Even the world-renowned TKTS Booth in Times Square can’t beat Bay Street Theater.
The Sag Harbor-based theater and community arts hub is once again offering their off-season “Pay What You Can” performances, and the latest incarnation of the program this season kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 13: Fahrenheit 451.
“At its heart, the ‘Pay What You Can’ program reflects our mission to make professional live theater accessible to everyone,” says BST marketing and communications director Ed Breese.
Long part of the renowned theater’s ethos that theater should reach and be accessible to all members of the community, no matter their personal finances, ‘Pay What You Can’ allows theater goers the opportunity purchase a ticket for the price they can afford on designated nights throughout the season Tickets must be paid for in person and are on a first-come, first-served basis.
“These performances often fill the house with an incredible mix of new and returning patrons who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend,” continues Breese. “It’s popular and people look forward not only to the pricing but also the sense of community gathering.” Prior to Fahrenheit 451, other plays in the 2025 “Pay What You Can” series were Bob & Jean: A Love Story, Deceived and Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical.
The play of choice for ‘Pay What You Can’ is a particularly poignant one for the current political climate. Originally written as a novel by Ray Bradbury in 1953, it portrayed the awakening of the fictional main character Guy Montag, whose transformation from book censor to defender of all literature creates a riveting plot, which was first adapted for the theater in 1979. Bradbury wrote the dystopian futuristic novel in response to the threat of burned and banned books at the time, a fate Fahrenheit itself has suffered over the years.
Bay Street’s adaptation of the play is directed by BST co-founder, Sag Harbor resident and prolific theater director Stephen Hamilton and also comes with the added bonus of being part of the theater’s “Literature Live!” program, in which local students get to see performances for free. The program has been in effect for 17 years and served over 48,000 local students, teachers and administrators.
“We feel very strongly that theater should be accessible to all,” says Tracy Mitchell, executive director for BST. “This is just one way we do it.”
Fahrenheit 451 will be performed at Bay Street Theater (1 Long Wharf, Sag Harbor, 631-725-9500) from Thursday, Nov. 13 to Sunday, Nov. 30. Evening shows start at 7 p.m., matinees at 2 p.m. Get tickets here or head to the theater box office and pay what you can.
