Celebrating local talent through year-round theater in the Catskills
Maude Adams Theater Hub is a dynamic community theater initiative founded by the Catskill Mountain Foundation. Based in the heart of the Catskills, it produces high-quality theatrical performances and educational programming throughout the year. From summer musicals and winter stagings to youth workshops and community collaborations, MATH is committed to enriching the region through the performing arts.
A theater revival in the Catskill mountains
When Peter and Sarah Finn started the Catskill Mountain Foundation, one of their goals was to bring live theater back to the region. Over the decades, the jewel box Weisberg Hall and the soaring stage at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center would host the occasional performance by various groups, both home grown and guests from further afield. Resources and time being what they were as the foundation rapidly grew, there wasn’t enough breath to fully imagine a part of the organization devoted solely to the production of plays.
COVID sparks a new creative vision
That all changed in 2022, in the wake of COVID-19 curtailing all live performances and the Catskill Mountain Foundation moving the majority of its offerings online. Wanting to find ways to both draw people back into the theater and engage the community, the Finns reached out to Amy Scheibe to help them develop programming. Together, they imagined underwriting projects and producing fully community-grown performances to augment the range of talent already on the schedule.
Honoring Maude Adams and embracing the ‘MATH’ identity
Within months, Maude Adams Theater Hub was born, named for the woman who first portrayed Peter Pan, and whose life was devoted to helping young talented people find access to performance. Maude also called the Catskills home and summered just north of Tannersville. Calling the new venture a “hub” would keep it open to fluctuations and growth, with the ability to host, create, and educate. The other benefit of the name was to coin a moniker that felt ironic: many artists find MATH to be challenging, but not this crew!
A summer theater season takes root
The first summer saw MATH’s inaugural production of Into the Woods, with a cast and crew drawn from local talent. Each summer has improved on the last in subtle ways: the performers are of the same high quality, but with the growth of audiences, more resources have become available to expand the imagination through lights, sets, costumes, and other wonderful embellishments. In 2023, MATH staged the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Orpheum, and then pivoted three weeks later into a tent with a sold-out run of Cabaret. In 2024, Catskill Mountain Foundation received a generous grant from New York State, which brought the technical aspects of the Orpheum into the 21st century, and MATH didn’t hesitate to put it to good use with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Expanding performances and technical capabilities
During the other seasons, MATH doesn’t hibernate- quite the opposite. Fall welcomes quieter plays and productions like Dedication, Roger Peltzman’s one-man show about his family’s experience in the Holocaust, traditionally followed by the annual Holiday Spectacular in December, an all-free concert that draws the community on the stage and into the seats of Weisberg Hall.
Year-round theater for all ages
Fall plays and community holiday traditions
Fall welcomes quieter plays and productions like Dedication, Roger Peltzman’s one-man show about his family’s experience in the Holocaust, traditionally followed by the annual Holiday Spectacular in December, an all-free concert that draws the community on the stage and into the seats of Weisberg Hall.
V Season and the rise of “thoroughly-staged readings”
V Season, a concept cooked up in the darkness of January, has become a favorite of performers and audiences alike. MATH chooses three plays to share the “black box” stage at the Doctorow Center for the Arts, all having in some small way to do with the theme of love. Out of this experiment has arisen MATH’s signature “thoroughly-staged readings” that feature full costumes, sets, props, and scripts. It’s a wild ride that has seen nine plays performed in three years–one of which, Barefoot in the Park–will have its own full staging in the fall of 2025.
Collaborating with local businesses and venues
Always finding ways to break walls and collaborate with the businesses in the area, MATH staged Sam Shepard’s True West in the round at the newly-built Apex Lounge at Scribner’s Catskill Resort in Hunter. The evening was another robust sell-out, and featured a pre-theater dining experience provided by Fellow Mountain Cafe.
MATHarts: theater education and youth empowerment
Always mindful of the core mission of creating joy through performance, MATHarts was launched in order to provide instruction from master teachers and theater exploration in a summer setting, while also offering after-school seminars free of charge to local kids.
Looking forward: Bigger shows, bigger audiences, bigger impact
The future is bright at MATH, which never tires of finding new ways to grow and stretch. In its fourth summer season, Disney’s The Little Mermaid broke audition records with over 60 performers from age 3 to 63 submitting resumes and leading to the idea of a “double cast” to perform across four shows at the Orpheum.
MATH has produced over 25 performances in its four years of existence, cast hundreds of actors, provided work for countless creatives, educated dozens of young talented actors, and brought beautiful, moving, hilarious, and thought-provoking theater to the Mountain Top. And they’re only getting started.
Discover more live performances in the Catskills
Love what Maude Adams Theater Hub brings to the Mountain Top? Explore more performances and events hosted by the Catskill Mountain Foundation — from music and dance to film and family programs, there’s something inspiring for everyone.