Bay Street Theatre to Decide on Move Within 60 Days

directors and board members ran down a list of about 10 options for the Sag Harbor theater's new location but came to the current  space on Jobs Lane in Southampton Village as the most desirable option, financially.

“We want to stay in Sag Harbor, if we can,” said Executive Director Tracy Mitchell, while explaining their circumstances. 

Bay Street Artistic Director Murphy Davis, Mitchell and the chairman of the theater’s board, Frank Filipo, discussed the reasons for leaving the coveted Sag Harbor space with the sizable crowd of more than 100 concerned theatergoers Thursday night.

Patrick Malloy, the landlord of the theater’s current home, will only give a short-term lease, usually renewable every three years. The directors and board members are looking for a long-term lease or to buy a property, partially because grants are more likely to awarded to permanent facilities, they said. The theater would also like to be able to house actors on premise and build their sets on premise, to eliminate some of the surmounting costs.

The current lease will run up in May 2013. The board and directors decided on a 60-day deadline for their decision, so they can forge ahead with the process of moving.

Members of the board, directors of the theater and community members discussed how the theater is a lynchpin of the Sag Harbor community.

“Everybody on the board's first and foremost choice is to stay here in Sag Harbor,” board member Gregory Ferraris said. But, he continued, “It would be fiscally irresponsible for us to stay here [in the current building] past 2013.”

The most discussed options for staying in Sag Harbor included moving to a 5-acre property with a 14,000-square foot building on Jermain Avenue, owned by the Schiavoni family, or collaborating with and to share a new theater space with high school students.

With the Schiavoni property, Bay Street would have to purchase the land and put up a new theater, get the correct zoning and convince residential neighbors to support the move.

The board estimated the move to that space, including the cost of the property and renovations, to be at least $8 million.

“Our bottom line is to be able to stay in Sag Harbor, we need a major donor stepping up to the plate,” Davis said.

The village of Southampton is offering a long-term lease of 50 years at the Parrish building and is willing to fundraise for the theater to renovate the space. The theater will also be able to build their sets on premise and house actors in the theater location.

“Being completely pragmatic, the old Parrish space is the most practical and feasible,” Davis said.