The curtain rises, the music swells, and in an instant the spectator is transported to another world—there to laugh, cry, cheer, or listen to breathtaking music. Since the time of ancient Greece, the enchantments of live theater have held audiences spellbound, and today New York’s historical and community-oriented venues allow spectators to experience this magic anew. Here is a look at some of the unique theaters available in the East End.

Montauk Playhouse Community Center

240 Edgemere St, Montauk, NY

Home to stunning plays and, soon, an aquatic and cultural center (now under construction), the Montauk Playhouse was the brainchild of famed playwright Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). He provided financial support to establish a multi-use event space that would provide arts and education for the Montauk community. The location would be the old Montauk Manor. Sadly, Albee passed away before he could realize his dream of producing plays in Montauk.

The Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan Theater

Guild Hall, 158 Main St, East Hampton, NY

Formerly the John Drew Theater, the jewel-box Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan Theater is a recently rebuilt, refurbished, and reimagined addition to Guild Hall. While adding cutting-edge technical features and more spacious seating, the theater remains authentic to its historic roots. Over the past century, many theater legends have performed on this stage, including local favorites Eli Wallach and Blythe Danner.

Bay Street Theater

1 Bay St, Sag Harbor, NY

Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor has a history full of stirring stage productions with Broadway stars. Decades ago, Julie Andrews’ daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, and her husband, Stephen Hamilton, brought Broadway’s top talent to the stage for Summer Productions. More recently, Scott Schwartz, Bay Street’s Artistic Director, has brought Bay Street Theater roaring into the current century with a dazzling roster of creative new productions and classic plays and musicals.

Southampton Cultural Center

25 Pond Ln, Southampton, NY

Southampton now offers two venues for live theater. One, the Southampton Cultural Center, has brought local theater to the community for years, presenting plays from theater groups such as Bonnie Grice’s Boots on the Ground Theater Company and Abby Russell’s Comedy Club. The newer venue is the Southampton Arts Center, which has been adding live radio plays and dramatic readings to the local scene, directed by East End icon Michael Disher. Disher was the Artistic Director of the Southampton Community Center until the COVID-19 pandemic. Disher’s new venture, with its marvels for the ear, brings an approach to live theater that is both fresh and classic.

Westhampton Performing Arts Center

76 Main St, Westhampton Beach, NY

Wayne Newton, Peter Asher, John Sebastian, and many other top actors have performed live in recent years at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. This theater is both a beautiful venue and a showcase for many fine performances. When audiences aren’t relaxing at a play, they can stroll along the ocean beaches themselves, where the curtain always rises on a different kind of drama: the chorus of seagulls, the dance of dolphins, and sometimes the majesty of whales breaking the surface.

Quogue Community Hall

125 Jessup Ave, Quogue, NY 

The Quogue Community Hall is the essence of community theater: focused on local actors and well-loved by local audiences. The Hampton Theatre Company provides dramatic sets and entertaining performances, while the Quogue Junior Theater Troupe has brought community youth to the stage for 45 years. Some of the young Troupe members act, dance, and sing, while others gain experience in stage management, lighting, and sound design. Over the decades, the Junior Theater Troupe has inspired countless young performers, many of whom have gone on to pursue professional careers in the arts.

Image courtesy of Andrej Lišakov on Unsplash.