ABOUT US

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Stages on the Sound was founded in 2005 and incorporated in 2006 as a 501(c)3 non-profit theatre company. The original mission of the company was the restoration of the Rosemary Open Air Theatre on the grounds of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Lloyd Neck, NY overlooking Long Island Sound. Our founding members galvanized their vision to create a theatre company that provided quality theatre education and production during the clean-up weekends with friends, family and community members at the historic amphitheater. 

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While the amphitheater project would remain elusive, Stages began its programming in earnest beginning with an educational residency at Huntington High School which culminated in a joint production of Romeo and Juliet. The residency and production allowed students to learn and perform alongside professional actors. 

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Rosemary Open Air Theater - Lloyd Neck, NY

 

In 2006, Stages moved its base of operations to St. James Cathedral-Basilica in Brooklyn, NY thanks to the support of the then rector, Msgr. John Strynkowski where we produced over 20 productions.  In recent years, Stages has performed at the new Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in Manhattan, the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, NY and has toured to many parishes and schools in Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Albany.  

 

Some of our production accomplishments include:

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• 7 adapted works of William Shakespeare for both adult and student audiences including Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest,  Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth and Julius Caeser.

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• 13 original Christmas plays written by our Artistic Director, Will Ditterline.  The Christmas show has been seen by over 45,000 students in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Long Island and Albany, NY.

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• Several curriculum-based original adaptations of American classics for student audiences including works from Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne 

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• 2 original interview-based plays for adult and student audiences including Crossings, an exploration of the lives of recent immigrants to New York City.

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• Crossings was produced at the NYC Fringe Festival, St. John’s University and represented the United States at Outsider: an international theatre festival in Poznan, Poland.

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In addition to these productions, Stages simultaneously developed its theatre education programs under the direction of our Director of Education, Scott Barrow.

 

• The education program began with an original introduction to Shakespeare performance tour and companion workshops entitled Shakespeare in ACTion.  The tour has traveled to almost 100 schools.  

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• Stages launched a week-long sleepover Theatre Summer Camp at the Seminary for the Immaculate Conception in Lloyd Neck, NY for students from inner-city neighborhoods in 2012.

 

• Beginning in 2009 Stages began to pilot semester-long performing arts residencies in elementary schools in Queens.  Since that time, Stages has partnered with the Diocese of Brooklyn to provide long-term residencies to over 50 parochial schools in Brooklyn and Queens which provides film, playwriting and Shakespeare education to over 16,000 students every week. In 2014, Stages expanded its in-school programming to 4 schools in the Diocese of Albany, NY and 3 schools in the Archdiocese of New York.

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• In partnership with Quality Services for the Autistic Community (QSAC), Stages developed, piloted and has continued to expand it unique curriculum for children and adults on the autism spectrum.  Programs began in 2018 in Whitestone and Douglaston and in 2019 expanded to the Bronx.

 

In the future, Stages is committed to expanding its arts residency programs with the same quality and attention we are known for, creating new partnerships with schools and community organizations and continuing to create new and inspiring works of theatre that capture the imagination of students, parents, teachers and adults alike.

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