Bay Street Theater, the not-for-profit professional theatre and community cultural center in Sag Harbor, New York, plans to break ground on its first purpose-built home later this year with completion by 2023.

Roger Ferris + Partners will design the venue, while Charcoalblue will design the theatrical elements. The project will be built on a site at the entrance to Sag Harbor that runs continuously with John Steinbeck Waterfront Park, transforming a commercial strip mall into a community resource.

The center will include a mainstage theatre with additional fixed and flexible spaces, including dedicated space for the organization’s year-round educational programs for children and adults, a center for new work development, a shop and scenery storage, special events, and professional development initiatives.

The non-profit organization Friends of Bay Street Theater, led by Adam Potter, has been created to oversee the site’s development, including land acquisition, financing, fundraising, and design.

Executive Director Tracy Mitchell said, “This has been a lifelong dream for both the founders of Bay Street Theater and myself as the current Executive Director. It will provide not only the space for creative growth but will ensure Bay Street’s future and legacy with a permanent home.”

Artistic Director Scott Schwartz added, “I know this gorgeous new facility will enable Bay Street to continue the exciting artistic growth we have been experiencing over the past few years. It will make the company an even more versatile home for an ever-growing family of new and established voices in the theater and will allow us to offer expanded educational programming for both children and adults in our community. We could not be more excited.”