PTP/NYC Explained: Students and Professional Actors in an Off-Broadway Powerhouse [video]

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — For nearly 30 summers, Middlebury students have joined their faculty mentors and professional equity actors for a taste of the professional theatre life during a five-week repertory season. Founded as the Potomac Theatre Project in Washington, D.C., the company relocated to New York several years ago and now operates as an Off-Broadway company. PTP/NYC productions have garnered high praise from the New York Times, Variety, and Time Out New York, among others.

It’s the student experience, however, that distinguishes the company as an educational venture. Since its founding, more than 300 Middlebury students have participated in the productions alongside more than 80 professional actors who are Middlebury alumni. The company has staged 45 Washington, D.C. and New York premieres and 11 world premieres.

In this new video, students who spent the summer of 2015 in New York working on PTP/NYC productions, describe their experience and how it has shaped their view of theatre work and their career paths. The video also quotes key Middlebury faculty, including Professors Richard Romagnoli and Cheryl Faraone—two of the company’s founders—and Professor Alex Draper, who has appeared in many PTP/NYC productions and serves as associate artisitic director.