Julienne Penza-Boone: The Brains Behind Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center

Julienne Penza-Boone is probably one of the few people who can see her time during the COVID-19 pandemic as a blessing.

Not the pandemic itself, but being forced to think out of the box. Penza-Boone, who was promoted to executive director of the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center (WHBPAC) just a few months before the pandemic, says she could have followed in the footprints of predecessors and still felt like she was successful. Instead, she had to think on her feet and figure out how to provide programming and keep staff employed.

“I had been with the theater for 15 years and ran the arts education program year-round,” says Penza-Boone, who lives in Center Moriches with her husband and 3-year-old son. “I had wonderful mentors, so becoming executive director (in the fall of 2019) just felt like it was meant to be.”

While many entertainment venues closed or laid off staffers, WHBPAC was able to pivot to new ways of providing entertainment.

“It was wild,” Penza-Boone remembers with a laugh. “When I came on board, Main Street right in front of the theater was being torn apart for major village improvements, and we didn’t know how people were going to access the front door. I thought, well, this will probably be the biggest challenge I face. Surprise!”

She could have followed the template that was already there, but COVID-19 had other plans.

“I had to forge my path, my own leadership,” she remembers. “People were scared. I felt such a tremendous responsibility, to my Board, to my staff, to all of our patrons and students. The first thing we did was turn the theater into a film studio. We started offering streaming performances. We also did drive-in shows that were praised by the governor’s office. We were fortunate that we never stopped offering programming, thanks to the support of our community.”

The restrictions forced WHBPAC to try new things, including offering concerts on the Great Lawn.

“We now know we can produce major events off-campus,” she says. Two major performances they hosted were late-night host and comedian Seth Meyers and the Prince-themed Purple Experience. “I would love to produce a major show on the Great Lawn at some point — we will do it in the near future.”

While many visitors think of the Hamptons as a summer experience, WHBPAC is open 12 months out of the year.

“We are truly year-round,” says Penza-Boone, who adds that they have 10,000 children participate in school day performances, classes and camps, as well as 30,000 patrons attending mainstage performances and first-run foreign, independent and documentary films.

“We all have to wear a lot of hats,” says Penza-Boone of the nine full-time staffers who work tirelessly to keep the theater operational. “Suffolk County recently redid the sound system here and we have the best sound system on Long Island. We truly are a world-class entertainment venue.”

In fact, WHBPAC celebrated its 25th anniversary recently. Originally a 1932 cinema, WHBPAC is a beautiful theater that retains its Old World charm thanks to some very careful renovations that retained the look of the original interior.

“We are a cultural as well as entertainment destination,” Penza-Boone says of the 425-seat theater. “The last row of our theater would be considered center orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Thanks to a grant from Suffolk County, we’ve upgraded our systems and now have the best sound on Long Island. And, we’re easier to get to than the rest of the Hamptons. You won’t spend two hours sitting in traffic to get here. And, once you arrive, everything is within walking distance, including the beach.”

What are some of her goals going forward? To bring in a younger and more diverse crowd. She also wants to expand their audience westward.

“As more people visit, they’ll want to visit again,” Penza-Boone predicts. “The beach is beautiful. There’s ample parking, lots of restaurants and great shopping. You can just park your car and walk to shopping, restaurants and the theater. Even if you take the train, you’re just a short Uber ride to Main Street. In the last few years, there’s been a real buzz about Westhampton Beach. But, we also have people who are just discovering us.”

Some of her other goals include being more inclusive and providing more entertainment to attract the area’s African American and Latino patrons.

“Our objective over the last few years has been to diversify our audience, both in age and color. Younger patrons love comedy — so we’re presenting more of it than ever, going after big names that draw those audiences from the city. Bringing in audiences of color is dependent not only on the acts we’re programming, with the help of our Cultural Equity Council, but also how we’re reaching out to those populations,” Penza-Boone says. “Our meaningful partnerships with organizations like the Butterfly Effect Project and Organizacion Latino Americana (OLA) have made all the difference.”

One project that is dear to her heart is the Butterfly Monologues, which brings students of color to the theater to study acting while also sharing their stories and perspectives in a community performance.

“It is wonderful to open the door wider,” Penza-Boone says. “And while we acknowledge such events as Black History Month, we also want to celebrate various cultures in the arts 12 months a year.”

Part of that attitude is Women’s History Month, which is March. They will be celebrating their Women of the Arts Academy, which covers women 30 and younger.

“Women’s history is now, and these young women are a vital part of our theater’s history,” Penza-Boone said of the program that will highlight young women who took part in the WHBPAC-sponsored program.

And soon, Penza-Boone will be announcing the summer lineup.

“I always am excited to announce the summer season,” Penza-Boone says. “We programmed it with fun in mind. The world is so serious, so heavy right now in this election year. We want people to come to the theater, escape and have a blast.”

The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center is located at 76 Main Street, Westhampton Beach. Contact them at 631-288-2350 or whbpac.org.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.