Metro

Theater gal stages $1M ‘skimming’ of tax cash

Talk about stealing the show!

The artsy director of an obscure taxpayer-funded theater institute — whose purpose is to teach kids about the stage — ran it like a “family fiefdom” and wasted or misspent more than $1 million in five years, according to a scathing inspector general’s report released yesterday.

Patricia Snyder used her role as the artistic director of the New York State Theatre Institute in Troy to steer nearly $700,000 in payments to herself, her husband, her two sons and their wives, said State Inspector General Joseph Fisch.

Her limelight-loving family routinely scored plum gigs — acting, directing and producing.

Including Snyder, they pocketed a paycheck on 92 percent of all NYSTI’s productions, according to the report, which focused on the group’s practices from 2004 to 2009.

Snyder acquired the adaptation rights of the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street” on behalf of NYSTI, then finagled them over to her and her son, according to the report. Both of them allegedly pocketed more than $38,000 on the deal.

The inspector general’s report — which referred the case to the attorney general’s office for review — also noted that Snyder’s sons and husband regularly used different surnames when working for NYSTI.

Calling it a “case study in nepotism and conflicts of interest,” the report highlights NYSTI’s 2007 production of the audiobook “Hollowville,” in which Snyder’s son, William S. Snyder, his wife, and the production company he co-owns pocketed $7,372 for various jobs, like writing, acting and music composition.

That’s more than 50 percent of the production’s total cost of $14,838. To date, only 30 copies of “Hollowville” have been sold for a total of $271.

Patricia Snyder allegedly got creative with expense reports, too, approving $280,000 on luxuries like expensive meals and limo rides. She even secured an apartment in Midtown on the state’s dime. That plush pad on West 56th Street was ostensibly for NYSTI, but was mostly used by Snyder and her family, according to the report.

When the bespectacled Broadway buff was questioned about the state’s nepotism laws, she turned positively diva.

“You know, you are getting into very dicey waters, artistically. I will tell you, the arts community will be up in arms with this line of questioning,” she huffed to investigators.

NYSTI was allotted $3.6 million in the 2009-2010 state budget.

jennifer.fermino@nypost.com