As Christmas approaches, The Hampton Theatre Company (HTC) has already geared up for its annual “Christmas Carol” gathering. For the past four decades, the HTC in Quogue, Long Island, New York, has uniquely served the East End’s live performing arts scene with its rich, melodic offerings. Located on Jessup Avenue, the culture club shared a selection that East End residents know and love.
The Hampton Theatre Company: A Happy Holiday History
For 40 years, Quogue residents have viewed the HTC as the convivial club to watch each holiday season. The regional theater ensemble’s arrangement boasts a wide array of professional thespians, seasoned directors, and producers, alongside a sprinkling of backstage crew members keeping the wheels turning at every show. Since the group’s debut, the HTC has churned out around 60 classic and current plays for East End citizens to enjoy. The company operates from September through June annually at the Quogue Community Hall, bringing joy practically year-round. However, HTC’s history of performances is always especially spectacular during the end-of-year holidays.
Many club members have noted HTC’s modest origins over the years. Back in 1984, the group was initiated by three residents of Westhampton Beach. Now, HTC is “compared favorably to a Broadway production,” shares Andrew Botsford, a Quogue resident who serves as secretary for the theater’s board of directors.
The HTC’s Present Prominence on the East End
HTC is uniquely positioned between community theater and Equity theater. On the East End, Equity theater refers to actors who pay dues and fees to be members of an actors’ union. Throughout the region, local professional theaters use Equity actors—such as Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center and Bay Street Theater—to perform plays. HTC may feature a cast of primarily Equity members, but they continue to hold open auditions for at least three roles in every production. This endeavor allows non-Equity performers to showcase their talent for a chance to star in one of the company’s many outstanding shows.
Botsford notes that the HTC program “started out as a community theater.” He additionally states, “A lot of [members] had other jobs” where they made money. Despite some setbacks in attendance and availability, Botsford explained that among the group, HTC “had people with serious professional training…and a lot of [their] local community members have some serious theater chops.”
The combined experience and interests of HTC’s members have allowed the program to gain popularity regardless of who has come and gone over the decades.
HTC’s Historical Offerings for the Holiday Season
HTC’s first performance was at Westhampton Beach Middle School in the early 1980s, with a local-led production of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” More than 35 years ago, the theater group acquired its present practice space, which was originally built around 1920 and can hold up to 180 people. During the club’s inactive months (July and August), the Quogue Junior Theater Troupe occupies the space.
As the HTC welcomed the approaching season of festive fun, they presented their live radio rendition of “A Christmas Carol” for the second consecutive year. This version of the age-old tale was adapted for the stage by Joe Landry, with music arranged by Kevin Connors. HTC performs the Charles Dickens novella as a live radio broadcast set in the 1940s.
HTC’s Live Radio Play Performances
For anyone unfamiliar, a radio play is an almost entirely auditory theatrical performance, depending on dialogue. As these plays frequently lack visual components, they rely heavily on the acoustic vocal presentations of the actors and carefully curated audio effects to help animate the tale.
HTC’s approach to radio play involves the actors in 1940s-esque garments, upping the stakes with each performer acting out several roles. The show often includes vintage-style commercials promoting products from the era. HTC actor and board member George Loizides created the show’s sound effects, and Connors’ complete musical score accompanies Landry’s radio play.
This Year’s Musical Selection by Hampton Theatre Company
HTC offered something special for this year’s Christmas celebration. Botsford states that performing this Dickens classic for the second year in a row was an “experiment” leveraging a simple set designed to resemble the inside of a radio station from 1946. Botsford says the play keeps its jovial nature because actors “get to play a lot of different characters” that transport audience members and performers back to the time period.
After debuting December 13th, with additional shows on the 14th and 15th, the Hampton Theatre Company’s live radio play of “A Christmas Carol” was just as much of a hit this year as it was previously. However, Quogue residents must sit in anticipation of the club’s festive performances until the next holiday season.
