When the Manes Studio Theatre of Long Island completed a $600,000 renovation in 2021, it opened its doors on a ground-floor theater in a renovated building. And its renovation became the latest development in a theater row in downtown Lindenhurst that includes the South Shore Theatre Experience and the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts just doors away.
In Patchogue, the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts is located downtown and in Babylon Village, the Argyle Theatre adorns the downtown. In Bay Shore the Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, reopening after a long intermission due to Covid-19, is back. In Port Jefferson, Theatre Three has been a presence for more than 50 years.
“Each of these villages has a performing arts venue as an anchor,” said Rick Grossman, the executive director of Studio Theatre of Long Island. “That brings people in, feeds businesses such as restaurants, bistros and bars.”
The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center offers theater intermittently, as well as concerts, in the village of Westhampton Beach.
The Bayway Arts Center, which often provides concerts, operates in East Islip; the Bay Street Theater is in Sag Harbor and the Gateway Playhouse is in Bellport.
East Hampton has Guild Hall and Smithtown has the Smithtown Performing Arts Center. Quogue has the Hampton Theatre Company, more off the beaten path.
“Guild Hall has been an anchor of Main Street, East Hampton for nearly a century,” said Amy Steinhaus Kirwin, Guild Hall chief creative officer. “As one of the oldest multidisciplinary centers in the U.S., the institution is a well-known cultural resource and attraction for residents and visitors.”
In Riverhead, the Long Island Aquarium, The Suffolk theatre, and hotels are anchors to a revitalization. And the Town of Riverhead is taking over the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall.
FOLLOW THE MONEY
Nonprofit arts and cultural organizations on Long Island generated $330 million in spending in 2022, according to an Americans for the study. The study indicated there was about $178 million in spending by nonprofit arts and cultural groups and about $152 million by their audiences.
Arts organizations, venues and events can be downtown anchors, attracting visitors and fueling commerce and culture year round.
“Downtowns and Main Street businesses fuel our economy by employing our friends and neighbors, and they contribute to the vibrancy of our communities,” Long Island Association President and CEO Matt Cohen said. “Small businesses are the majority of all businesses on Long Island, and when we support them we are boosting our region’s overall economy.”
Kirwin said Guild Hall locals help bring “tourism to Main Street’s shops, hotels, and restaurants as the premier destination for arts and culture.”
UP WITH DOWNTOWN
While you can debate the role the arts play in helping downtowns to thrive, many of Long Island’s downtowns are making comebacks. And they often include arts organizations as main streets revive.
“We’ve seen a revitalization of villages in Suffolk County,” Grossman said of the crossroads of culture and commerce. “Bay Shore had a fabulous comeback. Now you can’t find a place to park on Main Street.”
Grossman said the village of Lindenhurst in tandem with the local chamber of commerce and support of Suffolk County Legislator Kevin McCaffrey helped create a thriving downtown.
“They have brought in tremendous restaurants, gastropubs, and wine bars, to make Wellwood Avenue and its surrounding streets a magnet for that area of the South Shore,” Grossman said.
Deborah Cascio Plezia, artistic director for the South Shore Theatre Experience, also believes that Lindenhurst is making a big comeback.
“The Village of Lindenhurst has been trying to upgrade their downtown, their village,” she said. “They encourage businesses, restaurants. They have a lot of breweries and a couple of theaters.”
The Village of Lindenhurst puts on events for holidays such as Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Octoberfest.
“They have entertainment, a Christmas parade,” Plezia said. “They encourage businesses to get involved in that. Restaurants will have special hot chocolates and things going on.”
INVESTING IN THE ARTS
Arts institutions such as Studio Theatre of Long Island have been investing in themselves. Studio Theatre is now fully handicapped accessible and ADA compliant for audiences, cast members, and students, including an elevator to the second floor. Guild Hall is in the midst of a major renovation.
Since the pandemic abated, audiences have returned to live performance venues as well, often driving more business to downtowns. Some Long Islanders are reluctant to go to New York City because of its bigger crowds.
“If they can get their entertainment, their evenings out, closer to home and not deal with the longer transportation element, that becomes enticing,” Grossman said.
Studio Theatre recently finished a sold-out run of Elf: The Musical, its highest-grossing show to date, Grossman said.
And in Port Jefferson, Theatre Three has been a magnet as has the Dickens festival, complete with carolers in the streets.
Institutions also support artists, providing work, audiences and support. Guild Hall paid $478,000 in artists fees to arts educators, performers, artists in residence and more in 2023. “We support area artists with various paid opportunities,” Kirwin said.
