Patchogue Performing Arts Theater, Long Island
Patchogue Village Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is a non-profit organization that manages the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts. One of the missions of the organization which is under the law of the State of New York is to make the theatre a cultural center for Long Island. To attain the mission, the Center would have to showcase broad spectrum of performing arts for entertainment to a wide-ranging audience.
Patchogue Performing Arts Theatre can host a lot of theatrical performances from musical shows, live performances and films. It can also be utilized for educational presentations, community forums and commercial productions. The theatre for performing arts is situated on the East Main Street, Patchogue Village, Patchogue, New York.
The Patchogue performing Arts Theatre, formerly called Ward and Glynne's theatre, opened on May 23, 1923. It was described as the magnificent and largest theater on Long Island. It hosted Broadway productions and first-run feature films. The theatre became a movie house for more than forty years when the Prudential Theatre Circuit purchased the theatre in 1929.
A fire occurred in 1258 leading to the damage of the lobby of the theatre. As a result a much smaller lobby was constructed and three storefronts were supplemented to the façade area of the theatre building.
United Artists acquired the building in 1980 and transformed it into a Multiplex consisting of three theaters. The triplex featured more screens in one place. The transformation of the theatre, however, replaced the magnificent interior that made the building distinctive. The theatre, unfortunately, was closed found after several years in business.
The theatre remained empty after its closing for more than a decade until the Patchogue Village Board came up with the decision to acquire the theatre in 1997. Numerous local businessmen in the Patchogue contributed in the initial funding for the acquisition of the theatre. The village helped in applying for grants to renovate the building and to restore the grandeur it had before.
Patchogue Performing Arts Theatre has been through years of restoration and renovation. The first performance of the theater since its acquisition by the Patchogue Village Center was in 1998. Since then, a variety of performances have been hosted by the theatre including ice shows, plays, auctions, comedy, dance performances and competitions and Broadway shows. Although it presented various shows, the theatre has continuously been renovated and modified. The theatre now has 1,266 seats. The installation of a world-class sound system was made in 2004.
Having through a lot of transition, the Patchogue Performing Arts Theatre now caters to a lot of performances. Various shows have been booked for presentation in the theatre as shown on its event calendar of its website.
