Green Mountain Performing Arts: Seeking community support for a sustainable future
August 10, 2026 | By Scott BensonTo the Community:
For 15 years, Green Mountain Performing Arts has been a place where children, families, and community members come together through dance and the performing arts. Founded in 2011 as a small nonprofit, GMPA has grown into a thriving community resource offering dance education, performances, cultural programs, summer camps, and meaningful opportunities for people of all ages.
Green Mountain Performing Arts dancers in the 2025 Waterbury Not Quite Independence Day Parade. Photo by Gordon Miller
Today, we are asking our community for help.
GMPA began serving Waterbury shortly before Tropical Storm Irene changed the landscape of our town. The 2011 flood forced us to relocate from our original home on Elm Street (formerly One Studio), first to a temporary space in what is now The Bidwell, and eventually to our current home at 37 Commercial Drive just over the bridge from Waterbury in Moretown. Through each transition, GMPA has continued to adapt, grow, and provide accessible arts education to local families.
During the 2025-26 fiscal year, GMPA served approximately 200 students through dance and performing arts classes, after-school programs, and performances. Each summer, we provide accessible dance camps and classes for approximately 100 students. Our Troupe competitive dance team participates in conventions and local/regional competitions, while our Celtic Company continues to share Irish and Scottish dance performances throughout Vermont.
GMPA dancers at Waterbury Artsfest in 2024. Photo by Gordon Miller
Making arts education accessible has always been a priority for GMPA. This year, we provided scholarship funding for six dancers, allowing students to participate in classes they otherwise may not have been able to afford.
Over the years, many community members have experienced GMPA in some way—through a child or family member who participated in classes, performances at Waterbury Winterfest, Not Quite Independence Day, and Waterbury Arts Fest, or our annual Winter Gatherings and Spring Recitals. GMPA has become part of the fabric of the Waterbury community, helping students develop confidence, creativity, discipline, and connection.
Like many small nonprofits, GMPA has faced rising operating costs and unexpected financial challenges over the past year. As our organization has grown, so has the cost of providing high-quality programming. Additional classes, increased instructor needs, facility expenses, and the rising cost of goods and services have all contributed to a gap between expenses and sustainable revenue.
GMPA is facing an immediate funding shortfall as we prepare for the 2026-27 season. We are seeking $60,000 in community support to close this gap, enter the new fiscal year on stable footing, and continue providing the classes, performances, scholarships, and community programming that families have come to rely on.
This campaign is about more than addressing an immediate need—it is about creating a sustainable future for GMPA. We want to continue providing high-quality arts education and community programming while making sure our organization has the financial foundation to thrive for the next 15 years.
We are incredibly grateful for the support this community has shown GMPA over the past 15 years. From rebuilding after the flood to creating opportunities for hundreds of local students, this organization has always been shaped by the community around it. We are asking our neighbors, families, alumni, and supporters to help us write the next chapter.
One way to reconnect with GMPA and learn more about what we do is to join us for our first annual Open House this Friday, Aug. 14, from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 15, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Open House will feature a dancewear sale and dance shoe fittings, as well as premiere showings of our 2026 Spring Recital videos. Everyone is welcome.
To support our fundraiser, community members can donate online at greenmountainperformingarts.org or by check to: GMPA, 37 Commercial Drive, Waterbury, VT 05676.
We believe deeply in the value GMPA brings to our students and our community. With the continued support and involvement of our community, we can ensure that GMPA remains a place where students can learn, create, perform, and belong for many years to come.
With gratitude,
The Green Mountain Performing Arts Board of Directors:
Scott Benson, Robert Siegel, Margaret Vizzard, Amy Chorey, Amy Siegel, Adrianna Benson
For more information or to get involved with fundraising, volunteering, or joining the GMPA board, contact Scott Benson at scottandadrianna@yahoo.com.