RAPA (The Rochester Association of Performing Arts)

The Rochester Association of Performing Arts (RAPA) is Upstate New York’s oldest and largest professional School for Performing Arts, a Family Theatre producing classic favorites for children and families, and a Professional Theatre producing large scale Broadway style musicals.  

RAPA is a non-profit 501c3 corporation having served the Greater Rochester Area since 1978.

RAPA’s mission reflects its commitment to all community persons interested in the arts, ages 4-adult. Fulfilling its mission, many of the students in RAPA’s career program have performed on Broadway, tours and in feature films. Others have gone on to prestigious performing arts colleges and conservatories. Still others have become playwrights, directors and founders of Community theatre groups. It is within RAPA’s mission to provide a safe environment for all students, artists and performers of all nationalities and financial backgrounds. RAPA promotes an open door policy to provide arts education and opportunities to all who share interest in the arts.

Founded in 1978 by Executive Director, Ms. Judi Andreano, the RAPA School for Performing Arts was started in a 1,300 sq. foot building in Webster, New York where it served all ages in dance, acting, voice, piano and guitar. After 10 years RAPA moved to the City of Rochester for a more central location within the Auditorium Theatre Complex. This was to ensure and focus its mission to serve inner city disadvantaged youth.

In 1998, RAPA purchased a 20,000 sq. foot building on East Main Street in the Rochester theatre district. After 30 years of serving the arts community, Judi Andreano retired in early 2011. During the next several years RAPA began a rebuilding effort under the direction of Board President and new CEO, Jim Vollertsen. Mr. Vollertsen diligently worked to reorganize and regroup and hired Judith A. Ranaletta to join the RAPA Team. Ms. Ranaletta had recently retired from Greece Central School District where she was well known for her internationally praised Greece Athena Show Choir. She immediately founded RAPA’s Roc City Singers, a premier group of singers and dancers that has performed at the Rochester International Jazz Festival with Lou Gramm, at the Rochester Fringe Festival, and many other events and festivals.