Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, Bayway Arts Center ready to reopen

If you want to talk risky business, running a theater is right up there. So it’s notable that two local theaters — the Boulton Center for the Performing Arts in Bay Shore and the Bayway Arts Center in East Islip — are about to reopen in these trying times.

“Yes, this whole thing is risky,” says Frank Boulton, acknowledging that theaters on Long Island and across the nation face significant difficulties in the aftermath of the pandemic. “I’m doing this for my community,” says Boulton, who in March repurchased the center, which reopens Nov. 10 after being closed since 2020. He and his wife, Karen, first bought the building in 1997 and donated it to the Bay Shore YMCA in 1997.

“I felt this was a call to duty,” says Boulton, who grew up in the town and remembers being a child when he saw “Old Yeller” at the venue when it was a movie theater.

There was a lot of concern about whether the center would ever reopen, says Boulton, who also owns the Long Island Ducks. “That’s why I stepped forward,” he says. “I didn’t see anybody else coming through the door.”

The goal, he adds, is to keep the facility active and busy, providing quality entertainment to the community. “But I’m not doing it in a vacuum,” he says, “we did it for 18 years.”

At Bayway, which reopens its doors on Nov. 25, the new owners hope a change in direction will reduce the financial insecurity. “It’s a community theater in a different sense,” says Alex Dollin, who with his partner, Jessy Gill, took over Bayway during the summer.

Previously run by Studio Theatre in Lindenhurst, Bayway closed in June, finding the economic realities too difficult as audiences dwindled and production costs skyrocketed. “Studio was up against a lot of challenges,” says Dollin.

Now Bayway will focus primarily on rentals. “We’re a blank canvas,” says Dollin, of Dix Hills. Along with dance recitals, Dollin hopes to attract acting companies, and host comedy nights, corporate presentations, book signings, even private parties. “We’ll rent to people who already have their own shows,” says Dollin. “It’s a much less risky model,” he says, “because we won’t be relying on our own ticket sales.”

'A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING'

Similarly, Boulton is looking to offer a range of events, drawing on the center’s rich history — past performers range from Marvin Hamlisch to the Jonas Brothers. “We’re going to do a little bit of everything,” says Boulton, who confesses he’s “a lot more involved in all this than I want to be.”

Kicking things off Nov. 10 will be The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band, while upcoming events include the comedy show Big Laughs in Bay Shore (Nov. 24), '70s pop band Orleans (Dec. 2) and the Lumiere Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” (Dec. 17). At the moment, Boulton is consumed with details, such as trying to get the permits required to hang the center’s new marquee. The original slipped during the pandemic and had to be removed, he says, and the new one — a dramatic Art Deco design — is ready to go up once approval is granted.

Upgrades at Boulton include new sound and lighting equipment, says Boulton. “When your name is on the building,” he says, “things need to be done professionally.”

Dollin thinks along similar lines. “Since we’re in the event business,” he says, “we know what groups need,” such as the right floors for dancers and comfortable dressing rooms. Professional technical help like sound, lighting and video will be provided, along with a cafe and house staff right down to the ushers.

COMING FULL CIRCLE

This is a full circle moment for Dollin and Gill, who met on the Bayway stage (then called BroadHollow Theatre) when they performed there as kids.

“We’ve been friends ever since,” Dollin says.

They have been working together for several years, initially leasing the outdoor amphitheater at Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts in Wheatley Heights during the pandemic. Once things started opening up, says Dollin, the camp wanted to use the stage for its own needs. “We thought about getting our own space,” he says, “so when Studio decided to leave, we just jumped on it.”

Dollin says Bayway will produce a few concerts and the like on its own, starting with its grand opening on Nov. 25 with the Billy Joel tribute band Captain Jack. That will be followed by Rock Country Nights on Dec. 30. He’s also hoping to forge a relationship with the Islip Arts Council.

“They’re excited we’re here,” he says. “They’re happy that Bayway will remain a theatrical performance space and not be turned into condos.”