SMITHTOWN, NY — Smithtown officials and the local business community are making an effort to revitalize the Smithtown Performing Arts Center and making a call to action to help "save" the theatre, the town announced.

Smithtown Supervisor Edward Wehrheim, other local officials, and Smithtown Center for Performing Arts President Mike Mucciolo earlier in June unveiled the details of the upcoming restoration of the Smithtown Performing Arts Center.

“I can not express just how vital the Theatre is to the business district's successful revitalization transformation," Wehrheim stated. "I have the utmost faith in the Smithtown Performing Arts Council and I look forward to our continued partnership in restoring the anchor of Main Street in Smithtown."

A fundraiser on GoFundMe to restore the Smithtown Theatre has raised nearly $16,000 with a goal of $400,000.

The Smithtown Performing Arts Council, a nonprofit organization that has successfully taken ownership of the theatre property, unveiled plans to restore and renovate the outside and interior of the building. A short promotional public service announcement aired during the news conference, along with an architectural rendering and a breakdown of the capital program.

The Main Street Theater has been a driving economic force for the community since its inception as a single-screen theater in 1932, the town stated. The Smithtown Performing Arts Center was listed for sale in mid-August 2021, creating an urgent plea for community-wide support to save the theater.

"Without the anchor to the Smithtown Business District, the fate of the local economy would be uncertain," the town wrote.

In late May, the Smithtown Performing Arts Council successfully closed on the purchase of the historic theater, with big plans to “Bring the Light Back to Main Street."

The Smithtown Performing Arts Center is at 2 E. Main St., Smithtown.

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