'Transform Historic Greenport Theater': Volunteer Day Event Ahead

GREENPORT, NY – The community is opening its hearts to make the dream of transforming the historic Greenport Theater into a vibrant new North Fork Arts Center a reality.

So far, with a fundraising goal of $1 million, in less than three months, NFAC has already secured $860,000, seeking to ensure a sustainable future through continued funds and community backing.

A special Volunteer Day event will be held on Saturday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Greenport Theater, located at 211 Front Street. Community members are invited to support NFAC's mission to rejuvenate the historic theater as a vibrant cultural arts center.

Tony Spiridakis, founder of the Manhattan Film Institute and head of NFAC's fundraising efforts, voiced his enthusiasm: "The strong support from the North Fork community is amazing and keeps growing," he said.

NFAC, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was organized to enrich the community through film, performing arts, and arts education.The revitalized Greenport Theater will offer diverse programming such as curated film series, poetry events, art exhibitions, and an international
screenwriting competition. NFAC also plans to provide hands-on training experiences and Q&A sessions with industry professionals.

Spiridakis reflected on the initial volunteer meeting: "We've united a remarkable group of talented individuals. We're close to reaching our goal, but we need everyone's help to create a true cultural arts center on the North Fork."

Supporting NFAC's vision preserves the Greenport Theater as a creative hub and ensures a broad range of artistic and cultural experiences for the entire North Fork region; the event on April 15 is an opportunity for the community to learn more about the Greenport Theater's future and contribute to NFAC's vision, he added.

Interested attendees can sign up to volunteer during the event.

For additional information, click hereor contact NFAC directly.

In January, Spiridakis said he had a birthday wish: That pledges continue to pour in to support a plan that would preserve the historic Greenport theater and see the space transformed into a new cultural arts center for the entire North Fork.

"There is an incredible art deco historic building in Greenport that can serve the community by presenting theater, art, movies, and act as an educational venue for so many of our local youth for generations to come," Spiridakis wrote on Facebook.

News broke in January that the Village Cinema in Greenport had been offered for sale or long-term lease.

However, for years, Spiridakis said he has been in talks with the owner of the theater, Josh Sapan, who recently retired after years serving as the CEO of AMC Networks. Sapan has offered the gift of a lifetime if three specific conditions are met: Create a new not-for-profit; put together a skilled board that has ties to the North Fork; and, raise $1 million to cover operating expenses for the not-for-profit's first three to four years.

"If the community can achieve these conditions and raise this money in charitable donations, the not-for-profit North Fork Arts Center will be gifted the theater," Spiridakis wrote. "Josh Sapan has given us a very generous opportunity to add a vibrant arts center that operates all year round, and enriches lives for generations to come. We have a plan to utilize the space with an operating budget and a skillful advisory board in place to help ensure its success. It is for sale, so time is of the essence. Have a look at our website, and please do whatever you can to make a pledge as we move forward."

Spiridakis and his partner and MFI co-founder Lisa Gillolly worked tirelessly in 2018 to fix the heat and open the theater during the winter months, showing films that drew a crowd of more than 800 people, an indicator that crowds are hungry for all the future arts center will offer year-round.

"People love seeing films from the past so they can share a history of cinema, not just first-run films," he said, adding that first-run films will certainly have a place, most likely in the summer months. "But again, this isn't just about movies. It's about bringing music, and stand-up comedy, and live theater, and fine arts, into our community. And most importantly, it's about giving our local artists — our amazing musicians, filmmakers, and fine artists, a place to share their work with all of us."

A jewel box of cinematic offerings from NFAC will include a constantly curated series of films including classic, independent, and foreign films as well as documentaries and film festival fare. The goal is to curate the lineup, so viewers can know "this week, for example, they're going to see a horror film, next week the films of Marlon Brando, and the week after that, the films of great women directors," Spiridakis said.

Explaining the evolution of the vision, Spiridakis said he received an email from Sapan in January, explaining that the theater would be put on the market but that his heart's dream was to see the space evolve into the cultural arts center both had long envisioned.

Making sure that the new not-for-profit had raised $1 million is a brilliant requirement, because it ensures the not-for-profit will have room to breathe and grow during its first four years, Spiridakis said: "It helps us to know that we can cover our expenses, as we find new and exciting ways to provide programs that the public will want to experience."

Sapan's giving gesture and true love for the theater is unmatched, Spiridakis said.

"This is the most generous thing that I can think of to have happen for the community," Spiridakis said, adding that Sapan will even serve on the board himself if the project comes to fruition. "This has been a dream that Josh, Lisa Gilooly and I, and others, have been talking about for years."

Of the plan, Sapan said, "My hope is that the theater finds a steward who can take the Greenport theater to a next chapter that makes it a vital cultural center. I think film may always be central , but art exhibitions and performance on the stage can make the building pulse with creative energy."

He added: "I think Tony would be a wonderful leader of the theater. He is a talented director and deeply committed to creative work, and to the Greenport community."

To make a pledge, click here.

To read more about the North Fork Arts Center, click here.