City of Poughkeepsie's Empire Training Center for the Arts Celebrates 2025

The City of Poughkeepsie’s Empire Training Center for the Arts is celebrating its key highlights from the center’s first year. ETCA has established itself as an affordable not-for-profit vocational workforce development program designed for adults who aspire for technical and administrative careers in the performing arts but are not looking to or can’t afford to pursue a college degree.

January began with Co-Founders, Trish Santini and Frank Butler, diving into recruitment for the first cohort of Stage & Technology students and seeking out individuals to train to be professional stagehands and audio/video technicians in the industry. More than a dozen applicants resulted in an inaugural class of four adult students from Poughkeepsie, Pleasant Valley and Hudson NY.

March featured ETCA hosting The Dirty Duchess, an evening of vaudeville, burlesque, and Broadway at Poughkeepsie’s historic Chance Theater. The evening was coordinated to be a celebration of the theater’s rich history - originally opening as The Dutchess Theater in 1912 and going on to operate as a vaudeville house for years. The Dirty Duchess was headlined by Andréa Burns and Darius de Haas with additional acts joining in the celebration. This was the first public ticketed event at The Chance since it shuttered in 2023. Chai Developers, Firehouse Productions, and Residence Inn by Marriott Poughkeepsie served as sponsors.

June welcomed a collaboration with New York Stage and Film (SAF) in their first City of Poughkeepsie Songwriter’s Salon, with the evening featuring Crystal Monee Hall. Also held at The Chance Theater, this partnership event was an evening of music, community, and celebration. The event was sponsored by Marist University and the City of Poughkeepsie.

Summer continued with the Stagecraft and Technology cohort officially beginning their training at The Chance in July. As the semester progressed, students enjoyed summer field trips to Hudson Valley Shakespeare, New York Stage and Film, and PS21. In an on-going partnership with Firehouse Productions, students were able to make visits to their Kingston location for on-site training and event prep. Students also participated in classes taught by industry professionals, including a two-day show networking workshop with renowned live event control networking expert, John Huntington.

With the arrival of fall, students had the opportunity to participate in an October field trip to New York City in order to immerse themselves within the industry. They visited The Public Theater/Joe’s Pub, Lincoln Center Theater, Little Island, and attended a performance of Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway followed by a backstage tour.

Students were able to put their learning to the test and work on events being presented by ETCA at The Chance. These included Rock and Roll Playhouse, a concert for children and families featuring the music of the Grateful Dead, a staged reading of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town directed by Peter Flynn, and an Afro-Caribbean percussion holiday concert featuring Chief Baba Neil Clarke. They also had the opportunity to work on events with job partners including August’s Jazz in the Valley and November’s Beacon Bonfire.

As of graduation on Friday, December 19, students have completed over 400 hours of training over the 22-week session.

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