Bay Street Theatre Names New Stage After Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach

The Bay Street Theatre has announced they will name their new stage the ANNIE AND ELI, after theatre legends Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach. The 99-seat theatre will serve as a testament to the contribution in theatre by both individuals.

The May 1st ceremony to commemorate the theatre's opening will include several big name stars includng Lauren Bacall, Zoe Caldwell, Barbara Cook, Harvey Keitel, Brian Murray, Patricia Neal, Mike Nichols, Joe Pintauro, Peter Reigert, Betsy von Furstenberg and Kate Winslet.

The 2010-2011 season at Bay Street will include productions of Dissonance by Damian Lanigan, Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson, and Romance by David Mamet.

Dissonance will be directed by Lonnie Price, and is a classical quartet in conflict is further confronted when a rock star enters their midst. Egos, loyalty and love are all put to the test in this witty, buoyant, ingenious, and ultimately moving play of music and musicians.

Fifth of July will be directed by Terry Kinney. Set in rural Missouri in 1977, Wilson's Broadway hit focuses on the disillusionment with America in the wake of the Vietnam War. Alternately funny and moving, Fifth of July deals with a group of former student activists and friends and the changes that have been wrought in their lives and attitudes in the years since leaving college. Fifth of July is a co-production with the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts.

Mamet's Romance is a courtroom farce and a roller coaster ride in which Chiropractors, Catholics, Episcopalians, Jews, Gays, Lawyers, Blacks, Shakespeare and even World Peace are all skewered as only Mamet can. An outrageously zestful comedy - joyfully vicious. Inspired Mamet at his most adept.

Bay Street Theatre is a not-for-profit 299-seat professional regional theatre situated on Long Wharf, in Sag Harbor, NY, and founded in 1991 by Sybil Christopher, Stephen Hamilton and Emma Walton.

Operating from March through December, Bay Street is dedicated to presenting new, classic and contemporary works, which challenge as well as entertain, speak to our diverse community and champion the human spirit. It is our mission to create an artistic haven, where an extended family of established and emerging artists may flourish in an atmosphere free from commercial pressures. It is our commitment to exercise fiscal responsibility so that our work might be defined by our imagination as well as our resources. We believe in providing a gathering place for artists and audiences to share a collective theatrical experience that resonates beyond our walls. Our commitment extends to educational programs for all ages to foster the continued value of theatre as a vital art form for future generations.

Many of the productions that premiered or were developed at Bay Street have moved to Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally and abroad, including NOBODY DON'T LIKE YOGI, HEDDA GABLER, LOVE JANIS, IF LOVE WERE ALL, FULL GALLOP, SWINGTIME CANTEEN and THREE HOTELS.