Plan To Transform Greenport Theater Into Cultural Center Takes Shape

GREENPORT, NY – Tuesday marked Tony Spiridakis' birthday, and the filmmaker and co-founder of the Manhattan Film Institute has a wish: That pledges continue to pour in to support a plan that would preserve the historic Greenport theater and see the space transformed into a new cultural arts center for the entire North Fork.

"There is an incredible art deco historic building in Greenport that can serve the community by presenting theater, art, movies, and act as an educational venue for so many of our local youth for generations to come," Spiridakis wrote on Facebook.

Last week, news broke that the Village Cinema in Greenport had been offered for sale or long-term lease. The property, located at 211 Front Street and listed with John Catrambone of Dering Harbor Real Estate for $5.5 million, was built in 1939 by Prudential Theaters and designed by renowned theater architect John Eberson to replace an earlier theater destroyed by the Great New England Hurricane of 1938, representatives for the listing agent said.

However, for years, Spiridakis said he has been in talks with the owner of the theater, Josh Sapan, who recently retired after years serving as the CEO of AMC Networks. Sapan has offered the gift of a lifetime if three specific conditions are met: Create a new not-for-profit; put together a skilled board that has ties to the North Fork; and, raise $1 million to cover operating expenses for the not-for-profit's first three to four years. The not-for-profit application is in process, and it has been named North Fork Arts Center, or NFAC.

"If the community can achieve these conditions and raise this money in charitable donations, the not-for-profit North Fork Arts Center will be gifted the theater," Spiridakis wrote. "Josh Sapan has given us a very generous opportunity to add a vibrant arts center that operates all year round, and enriches lives for generations to come. We have a plan to utilize the space with an operating budget and a skillful advisory board in place to help ensure its success. It is for sale, so time is of the essence. Have a look at our website, and please do whatever you can to make a pledge as we move forward."

Plans are taking shape for something that could forever imbue the North Fork with new life.

"Our mission is to provide a welcoming and inclusive space where people can come together to be entertained, educated, and inspired by a diverse array of cinema, live performances, community events, world-class showcases, and learning experiences," the NFAC website said. "We will strive to spark meaningful discussions, and encourage artistic exploration. We believe in the transformative power of the arts, and we are committed to using our platform to make a positive impact on our entire North Fork community."

NFAC will also provide training programs for local students — a place where young people can not only dare to dream, but equip themselves with the tools needed to succeed, Spiridakis said. NFAC will also offer filmmaking and animation camps for younger artists in a supportive, group-based learning environment, during the spring and summer months.

"Imagine neon lights shining bright year-round, bringing vitality and arts culture, entertaining us, stimulating our minds, creating a place for us to be with our neighbors," the NFAC site said. By keeping the theater open, and creating a vibrant cultural arts hub, "We improve the prosperity for our local businesses in the shoulder months, we provide choices for our youth, who often don't have enough to do all year-round, and we improve the quality of our lives in this lovely bucolic area we call home," NFAC said.

Spiridakis and his partner and MFI co-founder Lisa Gillolly worked tirelessly in 2018 to fix the heat and open the theater during the winter months, showing films that drew a crowd of more than 800 people, an indicator that crowds are hungry for all the future arts center will offer year-round.

"People love seeing films from the past so they can share a history of cinema, not just first-run films," he said, adding that first-run films will certainly have a place, most likely in the summer months. "But again, this isn't just about movies. It's about bringing music, and stand-up comedy, and live theater, and fine arts, into our community. And most importantly, it's about giving our local artists — our amazing musicians, filmmakers, and fine artists, a place to share their work with all of us."

A jewel box of cinematic offerings from NFAC will include a constantly curated series of films including classic, independent, and foreign films as well as documentaries and film festival fare. The goal is to curate the lineup, so viewers can know "this week, for example, they're going to see a horror film, next week the films of Marlon Brando, and the week after that, the films of great women directors," Spiridakis said.

Explaining the evolution of the vision, Spiridakis said he received an email from Sapan in January, explaining that the theater would be put on the market but that his heart's dream was to see the space evolve into the cultural arts center both had long envisioned.

Making sure that the new not-for-profit had raised $1 million is a brilliant requirement, because it ensures the not-for-profit will have room to breathe and grow during its first four years, Spiridakis said.

"It helps us to know that we can cover our expenses, as we find new and exciting ways to provide programs that the public will want to experience."

Sapan's giving gesture and true love for the theater is unmatched, Spiridakis said.

"This is the most generous thing that I can think of to have happen for the community," Spiridakis said, adding that Sapan will even serve on the board himself if the project comes to fruition. "This has been a dream that Josh, Lisa Gilooly and I, and others, have been talking about for years."

For the dream to materialize, though, people need to step up with donations and make it happen, Spiridakis said. "What’s important is that we don’t give up a building that was made for performances, meant to be enjoyed by the public, since 1915," Spiridakis said. "It would be nice if in 2023 no one got to change that — that we preserve this amazing building that we have, and create a place for performances and movies, comedy and music, art and education."

He added, "The possibilities are endless. Josh Sapan has given us an amazing opportunity. The North Fork Arts Center can be a place for people, a place for our businesses to grow, and a place for our kids to enjoy. The benefits to us are financial, cultural — and spiritual."

When asked why he'd decided to part with a theater that's held such great meaning for him, Sapan told Patch: "It seems the right time to put this town treasure into the hands of someone who can bring it to its next chapter, continuing the best of what was done and particularly making greater use of the stage for live events."

To make that happen, $1 million is needed, Spiridakis said, and for his birthday, he'd love to see "a groundswell" of support.

Of the plan, Sapan said, "My hope is that the theater finds a steward who can take the Greenport theater to a next chapter that makes it a vital cultural center. I think film may always be central , but art exhibitions and performance on the stage can make the building pulse with creative energy."

He added: "I think Tony would be a wonderful leader of the theater. He is a talented director and deeply committed to creative work, and to the Greenport community."

To make a pledge, click here.

To read more about the North Fork Arts Center, click here.