About the Phoenix Festival

Phoenix Festival was born out of a conversation with Roger Cohen, President of the Nyack Chamber of Commerce and Craig Smith, Managing Director of Phoenix Theatre Ensemble in 2020 during the pandemic and shutdown of local commerce.

At one time, Rockland County had one of the highest rates of infection of any county in the entire country. In the words of Roger “We cannot underestimate the damage done to Nyack and Rockland by COVID19 resulting in business closures, some permanent. We see restoration of arts activities as a vital component to recovering both economically and psychologically to our community.” Phoenix Theatre Ensemble Artistic Director Elise Stone and Mr. Smith took it from there and with the support of local, county and state political representatives and community leaders and nonprofit organizations of Rockland, we are now pleased to announce the inaugural year of an annual arts festival in Nyack NY.

This season will feature an outdoor festival at the height of the Hudson Valley Fall Foliage season with immersive theatre programs in Downtown Nyack, plus Phoenix Theatre Ensemble production of Wilder’s captivating comedy The Skin of Our Teeth, Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, the Rockland Symphony Orchestra, and performances by Children’s Shakespeare Theatre at the beautiful grounds of the Marydell Center at the foot of Hook Mountain. Phoenix Theatre Ensemble’s production of The Harmfulness of Tobacco by Anton Chekhov will be at the Garden of the Edward Hopper House in downtown Nyack. Our vision is an arts festival to rival the national arts festivals that will be celebration of classical theatre, classical music, and our community.