My first experience with PGSTT by Rick Bergmann

I remember seeing audition notices for PGSTT during High School and I knew friends who had done shows with them, but because of summer schedules I could never work out the time to audition. It wasn’t until I had been in college for two and a half years that PGSTT came calling again. A friend of mine was tech directing for 1999’s production of South Pacific and was looking for a stage manager. He asked if it would be something I would be interested in and I said sure, why not. I did not know what I was getting myself into.

I thought I was going to work on a “teenager” production. I was amazed the expectation of PGSTT. Although it was performed by teenagers, the production values were high and the production team was more professional than most companies I had worked with. We had a real working shower on stage, next summer we had a full sized trolley and a hat box that opened up into a hat store. To watch the kids learn and grow that summer was amazing. I still see former members in community theatre throughout the area. That was the summer of 1999 and I am still here. As we go into the summer of 2010, I look forward to watching the performers learn and grow all over again.

PGSTT has always strived for excellence but has never talked down to or talked at the teenagers involved. It has touched so many people. I was a t a reunion of my high school theatre group this summer and when people found out that I was involved with PGSTT, they were instantly excited. We spent time talking about memories of the program and what it meant to each of us. Some of my favorite memories over the last 10 years have to do with my time spent working with PGSTT, it has been and continues to be a very important part of my life.