Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson hosts a food and person care items drive to benefit the Open Cupboard pantry at Infant Jesus Church on Saturday, June 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Donations will be collected in the theater’s parking lot.
The following items are in low supply and greatly appreciated:
Juice, peanut butter, jelly, coffee, sugar, flour, Maseca corn flour, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, cooking oil, oatmeal, pancake mix, pancake syrup, white rice (#1 and #2 bats/boxes), canned fruit, pasta sauce, healthy snacks, boxed milk and paper towels.
They are also accepting donations of grocery store gift cards and cash to purchase whatever is needed. If you prefer, you can remain in your vehicle for a contact-free drop off. For more information, call Brian at 631-938-6464.
The marquee at Theatre Three in April 2021. Photo by Brian Hoerger
After going dark over a year ago, Theatre Three in Port Jefferson will reopen on July 9. The announcement was made in a press release on April 22.
The summer line-up will kick-off with two performances of The L.I. Comedy Festival: Friday and Saturday, July 9 and 10, at 8 p.m. Featuring stand-up comedians from the New York City and Long Island comedy scene, The L.I. Comedy Festival is the hottest place for comedy. All tickets are $35.
The Mainstage will open with the world’s longest-running musical: The Fantasticks. A boy, a girl, two fathers, and a wall … Here is a timeless tale of love and loss, of growth and acceptance. Featuring a score blending musical theatre and jazz, the show is a heartfelt celebration of moonlight and magic. The Fantasticks will run July 16 through August 15. Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $35 adults, $20 children ages 5 to 12, $28 seniors and students.
Children’s Theatre will return on July 10 with a perennial favorite, The Adventures of Peter Rabbit — an original musical based on the characters created by Beatrix Potter. Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-Tail, Benjamin Bunny, the McGregors and their friends come to life in this Theatre Three tradition. The show runs on Saturdays at 11 a.m. through Aug. 14. All seats are $10.
*Tickets for all above shows go on sale Tuesday, May 4th.
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will follow all CDC and New York State safety protocols. Seating for summer events will be assigned based on updated CDC and New York State guidelines. Patrons must wear face covers while inside the theater.
To purchase tickets, please call the Box Office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at (631) 928-9100.
or visit www.theatrethree.com.
Volunteers at Theatre Three's food drive. Photo by Heidi Sutton
By Heidi Sutton
Volunteers from Theatre Three in Port Jefferson hosted its ninth food and personal care items drive to benefit Open Cupboard Pantry at Infant Jesus Church last Saturday and the donations poured in.
“We filled the theater’s van three times floor to ceiling and completely filled the hallway of the Convent building where the food pantry is housed. In addition, we received close to $800 in cash and grocery gift cards,” said board member and facilities manager for Theatre Three Brian Hoerger.
“Our donors have been so generous, and we get a lot of ‘regulars’ each month who always come with bags full of groceries and supplies. People really want to help and always thank us for organizing these events and ask us when we are doing our next one,” said Hoerger.
The theater’s next drive will be held on Saturday, June 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our amazing volunteers who have given up a part of their Saturday each month to help us collect, sort and carry all of the donations to the pantry. Their dedication is truly awesome. They all deserve a standing ovation!” he said.
Theatre Three is scheduled to reopen on July 9 and 10 with The L.I. Comedy Festival followed by a Mainstage production of The Fantasticks from July 16 to Aug. 15.
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will hold a Theatre Three Cares food and personal care items drive to benefit the Open Cupboard food pantry at Infant Jesus Church on Saturday, April 24 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please help those in need. The following items are in low supply and greatly appreciated:
FOOD ITEMS: Apple Juice, Peanut Butter, Jelly, Coffee, Sugar, Flour, Maseca Corn Flour, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Cooking Oil, Oatmeal, Pancake Mix, Pancake Syrup, Canned Spinach, Canned Chopped Tomatoes, White and Brown Rice (1# and 2# bags/boxes), Canned Fruit, Ramen Noodles, Healthy Snacks, Fresh Chicken, Fresh Ground Beef, Hot Dogs, Eggs, Bread and Butter
We are also accepting donations of grocery store gift cards and cash to purchase whatever else is needed.
Donations will be collected in the back of the theater on the south side of the building. They are also accepting donations of grocery store gift cards and cash to purchase whatever else is needed. If you prefer, you can remain in your vehicle for a contact-free drop off. For more information, call Brian at 631-938-6464.
Athena Hall, now Theatre Three, is shown in 1909 on the west side of Port Jefferson’s Main Street. The building has been remodeled extensively during its 133-year history and used for a variety of purposes. Photograph by Waters, photo from Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive
By Kenneth Brady
In an 1873 column appearing in the weekly Long Island Leader, the newspaper’s publishers bemoaned that Port Jefferson lacked a suitable public hall for lectures, exhibitions, shows and parties.
Lamenting that the village did not have a meeting place to accommodate a sizeable audience, the Leader called upon an investor to build a “creditable” hall in Port Jefferson for assemblies and performances.While waiting for a public-spirited person to construct a large hall in the village, its residents got together at some of Port Jefferson’s smaller venues.
Typical of these settings, Lee’s Hall occupied the top floor of John S. Lee’s tin shop on what is now Port Jefferson’s East Broadway. Dances, suppers, cake walks and sociable’s were held in the building.
Bayles Hall, located in rooms above the second Bayles Chandlery on today’s East Broadway, was another popular gathering place. During one evening, the audience enjoyed a play based on Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Though horribly cramped, Henry Hallock’s Hall on Main Street featured vocal groups, magicians and outside speakers.
Athena Hall, now Theatre Three, is shown in 1909 on the west side of Port Jefferson’s Main Street. The building has been remodeled extensively during its 133-year history and used for a variety of purposes. Photograph by Waters, photo from Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive
Besides these three halls, other meeting places in Port Jefferson were important to the village’s cultural and social life. Tom Thumb performed at Smith’s Hotel, exhibits were displayed at the local schoolhouse and, in a unique use of the space, concerts were held in John R. Mather’s lumber shed.
Port Jefferson’s houses of worship also hosted a variety of events. Swiss bell ringers played at the Baptist Church, minstrels entertained at the Presbyterian Church and temperance lecturers held forth at the Methodist Church.
Villagers continued to get along without a large hall until 1888 when construction on a spacious meeting house finally began. Fifteen years had passed since the Leader claimed that the demand for a public hall was “growing rapidly” in Port Jefferson. What could explain the delay?
The financial Panic of 1873 and its aftermath brought tight money, sluggish sales and hard times to Port Jefferson, perhaps dampening any enthusiasm for the venture.
The cast of the H.M.S. Pinafore is pictured in 1897 on the stage at Port Jefferson’s Athena Hall. Photograph by Arthur S. Greene, photo from Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive
As the economy improved, there was renewed interest in the project. L. Beecher Homan, publisher of the Port Jefferson Times, grocer D. Oliver Petty, who’s building also housed the Times, and insurance agent Albert T. Norton were among the investors who financed the hall’s construction.
Their timing could not have been better. During the 1880s, Port Jefferson began transitioning from a shipbuilding center to a vacationland. With the influx of tourists, businessmen could turn a profit in entertaining visitors on top of the money to be made in satisfying the needs of villagers.
The New Hall, later named Athena Hall, was located on the west side of Main Street and opened on Thursday evening, Sept. 20, 1888, following a parade. The night’s playbill featured local talent.
The public entered the New Hall using a broad staircase leading up to a wide veranda. The frame building, which purportedly could seat 1,000 people, had two levels.
The upper floor included the main hall, a U-shaped balcony, the stage, a space for the orchestra, dressing and property rooms and a committee room. The lower floor contained a coal room and a hot air furnace, pantry, dining room and lower hall.
Remodeled extensively throughout its storied history, what was once Athena Hall has been used as a playhouse, graduation site, movie theater, community center, polling place, machine shop, steam laundry, roller skating rink, radio and television sales store, dance hall and cabaret.
Known today as Theatre Three, the 133-year-old building is a Port Jefferson treasure.
Kenneth Brady has served as the Port Jefferson Village Historian and president of the Port Jefferson Conservancy, as well as on the boards of the Suffolk County Historical Society, Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council and Port Jefferson Historical Society. He is a longtime resident of Port Jefferson.
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will hold a Theatre Three Cares food and personal care items drive to benefit the Open Cupboard food pantry at Infant Jesus Church on Saturday, March 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Food items needed include Mac & cheese, canned pasta, pasta sauce, tuna, peanut butter, jelly, coffee, sugar, flour, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, cooking oil, oatmeal, pancake mix, pancake syrup, black beans, rice, boxed milk, juice, canned fruit, healthy snacks, fresh chicken and ground beef and hot dogs.
Personal care items needed include shampoo, conditioner, soap, baby shampoo, diapers, pull-ups, baby wipes, deoderant, feminine pads, toilet paper, razors, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Donations will be collected in the back of the theater on the south side of the building. They are also accepting donations of grocery store gift cards and cash to purchase whatever else is needed. If you prefer, you can remain in your vehicle for a contact-free drop off. For more information, call Brian at 631-938-6464.
Theatre Three in Port Jefferson hasn’t been open since March, but news of a vaccine is keeping them hopeful and more relieved than before. Photo by Julianne Mosher
By Leah Chiappino
Despite being among the first to shut down, and likely the last to open, local theaters have managed to sustain themselves throughout the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to community support.
Theatre Three, Port Jefferson
Theatre Three in Port Jefferson hasn’t been open since March, but news of a vaccine is keeping them hopeful and more relieved than before. Photo by Julianne Mosher
On March 15 last year, Theatre Three in Port Jefferson had to close production of its musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Hansel and Gretel” in the children’s theater.
At the time, the Port Jeff performing arts center was two weeks away from its touring season, a week away from technical rehearsals for the musical “Steel Magnolias,” and in the middle of the dramatic academy for winter/spring, all of which were shut down indefinitely, and have not yet reopened.
Since its closing, the theater has taken in little revenue, yet still manages to give back to the community through their virtual Off-Stage/On-Line series, which features short plays submitted by playwrights, performed over Zoom and posted to the theater’s website and social media every Sunday night.
Submissions receive a $25 stipend, and actors donate their time performing. Theatre Three also launched the “StoryTime at the Playhouse” series, which streams performances for children live into classrooms, directed by the theater’s artistic director, Jeffrey Sanzel.
Theatre Three also maintained its 35-year-old tradition of performing “A Christmas Carol” starring Sanzel as Scrooge, though this year it was filmed in advance and posted online.
The theater has relied on private grants, savings and donations, as well as a PPP loan, to remain afloat.
Vivian Koutrakos, managing director, said that the fact the theater was having a strong year before the pandemic helped its financial situation.
In celebrating its 50th anniversary, Theatre Three showcased productions such as “Jekyll and Hyde” and “Driving Miss Daisy,” both popular and lucrative shows.
In addition, they prepaid the royalties for upcoming shows such as “Grease” and because the building is not being used, other expenses have dropped.
“We’re not using our electric — we got that down to a really decent amount and we have a very small mortgage on the building,” Koutrakos said. “There’s not much else other than water and obviously, our insurances, but most of our insurances will come back to us because there is no workers’ comp. There is no liability. There’s nobody in the building, really. So, we’re OK.”
Koutrakos added the community has been generous in donations.
“We have an amazing executive board of directors,” she said. “They will never let this theater close, under any circumstance.”
The theater is waiting for the go-ahead from New York State so it can reopen.
“I don’t know how much longer we would have lasted without a vaccine. It really is a beacon of light and hope,” Koutrakos said. “It’ll probably be almost a year-and-a-half [from being closed] once we open.’’
Upon reopening, the theater will honor previously held tickets, recast actors if they are available and plans to continue to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
John W. Engeman Theater, Northport
File photo
According to one of the co-owners of the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport, Richard Dolce, it is in a similar boat to Theatre Three.
On the day that Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) issued an executive order mandating theatershutdowns, the cast of their upcoming show, “Sister Act,” was set to arrive to rehearse.
The Engeman was able to benefit from a PPP loan in April and has relied on reserve funds, allowing it to keep its full-time staff of 16, who Dolce said are mainly answering customer calls and doing mechanical maintenance.
The theater offers classes in professional theater, acting and musical theater. It resumed some individual lessons in person in the fall, but as COVID cases began to rise in the area, it has since shifted to a virtual format.
Even with the virtual course offerings, Dolce said the theater is making “well under 10%” of its normal revenue. He added that while he did not think the theater can sustain its current operations without additional relief for “much longer,” he expects that it will qualify for funding from the Save Our Stages Act, a provision in the recent COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress that provides $15 billion in funding for entertainment venues.
“We’ve been talking to Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-NY3) and other representatives to get something done for the live independent venues and they were able to come through,” Dolce said. “Hopefully that will enable us to weather this for a little bit longer, because we were the first ones to close and we will be the last ones to open.”
While the governor’s office did not respond to email requests for comment, Cuomo indicated during his State of the State address Jan. 12 that “we cannot wait until summer to turn the lights back on the arts and provide a living wage for artists.” He also announced New York Arts Revival, a public-private partnership series of pop-up performances across the state, hosted at state parks, other state properties and “flexible venues,” set to begin Feb. 4.
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson kicks off the new year with a Theatre Three Cares food and personal care items drive to benefit the Open Cupboard food pantry at Infant Jesus Church on Saturday, Jan. 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Food items needed include Mac & cheese, canned pasta, peanut butter, jelly, coffee, sugar, flour, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, cooking oil, oatmeal, cereal, black and red beans, boxed milk, juice, canned fruit, healthy snacks, fresh chicken and ground beef and hot dogs.
Personal care items needed include shampoo, conditioner, soap, baby shampoo, baby wipes, deoderant, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Donations will be collected in the back of the theater on the south side of the building. They are also accepting donations of grocery store gift cards and cash to purchase whatever else is needed. If you prefer, you can remain in your vehicle for a contact-free drop off. For more information, call Brian at 631-938-6464.
COVID-19 made it impossible for the traditional Run to the Port Jeff Brewing Company happen in 2020, but the Brewery and the Greater Long Island Running Club [GLIRC] banded together to stage a “virtual” 15K, 10K, and 5K that raised $1000 for the 2020 charitable beneficiary Theatre Three in downtown Port Jefferson.
A check for $1000 was presented to Theatre Three at the Brewing Company on Dec. 18.
Theatre Three is a not-for-profit dedicated to developing an appreciation for the art of live theater among the residents of Long Island. The theater presents a diverse program of fresh and imaginative revivals of classics and modern plays and is an arena for previously unproduced plays, and works towards their future development. Theatre Three provides an environment in which talent can be nurtured, encouraged, and trained in the pursuit of a professional career.
During the pandemic, there have been no live performances at Theatre Three, so the Brewery and GLIRC were happy to be able to help the theatre stay afloat in these troubled times.
Pictured at the presentation, from left, is GLIRC Race Director Ric DiVeglio; Theatre Three Board of Directors member Brian Hoerger; Theatre Three Managing Director Vivian Koutrakos; Theatre Three Executive Artistic Director Jeffrey Sanzel; Port Jeff Brewing Company owner Mike Philbrick; and GLIRC Executive Director Sue Fitzpatrick.
THE SECOND SPIRIT
Andrew Lenahan stars as the Ghost of Christmas Present in Theatre Three’s virtual production of ‘A Carol for Christmas.’ The show premieres on Dec. 12. Photo by Eric J. Hughes
Theatre Three in Port Jefferson will premiere A Carol for This Christmas, a virtual performance adapted from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, on Dec. 12.
For over thirty-five years, Theatre Three has been presenting its acclaimed production of A Christmas Carol to thousands of Long Island theatergoers. To continue this tradition, the theater has produced a virtual production that will be accessible through the theatre’s website and Facebook page on the Vimeo platform.
This new take on the holiday classic features six actors playing the many roles in the holiday classic, filmed socially distanced, with actors both onstage and in the theatre’s auditorium. Jeffrey Sanzel has played Scrooge nearly 1,500 times and will once again play the miser who is redeemed by the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future. He is joined by Theatre Three ChristmasCarol veterans Andrew Lenahan, Michelle LaBozzetta, Linda May, Douglas J. Quattrock, and Steven Uihlein.
Sanzel has adapted and directed the 40-minute presentation, adhering closely to the heart and spirit of the 177 year-old novel. Melissa Troxler is the Director of Photography.
As a gift to the Long Island community, the presentation will be offered for free at www.theatrethree.com. Donations to Theatre Three are greatly appreciated.
A Carol for This Christmas is made possible by the sponsorship of Andrew Markowitz.
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