Saturday, May 3 was a BUSY day here at The Purchase PAC. It was Alumni Weekend on campus. We had performances in three of our theatres, a luncheon in the fourth, and an Alumni Showcase fair taking place in the Upper Lobby. But we found time in the middle of it all to pause and say thank you to some very special members of The Purchase PAC community – The Prompters.
Originating in 1980, The Prompters is a volunteer task force dedicated to supporting the mission of The Purchase PAC and to enhancing its activities.
The story of The Prompters began with Summerfare, a major summer arts festival co-produced for 10 years (1980-1989) by PepsiCo and Purchase College. Hannah Shmerler, founding member of The Prompters, says the group formed because of the need for volunteers for the festival. She recalls bringing water for the elephants (!) that paraded between PepsiCo’s headquarters and the college just across Anderson Hill Road.
From a handful of volunteers, the group grew to 200 members and became an integral part of The Purchase PAC all year round.
For many years, The Prompters organized Crafts on Stage, an annual crafts show that brought hundreds of visitors to The PAC. They created and ran our prestigious Arts-in-Education outreach program, introducing generations of local schoolchildren to the magic of the performing arts through an annual series of schooltime performances. In addition, The Prompters operated a lobby gift shop and offered in-depth guided tours of our theatres. To this day, members of The Prompters serve as ushers for PAC events.
In 1996, The Prompters were one of three organizations to receive an Arts Award from the Westchester Arts Council (now ArtsWestchester).
On May 3, The Purchase PAC honored The Prompters for their four-plus decades of service. Members were invited to attend a small reception during which a proclamation from the Office of the County Executive was presented. It declared May 3, 2025, to be Prompters Day in Westchester County and was signed by County Executive Ken Jenkins. The group also received complimentary tickets to that evening’s Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center concert. We had hoped that instead of working, they would just sit back and enjoy the show, but many members of this dedicated group ended up pitching in anyway!
We cannot thank these intrepid volunteers enough for donating their time, energy, and talent throughout the years.
Pictured above:
Left, going clockwise from foreground: Allene Berman, Lila Roberts, Rhoda and Harriet Rothkopf.
Center: Purchase PAC General Manager Ian Driver addresses The Prompters
Right: Linda Nieberg on the left and Margery Dorne on the right. Obscured: Helen Marble.
