Longtime New York Choreographer’s Arrest Raises Questions About Theatre Safety

by Chris Peterson

There is some deeply disturbing news coming out of Rome, New York, involving someone who has been part of the local theatre community for decades.

Patrick St. Thomas, a longtime choreographer who has worked on regional theatre productions as well as productions at local schools and colleges, has been charged federally with receipt and possession of child pornography.

According to a criminal complaint filed July 28 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, investigators allege the offenses occurred between September 2025 and July 2026.

The case apparently began with a foreign law enforcement investigation into Telegram groups where child pornography was allegedly being shared. Investigators eventually gained access to one of those groups and, on Sept. 7, 2025, entered a Zoom meeting that had been promoted to members.

According to the complaint, the investigator recorded the meeting. The FBI later reviewed that footage and reported seeing multiple images and videos showing the sexual abuse of children. Somewhere between 69 and 73 people were reportedly on that call.

One of the people allegedly running the Telegram channel was later arrested by the FBI in February and agreed to cooperate with investigators. Federal authorities obtained that person's Telegram messages, including conversations with an account they believe belonged to St. Thomas.

Those conversations allegedly began in September 2025 and included discussions about upcoming Zoom calls. Investigators say St. Thomas talked about joining the calls and helping host them.

The FBI obtained a warrant to search St. Thomas and his Rome residence on July 27. Agents went to the home the next day, seized his iPhone and interviewed him before continuing that interview at the FBI office in Utica.

According to the affidavit, St. Thomas admitted communicating with the Telegram administrator, being part of the channel, and seeing child pornography displayed during multiple Zoom calls.

Investigators also reviewed Signal on his phone and allege he belonged to a chat where five videos were sent on July 11. Three of those videos appeared to depict child pornography, according to the complaint.

St. Thomas was detained following his arrest and remains in federal custody.

I don't know how anyone reads those allegations and doesn't feel sick. And then you look at his history in the theatre community.

St. Thomas has spent decades choreographing productions in the Rome area. His credits reportedly include shows such as Anastasia, a musical that includes child roles. According to his Facebook page, he also worked on school productions such as Mamma Mia.

That scares the hell out of me.

I want to be very careful here because there has been no public allegation that St. Thomas abused a performer he worked with. I'm not going to invent victims or turn suspicion into fact.

But I also refuse to pretend his history working around young performers is somehow irrelevant after reading what federal investigators allege.

If I was a member of the Rome theatre community, I would be going back through years of memories right now. Maybe there is absolutely nothing there. I sincerely hope that's the case.

But every theatre, school, and college that employed St. Thomas should be looking through their own history and making sure people know where they can go if something made them uncomfortable or if they have information that investigators should know about.

And once again, because apparently we have to keep saying this, theatres need to take background checks and safeguards seriously.

I know community theatres don't have unlimited money. But for these things, find the money. Run the background checks.

Use whatever screening tools are reasonably available to you, especially when adults are going to have regular access to children.

Background checks aren't magic. Someone without a criminal record can still be dangerous. That's why the other precautions matter too.

What bothers me about theatre sometimes is how quickly familiarity becomes a credential. Someone has choreographed there for 20 years, everybody knows them, they're part of the family, so nobody thinks twice.

Think twice.

I don't care how many shows someone has choreographed. I don't care how talented they are, how beloved they are, or how many people on the board have known them forever. If you're putting an adult in a position where they have access to children, take every reasonable precaution you can.

Because parents are trusting us with their kids.

And when allegations this vile are made against someone who spent decades inside local theatre and educational spaces, the response from those organizations cannot simply be shock.

Look back. Check your procedures. Talk to your people.

And make damn sure you're doing everything you can to protect the kids who walk into your theatre next.