Why Patrick White keeps chasing the next great play

Hey, 518 readers—meet Patrick White, one of the hardest-working people in the Capital Region theater scene. As the founder of Harbinger Theatre, he’s on a mission to pull audiences away from their screens and into a room where live performances can surprise, provoke and move them.

Patrick’s own story has all the ingredients of a great play: ambition, struggle, sacrifice, a bit of brashness, and an enduring belief that theater still matters.

He’s convinced us to add a new theater section to this newsletter, so thanks for the nudge, Patrick!

Why Patrick White keeps chasing the next great play 🎭️ 

Patrick White remembers the first play that made him feel less alone.

He was a gay teenager at Colonie Central High School. His 10th-grade English class read Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie.

“I was like, ‘F—ing finally, there’s a place for me,’” he remembers. “I know where I am in the world, and I know who I am, and that’s what theater does for me.”

That feeling sent Patrick toward New York City. At 17, he enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and spent the next 13 years acting, creating theater companies, and working in East Village performance spaces. He had a brilliant time, but he also never came close to making a living at it.

Burned out, Patrick returned to Albany in 1994. He gave up his union card, took day jobs and kept doing theater anyway.

That persistence led to the Harbinger Theatre, the community company Patrick founded as pandemic restrictions began to lift. Since 2021, Harbinger has staged roughly 20 Capital Region premieres—work that local audiences might otherwise never see.

The artistic mission is ambitious. The business of selling tickets is less glamorous.

The Harbinger has no permanent home. A small but devoted group of supporters follows the theater from venue to venue, whether it’s the Albany Barn, Union College, or Sand Lake Center for the Arts.

Productions can cost between $4,000 and $6,000, while tickets are just $15 each. Pulling a profit isn’t usually in the cards. 

“I’m looking to break even,” Patrick says. “I’m looking to not lose too much.”

The Harbinger is not only competing against the inertia of the non-theater-going crowd, it’s also trying to peel audiences away from established institutions like the Capital Repertory Theatre and Proctors. 

But you won’t find crowd pleasers like “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory” or “The Life of Pi” here. Patrick searches far and wide for stories that surprise, challenge, and occasionally unsettle.

“I'm looking for plays that hit me spiritually, emotionally, politically. And if they're hitting on all of those cylinders, that's the one I'm going to pick.”

At times, Patrick’s pure devotion has led to an outspoken brashness.

After only about 20 people attended one Harbinger production, Patrick shot off an angry Facebook post criticizing fellow theater artists for not showing up. The backlash was immediate. Critics said he came across as shaming. The controversy eventually cost him his leadership role with the Capital Region Festival of Theatre, which he founded.

Patrick regrets making the post, though not entirely the frustration behind it.

“I was wrong to post it,” he said. “The feelings—I wasn’t necessarily wrong.”

It’s this intensity of feeling that keeps the Harbinger alive.

More than four decades after The Glass Menagerie first showed him there might be a place for him, Patrick is still trying to create spaces for others to find their own story.

🎭️ Harbinger Theatre’s upcoming production is Meghan Kennedy’s The Counter, which follows Katie, a lonely waitress, and Paul, a retired firefighter, whose morning conversations at an upstate New York diner grow into a deeply personal friendship. It will be staged at the Albany Barn, Sept. 17–26.

Directed by Patrick himself, the 2024 Off-Broadway play offers an intimate and provocative look at grief, loneliness and the hope of human connection.

🎟️ Get tickets now. Pro tip: Purchase a Flex subscription, which gets you 4 tickets to any Harbinger production for only $50.

👨‍🌾 A veteran farmers market organizer is bringing a new farmers market to the former Saint Rose campus starting in mid-to-late August, to be held 4-7 pm on Thursdays. [Times Union]

🍸️ The power couple behind The Nest and Milas are opening a new bar concept called Bar Calvin at Stuyvesant Plaza, where Shake Shack is also opening on Aug. 4. [Albany Business Review]

🥃 The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is coming to The Egg this month. The immersive cocktail experience brings four of his stories to life, in a “meticulously crafted, gothic atmosphere.” The tickets aren’t cheap, but VIP seats are already sold out.

🥞 In case you missed it, Trixie’s Diner is now opened in the former (and much loved) Dan’s Place II at 494 Washington Avenue in Albany. The TU’s Steve Barnes stopped in on their first day and says hardly anything has changed from the looks of it, although it’s not exactly the same menu.

Admittedly, this 1850s Center Hall home is a fixer-upper—but at $249,000 for a home in charming Chatham, it’s the kind of project that gets your attention. The three-bedroom house still has its original wide-plank floors, period details and a wonderfully old-school Glenwood wood-burning cookstove, alongside a modern propane range and dishwasher.

Restoration work is already underway, and the kitchen and bathroom are fully functional. The roof, kitchen and hot-water heater were updated between 2017 and 2023, and the house sits just moments from Chatham’s natural drinking-water spring.

The deets: 3 bd, 1 ba, 1,728 sq. ft, 0.5 acres. Asking: $249,000. Days on market: 5. See the full listing here.

TOP 5 PICKS

⭐️ 🎸 Black Arts & Cultural Festival | This annual culture fest brings gospel performances, art, food and a full day of family-friendly activities at the Empire State Plaza. The festival culminates Saturday evening with funk and R&B performances, including headliner Lloyd. Fri & Sat, free.

⭐️ 🛶 Waterford Dragon Boat Festival | Cheer on teams as they climb into dragon-headed boats and compete in a series of heats near Hurst Harbor. Each 42’ long boat carries about 20 paddlers, plus a drummer who sets the crew’s rhythm. Sat, 10a-4p, free.

⭐️ 👩‍🎨 1st Annual Glens Falls Plein Air Festival | Watch artists paint scenes alfresco as they gather downtown and other locations around the charming Glens Falls area, including at the Hyde Collection, which is offering free admission. Various times, all week. Free.

⭐️ 🐟️ Great Hudson River Fish Count | Get up early to help document the number and different species of fish in the Hudson at this 15th annual fish count organized by the NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program. All families are welcome! Sat, 6a-12p, free. At Peebles Island State Park.

⭐️ 🏖️ Wolf Hollow Brewing Co.’s Anniversary Beach Party | Listen to Big Fez and the Surfmatics tear up the stage with surf rock tunes, and sample from an excellent lineup of food vendors, including Chee-bog, Sunhee's Kitchen, Los Hermosos, and Vandor’s Ice Cream. Sat, 5-9p, free to attend.

Honorable mention this week…

💀 Need a cathartic stroll? Join the death doulas of Thin Veil Death Collaborative for a Death Wander around the Albany Rural Cemetery, while listening to conversations about dying and grief. Sun, 2p, free.

🎭️ AT THE THEATER

• The hit movie comes to the stage with Footloose: The Musical at Cohoes Music Hall.

• Prepare for a blast of 80s nostalgia at theREP’s “Mystic Pizza.”

• Broadway Camp presents “Sweeney Todd: School Edition.”

• Albany Civic Theater presents local playwright Mark Dalton’s Exit Wounds at its annual Playwright’s Showcase. The play is a gut-wrenching and personal exploration of gun violence. Free show this Sunday!

WEDNESDAY

🍿 Albany’s Palace Theatre hosts a free screening of the Disney classic,
“Honey, I Shrunk The Kids.”

🐕️ Have you been to June Farms’ Dog Park Night on Wednesdays? It’s a whole scene. Free admission with your dog, plus free pup cups and the Wood Fired Wagon Pizza truck will be slinging pies.

THURSDAY

🌻 Good Friend Ecological Garden invites you to the Golden Hour Garden Party, featuring tours with owner Felicia Reid, wine, and light bites from Arthur’s Market. Read our profile of the Good Friend Garden.

🐦️ Join scientists from the NYS Museum as they go out into the field and demonstrate bird banding at the Albany Pine Bush.

🪕 Upbeat on the Roof, the Tang Museum’s free summer concert series, brings Carolyn Shapiro (Skidmore class of ’15), named the Folk/Traditional Artist of 2026 by the Capital Region Eddie Awards.

FRIDAY

🖼️ It’s the last day to see the Fence exhibition at the Art Center of the Capital Region.

🤠 Get to Albany’s Nine Pin Tasting Room for a free line dancing class and party. Remember that 518 readers get 10% of all cider pours by mentioning “The 518 Crew.”

SATURDAY

🏳️‍🌈 The Albany Center Gallery invites you to Gay Aunties Day, celebrating lesbian pride.

🎭️ Mopco’s Theatresports pits crack improv teams in a battle for laughs and bragging rights. We are thrilled to be the media partner for this season of Theatresports.

🎙️ Rock Voices Saratoga presents Music from the Movies.

🏎️ The Saratoga Automobile Museum brings an incredible lineup of classic, vintage, and modern cars to its free Summer Auto Show.

SUNDAY

🌘 Dance Under the Light of the Waning Moon at the Stablegate Winery!

🖼️ It’s your last chance to see the wonderful “Blanche Lazzell: Becoming an American Modernist,” at the Albany Institute of History & Art.

🦺 Citizen Preparedness Corps is coming to Albany, thanks to the Love Your Block Program. Each family that attends the Preparedness Workshop will receive a handy preparedness kit to take home. Register for this free workshop today.

MONDAY

💼 Interested in a career in the civil service? Join this free workshop at the Albany Public Library to learn about career opportunities and hear from some folks working in local government.

ART ON VIEW

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

GET YOUR EVENT ON THE LIST 🎸

Our rolling deadline is the Saturday before your event!

 💌 GET IN TOUCH!

Got an awesome business, event or personality we should feature? Let us know! Contact: [email protected]