Theatre-By-the-Sea

Theatre-By-the-Sea (also known as Theater by the Sea) is an historic theater and playhouse at Card Ponds Road in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.^[1]

History

Theatre By The Sea (TBTS) has had many incarnations over the years. Between 1928 and 1933, Mrs. Alice Jaynes Tyler ran a camp for girls on the property of her summer home. With the Great Depression quickly limiting the market for summer camps, she decided to instead create jobs by turning the old shingled barn into a theatre. She teamed up with Russian defector and actor Leo Bulgakoff, the cockney producer, Leslie Spiller and famed lighting designer Abe Feder – and on August 7, 1933, Mrs. Jaynes’ 300-seat barn theatre came to life. The theater was founded in 1933. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.^[1]

The next thirty five years brought numerous changes. On September 2, 1938, a hurricane caused extensive damage which led fortuitously to the first “renovation.” After carefully cutting the theatre in half with a hand saw, the box office was literally pulled forward by a dump truck, and a new section of theatre and a balcony were added. By 1941, with the war raging, the theatre went mainly dark. During this time, it did however became a target spot for military planes to practice their diving maneuvers during the war and sporadically played as a movie house. By 1947, during the Golden Era of Summer Stock, TBTS was again in full swing and entered into a long and fruitful stretch that lasted for almost 10 years. Famous "golden era" stars that played TBTS include Marlon Brando, Carol Channing, Groucho Marx, Tallulah Bankhead, Mae West, Judy Holiday, Shelley Winters, and many others. The passing of Mrs. Tyler in 1951, another hurricane in 1954 and a “dark” summer in 1959, threatened the theatre’s life when it went dark once again in 1963.

In 1967, upon hearing that the theatre was to be destroyed, Tommy Brent, former Press Agent and Producer saved the theater from demolition by mere hours. Mr. Brent began a brand new tradition and future for the fabled theatre by completely producing shows on site – sets, costumes, everything. He was able to run the theatre to enormous success for 22 years. However, the property itself was in serious need of repair and renovation. The multi-faceted entertainment company, FourQuest took over the theatre in 1988 and became the third owners of the property. Following extensive, multi- million dollar renovations that fall and winter, FourQuest re-opened the theater in the spring of 1989 and continued producing the highest quality summer theater in Matunuck until the fall of 2003. The theatre went dark once again until a Massachusetts businessman and movie theatre owner, Mr. William Hanney, purchased the property, hoping to continue the tradition of theatre at this historic Rhode Island landmark. A not-for-profit organization, Ocean State Theatre Company, Inc (OSTC)was quickly formed in 2007 by Amiee Turner and Joel Kipper and a lease agreement was established with Mr. Hanney that allows OSTC to produce all shows at Theatre By The Sea. The mission of Ocean State Theatre Co., Inc is as follows: "The purpose set forth by Ocean State Theatre Company, Inc. is to preserve the historic continuity of the Rhode Island landmark known as Theatre By The Sea and to pursue avenues of enrichment and education for the benefit of South County and the state of Rhode Island through live theatre." For the first time in its 75 year history, TBTS is trying to succeed as a non-profit organization. The restaurant/cabaret is currently overseen by The Crowe Family of Wakefield, RI.

Visiting information

Adjacent to the Theatre is the famous Bistro By The Sea (formerly Seahorse Grill) and Cabaret. The restaurant is open when there are performances at the Theatre. Historically the Cabaret series plays after the show on most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Produced by Ocean State Theatre Company, five shows are playing during the 2011 summer season: The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee, Man of La Mancha, Hairspray, The Drowsy Chaperone, and "The 39 Steps". There are also six different performance days (Fridays) scheduled in the summer Children's Theatre Festival.

Previous Ocean State Theatre Company seasons:

2010: A Chorus Line, Hello Dolly starring Tony Award winner Cady Huffman, Little Shop of Horrors, and The Fully Monty 2009: My Way:A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Crazy for You, Peter Pan, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 2008: Ain't Misbehavin, George M!, Evita, and The Producers 2007: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

The theatre and restaurant are connected by a covered brick walk and gazebo area and include over 100 different plants and trees throughout the property.

References

Official Theatre by the Sea Website