On Tuesday, January 19, 2010, Governor Paterson announced that NYSTI’s annual funding will be cut in half this year and cease to be funded at all from the state’s budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

If you wish to help in the effort to save NYSTI, click the "TAKE ACTION NOW!!!" link below. It will bring you to a page where you will see 3 steps (as shown here) which you can take to contact our Governor and Legislators to make your voice heard.

• STEP 1 – Send an Email to Your Government Officials
  
  
• STEP 2 – Sign our Online Petition
  
  
• STEP 3 – Write a Letter or Call Your Goverment Officials

TAKE ACTION NOW!!!

HELP US IN THE EFFORT to save and preserve this unique educational institution.

One of the reasons the Citizens for the New York State Theatre Institute was created was to fight against government budget cuts to NYSTI's funding. Education through the arts is the crowning achievement of NYSTI and has been for 36 years. Tens of thousands of New York State students from all income levels and backgrounds, who might otherwise have not experienced live theatre, have been enriched by NYSTI since 1974. No other state can boast this remarkable record of uninterrupted theatre arts education at the state level. The proposed cuts would effectively destroy NYSTI by 2011-12. The demise of NYSTI would be an immeasurable and irretrievable loss for New York State.

Citizens for the New York State Theatre Institute Board

Terry Hettesheimer, President
Lis Crockett
Clare Darling
Mary Ann R. Donnaruma
Loretta Fantroy
Geraldine Golub
Erica Gonzalez
Christina Harkavy
Bruce Hettesheimer
Kim Lange
Ken Rabinoff-Goldman
Michelle Piero
Sharon P. Robinson
Barbara Wachs
Susan Wronowski