The Gateway to Award-Winning Theater BY STEVEN CHAN
n attraction drawing tourists, visitors, and new residents to Long Island is its proximity to New York City, and unyielding—yet satisfying vibe. While headed away from the entertainment center of the world and approaching mid-island, you begin to experience a sense of being hauled to a place that takes the best of the Big Apple and integrates it with an incredible landscape of farms and vineyards, further enhanced by a coastline of magnificent beaches and harbors. Leaving behind the bothersome elements of the metropolis while embarking on an adventure that delivers the finest amenities is beyond satisfying. Gourmet cuisine, first-class entertainment, and the best in a long list of agricultural products are located minutes of all major routes heading towards the North Folk and Montauk. A single visit makes it clear Long Island is a destination many have attempted to imitate, but no other location can duplicate its uniqueness. Tree-lined streets, parks, and waterways make a scenic backdrop rain or shine; stylish shops, roadside stands, and high-fashion boutiques
offer unmatched quality and intriguing energy that attracts tourists all year long. One of the Island’s least-known gems (by new arrivals) is the Gateway Theater, aka Gateway Playhouse, and The Performing Arts Center of Suffolk County; I too, had to learn by experience. Nestled in the iconic village of Bellport, a mere hour from New York City, a short trip from one of the many convenient airports, or an enjoyable ride from the Cross Sound Ferry landing at Orient Point, the magic of Broadway is captured and delivered upon the south shore of Long Island where there is an atmosphere of charm and sophisticated exuberance.
“We had three willing people and an empty barn with which to start why not try? With this incentive, we proceeded.” Sally Pomeran “Summer Theater on a Shoestring” The Christian Science Monitor, 1952
The Gateway is an idyllic partner and attraction among the merchants, watering holes, salons, and markets. The Theater began as an idea and soon grew as tall and bright as the fields of sunflowers blanketing Long Island. Sally Pomeran had the sense to dream and dream emphatically; she and a small group of actors wanted to provide towns what they longed for even if they might not have realized it; in her words, the people need an “above average, run-ofthe-mill stock play.” According to written history obtained from the family, it was 1941 when Sally’s father, Harry C. Pomeran, bought the 70-acre farm in Bellport. His ambition was to run a hotel, so, Pomeran converted the location into a resort for Christian Scientists wishing for a summer vacation on the Island. Along with the husband and wife team, brother David and sister Ruth were recruited to “plant vegetables, wash dishes, wait tables, and milk Daisy, the family cow…the property [also] housed two hundred chickens, hay, corn, and other farm essentials.” The children’s contributions didn’t end at sundown; they entertained hotel guests with music and shows, and it wasn’t long before word had spread and locals came out in support.
NEW ENGLAND NEWS + MEDIA | MARCH 2023 | 47