Cultural Arts And Aquatics Center Coming To Montauk Playhouse

MONTAUK, NY — A cultural arts and aquatics center could be coming soon to Montauk, according to the Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation, which has has secured $6 million toward its $8 million goal.

So far, the Foundation has successfully raised $3 million through private donations, and, at the June 15 East Hampton town board meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve $3 million matching funds, allocated from the 2019 capital improvements budget.

According to the MPCCF, now that the town's commitment is secured, construction is scheduled to begin in early 2019 and will take 12 to 15 months to complete.

Moving forward, the Foundation now plans to work to raise an additional $2 million in donations to reach its $8 million goal.

The Montauk Playhouse will be home to a Cultural Arts and Aquatic Center when work is complete.

Plans for the Cultural Arts Center include a multi-use performance and event space featuring a design that will allow it to be divided into smaller spaces, creating an opportunity to host simultaneous events including live theater and musical performance, conferences, educational and community gatherings, trade and consumer shows, Foundation members said.

The Aquatic Center, meanwhile, will feature two pools, a 25-yard lap pool and a recreation/therapy pool, lounge areas and locker rooms. Swimmers of all ages and abilities will be able to utilize the Aquatic Center for fitness, instruction, social gatherings and celebrations. A light well, under a large existing skylight, will naturally illuminate the pool area and second floor lobby.

The pre-event space will be utilized for community congregation and exhibitions.

The Foundation anticipates that revenue from memberships, rentals, and programming fees will support the Community Center, creating a facility that is not reliant upon continuous fundraising, members said.

The space has a long history: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Montauk Playhouse is an original Carl Fisher building dedicated in 1929. Throughout its history, the Playhouse has served as a tennis emporium, indoor boxing arena, performance stage, movie theater, and military base. The building’s next phase will ensure its essential position within the Montauk community, Foundation members said.

"Upon the completion of the Cultural Arts and Aquatic Centers, the Playhouse will be a magnet and a tremendous plus for the community, on many levels,” said Perry B. (Chip) Duryea III, a member of the Foundation’s board of directors. Duryea his fellow board members, and Susan Henkin, the Foundation’s executive director, are optimistic about raising the additional $2 million, they said.

“When that shovel goes in the ground a lot of good things will happen,” Duryea said at a recent town board work session.

For more information on the Montauk Playhouse, please click here.

Upcoming events

The Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation hosts a series of summer events.

This year, the Foundation’s annual events include the Gala for the Playhouse, which will take place on August 5, the Montauk Ocean Swim Challenge on July 22, and a performance of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.

One of the most anticipated Hamptons events this summer is the Gala for the Playhouse. The 2017 Gala for the Playhouse "will celebrate the dynamic, authentic surf culture of Montauk," organizers said.

Headlined by Donavon Frankenreiter, the event will honor local artists and activists who have captured the spirit of the surf town through their various works.

“Each of our honorees have made an impact on the community, just like the Playhouse has,” said Henkin. “This year, the Gala will support the fundraising efforts of the MPCCF in its mission to construct a Cultural Arts and Aquatic Center at the Playhouse.”

The Gala will feature a festive cocktail hour, seated dinner, musical performance, live and silent auctions.

On Saturday, July 22, in partnership with the East Hampton Ocean Rescue Squad, the MPCCF will hold its 9th Annual Montauk Ocean Swim Challenge.

Participants will have the rare opportunity to swim in an open water ocean race on the East End. Swimmers of all ages and abilities will race along Montauk’s coastline and finish at Ditch Plains Beach.

On Friday, July 28, the Playhouse will present Peter and the Wolf, performed by students of the Hampton Ballet Theater School, the Hampton Festival Orchestra, and a surprise narrator. For more information on the Montauk Playhouse’s events, please click here.

Patch courtesy photo.