Past Calendar Events

Saturday, April 25, 2026 and Sunday, April 26, 2026 / VBI Theatre – 12 Vassar Street / Performance Times and Ticket Information: From Stage To Screen Acting Studio

Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School, Jr. is a heartwarming musical based on the bestselling books and continues the saga of the wisecracking first-grader who is a self-appointed expert on all things first grade.  Determined to write the ultimate guide, Junie B. deals with writer’s block, constantly gets into trouble and quickly realizes that she still has a lot to learn.

Saturday, April 18, 2026 / 11:00 am – 2:00 pm / 9 and 12 Vassar Street, Poughkeepsie, NY / $75 per person or $140 per couple / Click HERE To Purchase Online Tickets through Eventbrite / Click HERE to Make A Donation / To Pay by Check, call the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center Administrative Office at 845-486-4571 / NOTE: Limited Capacity and No Door Sales / Ticket Price includes entry in Door Prize Raffle Drawings / Ticket Purchase Deadline is April 10, 2026

Celebrate the arts at the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center’s fun-filled 2026 Annual Magnolia Party Brunch!

The event will be held in our two beautiful historic Victorian-age Italianate buildings beginning at 11:00 am with a music concert in the VBI Theater at 12 Vassar Street. Brunch will be served following the performance in the Grand Parlor at 9 Vassar Street. This year’s honorees are Community Leaders Maung Htoo, President of Vassar Brothers Institute and Ray Watkins, Musician and Vocalist.

This popular fundraising event includes:

• “Live” Music performances by Hudson Valley Gospel Festival Choir and Sisters in Spirit in the VBI Theater at 12 Vassar Street
• A scrumptious Hot and Cold Brunch Buffet served in the Grand Parlor at 9 Vassar Street provided by Mahoney’s Irish Pub & Steakhouse and The Bagel Shoppe
• Complimentary Bar Service of Wine, Beer, Mimosas and Soft Drinks
• Chances to win Door Prizes donated by Shadows on the Hudson, Savona’s Trattoria & Bar, Scott R. Halma Way Reiki & Reflexology, Mark Pukmel Massage Therapy, Carolyn Schlam (artwork), County Players at the Falls Theatre, CHAC Board of Directors (Basket of Assorted Wines), Jackie and Glenn Peterson (Lowes Garden Gift Bag and Gift Card), Nora and Charles Porter (Magnolia Tree)

The Annual Magnolia Party Brunch marks the memorable occasion in April of 1865 when Matthew Vassar cut a flowering branch of the Magnolia Tree at 9 Vassar Street and laid it atop President Abraham Lincoln’s coffin as his funeral train stopped at the Poughkeepsie Train Station. A descendant of that Magnolia Tree still graces the grounds of the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center and blooms every spring just in time for the Magnolia Party.

EVENT SPONSORS

Gold Level

Vassar Brothers Institute

Bronze Level

Central Hudson

A. Page & Associates

Marshall & Sterling

NBT Bank

The Bagel Shoppe

Renaissance Kids, Inc. 

Jackie and Glenn Peterson

Wine Provided By

 Millbrook Vineyards & Winery

Saturday, April 11, 2026 @ 8:00 pm / VBI Theater – 12 Vassar Street / Tickets: $30 / Advance Online Ticket Purchases: “Strings & Things” Eventbrite Tickets    

Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Mary Halvorson

Harmolodic bass legend Jamaaladeen Tacuma (Ornette Coleman) is joined by yet another MacArthur “genius” grantee this season, guitarist Mary Halvorson in “Strings & Things”.  Elysium Furnace Works

Thursday, April 2, 2026 @ 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm / VBI Theater – 12 Vassar Street / NOTE: RSVP Only – No Walk Ins / Click HERE to RSVP to this event and for more information 

Saturday, March 14, 2026 @ 8:00 pm / VBI Theater – 12 Vassar Street / Ticket Price: $30 / Advance Online Tickets: Tyshawn Sorey and Cooper-Moore Eventbrite Tickets

Tyshawn Sorey and Cooper-Moore

Friday, March 6, 2026 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm / Free Admission / Refreshments will be served

• Victorian Gallery @ 9 Vassar Street – Ivars Sprogis, Oil and Watercolor Paintings
• Reception Gallery @ 12 Vassar Street – Kevin Sterne, Abstract Art 
• Hancock Gallery @ 12 Vassar Street – Shirley Tuttle, Acrylic Paintings 

Saturday, February 28, 2026 and Sunday, March 1, 2026 / VBI Theatre – 12 Vassar Street / Performance Times and Ticket Information: Standing Room Only Theater Company

Saturday, February 27, 2026 from 6:oo pm to 7:00 pm / 2nd Floor Dance Studio (Note: No Black Bottom Sneakers allowed on dance floor) / 12 Vassar Street / Information and Registration: 845-625-3611 or Kishmode Fitness

Friday, February 13, 2026, Saturday, February 14, 2026 and Sunday, February 15, 2026 / VBI Theatre – 12 Vassar Street / Performance Times and Ticket Information: Rent Tickets

Saturday, January 24, 2026 and Sunday, February 1, 2026 (NOTE: February Performance is the postponed January 25, 2026 date due to inclement weather) / VBI Theatre – 12 Vassar Street / Performance Times and Ticket Information: Standing Room Only Theater Company

Saturday, January 17, 2026 and Sunday, January 18, 2026 / VBI Theatre – 12 Vassar Street / Performance Times and Ticket Information: From Stage To Screen Acting Studio

Jeremy Heere is just an average teenager. That is, until he finds out about “The Squip,” a tiny supercomputer that promises to bring him everything he desires most: a date with Christine, an invite to the raddest party of the year and a chance to survive life in his suburban New Jersey high school. But is being the most popular guy in school worth the risk? A hit on Broadway and in the West End, Be More Chill is a musical based on the novel by Ned Vizzini.

Saturday, January 10, 2026 and Sunday, January 11, 2026 / VBI Theatre – 12 Vassar Street / Performance Times and Ticket Information: From Stage To Screen Acting Studio

Saturday, January 3, 2026 @ 7:00 pm (SNOW DATE: Sunday, January 4, 2026 @ 2:00 pm) / VBI Theater – 12 Vassar Street / Ticket Information: $20 per person – Cash Only at the Door or In Advance at West Side Theatrix Spotlight Cabaret Tickets

Friday, January 9, 2026 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm / Free Admission / Refreshments will be served

• Victorian Gallery @ 9 Vassar Street – Kelly Stohr, Photographer
• Hancock and Reception Galleries @ 12 Vassar Street – WomensWork.Art Group Exhibition featuring Poughkeepsie-based female artists Stephanie Russell, Shirley Parker-Benjamin, Carolyn Schlam, Randi Chalfin, Suzanne Bonzer, Maryanne Ramirez, Samantha Palmieri, Lynne James, Elinor Levy, and Womenswork.Art owner, Nikki Hung 

Sunday, December 21, 2025 @ 1:00 pm and 4:30 pm / VBI Theater – 12 Vassar Street / Ticket Information: $15 per person – To purchase tickets, email nyaballet@gmail.com / Cash (exact change), Check (checks made payable to New York Academy of Ballet) or zelle  (nyaballet@gmail.com) will be accepted / Phone: 845-802-3703

Saturday, December 13, 2025 @ 8:00 pm / VBI Theater – 12 Vassar Street / Ticket Information: Elysium Furnace Works

Elysium Furnace Works (EFW) closes out its 2025 season with this explosive project featuring two legendary DJs, Rob Swift and Mista Sinista, renowned turntablists and founding members of the celebrated X-Ecutioners crew, who have worked with everyone from Kool G Rap and Cypress Hill to Mike Patton and Mike Shinoda. They have even made a famous (“some say infamous”) appearance at NYC’s Vision Festival many years back. EFW is honored and thrilled to present these artists’ incomparable skills across four turntables.

Saturday, December 6, 2025 and Sunday, December 7, 2025 / VBI Theater – 12 Vassar Street / Performance Times and Ticket Information: From Stage To Screen Acting Studio

Friday, November 7, 2025 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm / Free Admission / Refreshments will be served

• Victorian Gallery @ 9 Vassar Street – Arianne Wack, Acrylic Paintings
• Reception Gallery @ 12 Vassar Street – Alfons Rodriguez, Photographer and Maria Krasnopolsky, Plein Air Paintings 
• Hancock Gallery @ 12 Vassar Street – Elise Pittelman, Painter 

Monday, November 3, 2025 @ 7:00 pm / VBI Theatre – 12 Vassar Street / Ticket Information: Milo Rossi Northeast Tour Tickets

The internet’s favorite archaeology educator Milo Rossi brings his viral debunking expertise to the stage in his Northeast Tour! With more than 950 million views, the self-proclaimed “Googledebunker” has become one of the most trusted voices in debunking archaeological misinformation and making science accessible to everyone. In this engaging talk, he’ll dive into the real dangers of pseudoscience and pseudo-archaeology and discuss why science communication matters now more than ever. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to Milo’s work, expect his signature blend of humor, insight, and passion for truth as he tackles some of today’s biggest challenges in scientific literacy. Ages 13+ recommended 

Saturday, October 18, 2025 @ 8:00 pm / VBI Theatre – 12 Vassar Street / Ticket Information: Elysium Furnace Works

Bobby Previte, the illustrious drummer, percussionist, composer, bandleader and Downtown NYC luminary, presents an ensemble performance with musicians yet to be announced.