About this episode

This episode celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Shandaken Theatrical Society and its home, the Phoenicia Playhouse, featuring voices from its history.

The Shandaken Theatrical Society turns 50 this year, and its home stage — the Phoenicia Playhouse — has a history that stretches back even further. Built in 1887 as a lodge for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the building later served as an auction house and a movie theater before falling into disrepair by the 1980s. Community intervention saved it from demolition, and STS has run it ever since. This episode brings together voices spanning the organization's history: board member and longtime performer Faye Storms, who arrived in the Catskills just three years after STS was founded in 1976; playhouse manager Geneva Turner, who also works as a standardized patient and intimacy coordinator when they're not running the house; technical director George Muller, a veteran of Live Aid and the Philadelphia Orchestra before landing in Phoenicia; and Wallace Norman and Hank Neimark of Woodstock Fringe, in town for a co-production of Songs Mostly of the Theatre . Fifty years ago, STS opened with a production of The Sound of Music — and there's talk of marking the anniversary with a singalong screening of the film. Beyond that possible nod to their roots, the season has grown into a…

People in this episode

Guests: Faye Storms, Geneva Turner, George Muller, Wallace Norman, Hank Neimark

Topics covered

• theater
• community history
• performing arts
• local culture
• anniversary celebration

Keywords

• Shandaken Theatrical Society
• Phoenicia Playhouse
• theater history
• community theater
• performing arts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Shandaken Theatrical Society

Books & works: The Sound of Music

Places: Phoenicia Playhouse

More episodes of Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast

• Revolution's Last Stand: Calico Rebellion and the Catskills Anti-Rent War · June 30, 2026 · 36 min
• The Piano Performance Museum: Hearing History in Hunter · June 16, 2026 · 44 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast podcast page.