Gala Honors 25 Years Since WHBPAC's Revival

Long known as the community’s “crown jewel,” The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center (WHBPAC) will be celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special fundraising cocktail party on Saturday, August 12 on the village’s great lawn.

It’s an evening that might never have happened if not for the generous support of Westhampton community donors who didn’t give up on the art deco theater when it was falling apart — and deemed surplus to requirements — back in the early 1990s.

Twenty-five years later, no one can imagine a Westhampton Beach without. While the WHBPAC has continued to expand its reach on the East End arts scene, the reception will be a time for staff, supporters, and community members to stop and take a well-deserved moment to celebrate a remarkable journey that began in the 1930s. 

Touted as “an evening of celebration and support for the nonprofit organization’s dedication to bringing arts and culture to the community,” the gala marks a quarter century of artistic excellence. Attendees can expect to connect with like-minded arts enthusiasts, as well as WHBPAC’s staff and volunteers. 

“We are so excited to celebrate the achievements of the last 25 years and to raise funds to help see us through the next 25!” said WHBPAC Executive Director Julienne Penza-Boone in a press release.

The “Crown Jewel” of booming Westhampton Beach was originally opened as a movie theater called Prudential’s Westhampton Theatre in 1932. Former New York Governor Alfred E. Smith attended the opening.

Later, the building was purchased by United Artists and turned into a single-screen movie theater, and by the mid-1990’s, the structure had fallen into such disrepair that it was set to be demolished.

That never happened thanks to a group of concerned citizens who, in 1996, banded together to save the building, reviving the classic art deco theater and ultimately setting it on course to be restored to its former glory.

Nearly 70 individuals came forward with the $300k needed to purchase the theater. In the course of the next year, volunteers raised 60 percent of the $2.8 million needed to transform the building into a state-of-the-art facility.

On July 4, 1998, the new Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center reopened its doors to the public. Since then, it has only grown its reputation as a pioneering non-profit in the Hamptons performing arts community.

The current building delicately balances the old with the new, maintaining the theater’s old world charm while upgrading with new technically advanced systems, handicapped access, and fire safety upgrades.

When the renovation began in November 1997, architectural elements were removed and preserved, and molds were cast for reproduction. Sconces and chandeliers from the auditorium and the lobby’s wood details were saved and restored and the period marquee was completely refurbished.

Since the theater’s inception as a non-profit in 1997, the WHBPAC has hosted seminal live performances, enthralling theater productions, and thought-provoking film screenings to educational programs impacting nearly 10,000 students each year.

Already this summer, the WHBPAC has hosted the likes of crooner Wayne Newton, funnyman Colin Quinn, and Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth. Along with film screenings and community arts enrichment, the happenings at the center don’t slow down. 

“The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center’s mission is centered around bringing the arts to the community in an inclusive environment that celebrates creativity, diversity, and imagination,” the arts center wrote in a press release. “By supporting the theater, individuals actively contribute to the preservation and expansion of arts and culture in the region. As the WHBPAC actively engages with local schools and community organizations such as The Butterfly Effect Project and OLA of Eastern Long Island, it continues fostering creativity and inclusion while providing valuable educational resources to the youth of the East End.”

WHBPAC relies on sponsorship and fundraising to support its mission to keep the arts alive in the area and to sustain community growth. Welcoming over 45,000 patrons each year through mainstage performances and Arts Academy programming, WHBPAC has become one of the premier local venues for world-class performing arts, music, dance, comedy, and cinema from around the world.   

“The arts have a unique ability to inspire, uplift, and bring joy to people’s lives. By supporting the performing arts center, individuals contribute to a more vibrant and connected community,” says WHBPAC Marketing Director Heather Draskin.

Food and drink at the gala will be provided by Sydney’s “Taylor Made” Cuisine with music by East End Entertainment. The highlight of the evening will be a special performance by a small ensemble of show-stopping Arts Academy students.

Tickets for the 25th Anniversary Gala Cocktail Party are available for purchase on the WHBPAC website (whbpac.org), the Box Office, or by phone at 631-288-1500. For those unable to attend, contributions to support WHBPAC’s mission are graciously accepted online or at the venue.