A Summer Affair: WHBPAC Hosts Fundraiser Gala Saturday

Chic summer attire is the dress code for A Summer Affair, the nonprofit Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center (WHBPAC) fundraiser gala on August 13 at a private waterfront Remsenburg estate.

The event will help ensure that the venue is able to continue hosting big-name music and comedy acts on its main stage, WHBPAC’s School Day Performances, engaging family-friendly entertainment, nurturing and skill-based performing arts camps, as well as innovative courses and workshops.

“For the last two decades, Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center has provided critical programming and educational opportunities to thousands of students of all ages,” says Executive Director Julienne Penza-Boone. “Our mission is propelled forward each year by people of all ages and backgrounds coming together to support the theater and the incredible work of our dedicated staff and teachers. But in order to stay in business, we must raise more than half of our budget each year since ticket sales only cover half of the costs of running the theater.”

The WHBPAC mission is: “Presenting world-class performing arts, music, dance, comedy and cinema from around the world; providing premier arts education programs to the widest and most diverse audiences, regardless of socio-economic status; contributing positively to the local economy; and enriching the community’s quality of life.”

Facing a critical and vast gap in the performing arts space from the COVID-19 pandemic, WHBPAC is working to close that gap by bringing world-class arts entertainment, outreach and music and arts education to the greater Hamptons community. Since its inception in 1997, the organization now welcomes over 10,000 students each year through events from its school day performances and engaging family-friendly entertainment to its nurturing, skill-based performing arts camps and innovative classes and workshops.

WHBPAC remains committed to providing people with opportunities to fall in love with the arts and discover the joy of live performance and its capacity to build community. The theater’s goal is to ignite the creative spirit in all people, spark a love of learning and reinforce important life skills through the arts.

The venue hosts events including concerts, dance performances and comedy shows by top performers such as Michael Feinstein, Tim Dillon, Chris Botti and Andrew Botsford.

A Summer Affair gala will feature a variety of food and beverages and a one-of-a-kind auction as supporters dance to the sounds of Square Feet paying homage to rock music of the 1960s and ’70s with The Beatles Meet the Queen … and Something in Between.

To purchase tickets or learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit whbpac.org or call 631-288-1500.