Starting in early 2025, get ready to go back to the movies in Southampton.
The hamlet’s beloved historic theater, originally built in 1932, is re-opening as the Southampton Playhouse, a nonprofit that will not only be home to a fully functioning, newly renovated movie theater, but the only IMAX screen on the East End, as well.
Shuttered since March of 2020, the landmark Hill Street site is under the ownership of billionaire real estate tycoon Aby Rosen, co-founder of RFR Holding, a Manhattan-based real estate investment, development and management company. Rosen, his son Charlie and partner Alex Black, CEO of Lyrical Media, will be working with several industry experts, including film producer Jack Heller (who is slated to serve on the nonprofit’s board of directors), to not only breathe new life into the theater, but into the community as well.
“The Southampton Playhouse will specialize in offering its patrons the very best in cinematic experience and groundbreaking live performances, while re-establishing itself as a community mainstay,” says the younger Rosen. The true impetus of our project and mission was to really narrow in on what this establishment provided to the community over the last near-century, and how we could improve exactly what that was. In that, we took the approach of a local theater providing the very best in first-run commercial films, while adding in components of live performance, community initiatives, food and beverage, and a myriad of other offerings that will reintroduce this establishment as a community pillar.”
Originally, the theater was a single auditorium that held about 1,000 seats. While it was always a theater, Rosen says, it’s layout and capabilities changed over time through different ownership. The new Playhouse will hold four separate theaters able to seat nearly 500 people.
Requiring an incredibly extensive renovation, Rosen says they used 1100 Architects along with developer Jay Bialsky to completely reinvent the storied structure’s interiors, while maintaining its historic façade, including the now landmarked marquee.
“Though the interior layout will be similar to its last iteration, we have made extensive improvements in the space’s functionality and form,” he says. “In addition to working with remarkable architect and contracting teams, we have brought in the most state-of-the-art technology for optimizing the Southampton Playhouse’s viewing experience.”
Theater 1 will hold the IMAX screen and will seat 161, while Theater 2, will seat 90. Theater 3, which features 35mm projection capability, will seat 85.” For those non-cinephiles out there, the ability to project 35mm film is quite special as it was the dominant standard for movie projection until digital technology became more common. Cieran McCusker, a projectionist with Dundee Contemporary Arts, says on the Scotland-based art center’s website, “while digital is crisp and sharp, a good 35mm print can retain such quality and greater depth of detail whilst also managing to bring something conversely soft and warm to the image.” Not only is it a great way to showcase the traditional style of movie projection — a goal the Playhouse seeks to achieve — “it’s more pleasing to the eye,” McCusker says.
The last theater, Theater 4, according to Rosen, will act as a flexible theater which will host an array of live performances and events and will seat 156.
With all four theaters, the Playhouse will have 492 seats in total.
In addition to the new digs, the Playhouse will also feature classic concessions for theater goers. “In addition to your M&M’s and popcorn, however, we have been working alongside Parcelle, an incredible wine bar and specialty foods enthusiast from NYC to offer additional options,” Rosen says. “These will include seasonal goods from local purveyors along the North and South Forks. We want the food and beverage experience to make its patrons feel as though they are getting the very best of the area.”
