributions & grants$153K181%
Program service revenue$47K55%
Investment income$170%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$81K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$16K
Grants paid out$0
balance sheet
Total assets$29K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$5K
5 years on record · 2021–2025 · YoY revenue -46.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Wildermann | Managing Director | 25 | $13K |
| Sarah Reny | Artistic Director and Founder | 25 | $13K |
board members · 3
- Colette Gardner — Board Member
- Mary Willis White — Board Member
- Michael Alvarez — Director of Summer MainStage
relationships · 11
Who they work with
- Arts Midwest Government — Partner organization in the Shakespeare in American Communities program, which funds the tour.
- Arts Midwest Partner — Partner organization in the Shakespeare in American Communities Grant program
- Catskill Mountain Foundation Partner — Collaborating partner indicated by co-branding and association with the Community Tour.
- Catskill Mountain Foundation Partner — Partnered to relocate performances to Main Street in Hunter, NY, doubling audience size.
- Catskill Mountain Shakespeare Network — Proud member of regional organizations supporting the Catskill Mountain region.
- Erik Marinovich Partner — Designer of the Rotina type family used on the organization's website.
- National Endowment for the Arts Government — Provides funding through the Shakespeare in American Communities program.
- NuForm Type Partner — Provider of the Rotina type family used on the organization's website.
- The National Endowment for the Arts Government — Recipient of the Shakespeare in American Communities Grant through the National Endowment for the Arts
- The Red Barn Partner — Hosts performances behind The Red Barn on Main Street in Hunter, NY
- The Red Barn Partner — Provides venue space for outdoor summer performances in Hunter, NY.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Arts-Integrated Education for Relevancemethodology: arts-integrated_educationBy integrating educational programming—such as study guides, Q&A sessions, and workshops—into theatrical productions, we connect Shakespeare’s texts to contemporary social issues, because contextualized learning increases student understanding and personal relevance.
- Community-Engaged Artistic Practicemethodology: community-engaged_practiceBy using open casting, land acknowledgment, and inclusive programming, we embed community values into artistic production, because inclusive processes foster trust, representation, and shared ownership of cultural spaces.
- Culturally Adaptive Theatermethodology: cultural_recontextualizationBy reinterpreting Shakespeare through contemporary cultural lenses and period-specific settings, we make classical texts more accessible and relevant to modern audiences, because thematic resonance increases engagement and understanding.
- Immersive Community Engagementmethodology: immersive_community_engagementBy staging outdoor, immersive performances that integrate live music, environmental design, and communal activities like picnicking, we deepen audience connection to the work, because shared, sensory-rich experiences foster emotional engagement and community belonging.
- Inclusive Access Modelmethodology: inclusive_access_modelBy offering free, low-cost, and need-based ticketing options alongside Pay What You Can performances and targeted outreach, we increase audience accessibility and engagement, because financial and social barriers prevent equitable access to the arts.