Guild Hall Reopens After Expansive $29M Renovation: "A Special Place'

EAST HAMPTON, NY — After years of anticipation, a newly transformed Guild Hall has reopened its glorious doors to the public after an expansive $29 million capital improvements project and campaign.

Guild Hall recently announced the completion of its theater renovation, with performing arts programming commencing in July. Guild Hall’s facility-wide capital improvements project and campaign was first announced in 2021 and resulted in 21st-century revitalization for the legendary multi-arts center, the theater said.

The theater’s completion marks the project's final phase; the institution’s galleries, education space, art handling, gardens, and offices were completed in July 2023.

To celebrate the theater's reopening, Guild Hall will host "An Evening with Billy Porter," a benefit concert on Friday, July 12, at 8 p.m.

"Guests are encouraged to dress in creative attire, walk the red carpet, and celebrate the reopening of the newly renovated theater with the Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actor and singer Billy Porter, widely known for his tour-de-force performance in Broadway’s Kinky Boots and his portrayal of Pray Tell in the FX series, Pose," a release said.

In addition, in honor of a "landmark gift " received from the Morgan family, which has enabled the complete transformation of the theater, Guild Hall has announced the new Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan Theater, formerly the John Drew Theater.

The new performance space now operates at "the highest level of technology and comfort, providing exceptional experiences for artists and audiences," a release said.

"We’ve had meaningful and inspiring experiences in this theater, and we hope this gift will ensure it remains a special place for future generations," Guild Hall Trustee Hilarie Morgan and husband Mitchell Morgan said.

Previously named as a memorial tribute to John Drew, a 19th—and early 20th-century stage actor who spent summers in East Hampton, Guild Hall will acknowledge the Drew legacy with signage and, also, name the senior staff position in the theater the John Drew Director of Performing Arts, to honor the theater's history.

With renovation overseen by Peter Pennoyer Architects, a leader in renovation and preservation of historic architecture, in consultation with globally recognized theater design experts Apeiro Design, the upgraded features bring the theater’s functionality up to contemporary performance needs while maintaining the key elements of its historic design, including the restoration of the stage’s scalloped proscenium frame, which was part of the theater’s original design by Aymar Embury II, theater representatives said.

The theater’s "much-beloved circus-tent ceiling motif and iconic balloon chandelier" remain, and non-original elements, including moldings and wall coverings, have been updated to more closely reflect the theater’s "elegant 1930s design," a release said. "The flow of the theater has also been restored by removing non-original doors at the entrance to the theater corridor. In a nod to Embury’s inaugural architecture, columns have been restored in the lobby, recreating the graceful procession from the entrance arcade of the building through the house of the theater. A new continental seating arrangement captures prime orchestra seats, adds greater row to-row depth, offers broader and more comfortable seating, and enhances sightlines through an increased floor rake."

Other improvements include a new, flexible social space at the rear of the orchestra, which has replaced the boxes.

Ben Krupinski Builder handled the construction for the project.

The theater renovation plan also included new technical systems, which were placed throughout the theater, as well as a relocated control booth in the balcony. An audio lift system makes the room "acoustically excellent for every art form, from symphonies to cinema," a release said . "A remote-controlled camera system for live-streaming and recording and new lighting positions in the balcony have also been added."

Currently, a number of exhibits are on display at Guild Hall, including Spin a Yarn in the Marks Family Gallery North and Ted Carey: Queer as Folk in the Marks Family Gallery North/Tito Spiga Exhibition Space, on view through July 14, 2024.