The Past And Future Of The Smithtown Center For The Performing Arts

The Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts has been part of the community since 2002 and it took a toll when Covid-19 hit.  However, it's still resuming business and entertaining the audience.

The center has held numerous plays and concerts in their theater.  Ken Washington, the managing and artistic director of the center also offers a theater education program.  Their mission in the program is to have their students promote their self-esteem and communication skills.

"We offer them audition classes, production classes, we offer them a considerable amount of different things depending upon where their interests are," Washington said.  "The basic point of our classes is to give the kids a place where they can come to that they're able to be with their peers and be in a collaborative environment to promote their self-esteem."

Since the center opened, they put on plenty of productions for the community.  There were musicals such as Annie, The Sound of Music and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Washington puts on 4-6 children shows a year.  Some of which include Shrek The Musical Jr., Frozen Jr. and Moana Jr.  

Comedy shows were also part of the center.  There have been notable comedians that have performed at the center in the last decade.  "We have had some significant names that have performed here from David Brenner to Mickie Rooney to Robert Klein," he said.

When the pandemic first began the center was shut down for three months.  They had to postpone all productions that they had planned at the time.  No shows were on during 2020 until May 15, 2021.  Now the center is having a limited capacity of 100 people per show.

"It's difficult, but we're making it work," he said.  "Right now we're dealing with things at a limited capacity.  Hopefully come July we will be towards a vaccinated section and a non-vaccinated section and hopefully when it gets to the fall we can go back to the full capacity."

Right now they have a schedule of shows lined-up until the end of year.  Washington hopes that they will improve on the capacity of the audience in time.  "We're taking it slow," he said.  

The situation has improved for the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts.  But only time will tell given the pandemic.