On the Long Wharf in Sag Harbor, resides one of the most treasured theatres on the East Coast – the Bay Street Theater. On February 26, the theater will celebrate sixteen years of top-notch entertainment and unforgettable guests with their Winter Benefit at the Rainbow Room in Manhattan.

The evening, skillfully titled “Crazy Rhythm: A Night in Manhattan,” will have entertainment by famed cabaret singer Mary Cleere Haran and dancers Josh Walden and Lea Kohl, with choreography by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Bay Street Theatre’s co-artistic director, Murphy Davis, will direct the evening’s performances. Not to mention, a surprise guest has just been added to make the evening even more memorable.

In its sixteen years of production, Bay Street Theatre, a non-for-profit institution, has brought some of the most compelling and diverse programs to the East End community’s front doorstep. Bay Street has been dedicated to presenting new, classic and contemporary works of the highest quality open for public viewing. This act alone has helped to challenge as well as entertain, and speak to the vibrant landscape of the Hamptons.

Funding from the Winter Benefit will support the 2007 Target Mainstage Season, the Comedy Club series, KidStreet – programming for young audiences – and the Picture Show at Bay Street. The benefit will also help to support all of their Educational Outreach Initiatives, including the Summer Internship program, Continuing Classes and the Young Playwrights Program, which brings theater arts education to students throughout the East End’s middle and high schools.

Bay Street’s laundry list of remarkable programs has really helped to change the face of our community. The intimate setting of the theatre provides every guest and theatergoer with a great sense of respect for the institution and the entertainment and education it strives to provide. For example, their Young Playwrights Program, arguably the flagship of their Educational Outreach Program, runs in eight schools in seven different school districts (including districts in Manhattan and Up-Island), reaching approximately 200 students annually. The goals of this program include promoting students’ self-expression, creativity and self-esteem. It also allows them to develop and gain a greater sense of theatre, the arts and literature. The curriculum encompasses a highly structured 14-workshop plan of acting and writing exercises led by a pair of Bay Street Teaching Artists in the school classrooms, followed by a period of production work at the Bay Street Theatre. The High School Playwrights Program runs in the fall, from September through November, while the winter months, from January through March, are devoted to the Middle School students.

It is evident in every Bay Street event or program that its directors, staff and volunteers go above and beyond the call of duty – the 2007 Winter Benefit will be no different. Stephen Hamilton, Executive Director at Bay Street Theatre, remarked that, “We are very pleased to have this original evening of music, dance and song created just for this event. With the backdrop of the legendary Rainbow Room, this is going to be an event we’ll be talking about for a long time.”

In case you are not familiar with the evening’s performers, for the last decade, Mary Cleere Haran has been raved about and adored by critics, who compare her singing to legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Doris Day and Rosemary Clooney. Haran began her career as a cast member on the Broadway production of The 1940’s Radio Hour. She was also in the Off-Broadway productions of The Heebie Jeebies and Hollywood Opera. She has performed her witty cabaret act at many venues, including the Bay Street Theatre, and many more throughout the U.S. Her albums have been well-received and have even made the “Top 21 Albums of the Year” list by the New York Times. Marcia Milgrom Dodge directed and choreographed Bay Street’s 2006 production of The Who’s Tommy. Josh Walden played Cousin Kevin and was the assistant choreographer in the same production. He also choreographed and was part of the dance company for the 2006 Bay Street Theatre Summer Gala Benefit Bash. Lea Kohl is a part of the Walden Dance Theatre company.

The Winter Benefit will include cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a sit-down dinner, live entertainment and, of course, dancing. Bay Street Theatre’s dedication to bringing quality theatre and entertainment to the East End will not go unrecognized. If you would like to buy tickets – contact Bay Street Theatre’s Director of Development, Julie Fitzgerald at Julie@baystreet.org for more information.

The Winter Benefit will take place on Monday, February 26 at 6:30 p.m. at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan. Bay Street Theatre is located on the Long Wharf in Sag Harbor. Call (631) 725-9500 or visit www.baystreet.org for more information.

“Crazy Rhythm: A Night in Manhattan” Benefit