Glen Cove theater closer to opening after funding boost

The curtains are closer to opening at the Glen Cove Performing Arts Center, a new theater set to debut where a hardware store had operated for decades. 

The Long Island Real Estate Group awarded the theater, at 19 Glen St., a $100,000 grant for renovations — a boon for a project that had seen its funding run dry.

"We had been stalled for a couple months," said Christopher Moll, the playhouse's artistic director. "We really felt like we needed that first person or that first organization to take a chance on us, and that would get the ball rolling."

The seeds of the theater were planted more than two years ago as an effort to bring new entertainment to Glen Cove’s downtown. After Charles of Glen Cove, the local hardware store, closed its doors in 2020, the building sat vacant. 

Moll, who runs North Shore Village Theatre and Jazz Hands Children’s Theatre, sought a home for those ventures. City officials wanted to take advantage of a prime location.

Little by little, interior work, like demolition, insulation and the replacement of worn infrastructure, was completed. The theater caught a lucky break when the famed Apollo Theater in Manhattan donated dozens of audience seats. 

The theater group unsuccessfully applied for funding from the Long Island Real Estate Group last year. They decided to double down and try again. 

Matthew O’Grady, vice president of leasing for Cord Meyer Development and part of the grant application effort, said the group "thought it was a little bit of a long shot." The funding has historically gone to larger organizations, he said.

The more recent push to invest in downtowns, he said, helped give the theater an edge.

"It's going to be a great grant for the community," O’Grady said. 

The infusion of funding has helped jump-start work on the theater and encouraged other donors to contribute, Moll said. The venue is set to wrap up construction by year's end and has already booked acts for early 2027, according to Moll.

"I’m just working really hard to, as soon as we open, get the place as full as possible," he said.

City Councilwoman Danielle Fugazy Scagliola said the site is "taking shape as a theater" and will be a hub for the community.

"Not only is it going to be a great place for our community to gather and see great shows and bring some culture to our community, it’s also so great for the surrounding businesses," Fugazy Scagliola said.

Andrew Richards, co-chair of LIREG’s charity committee, said there "was a big need" for a theater in the city. The new event space will help "create an entire community" around it, he said.

"There really is just such a need for this type of facility in the community," said Cara Cronin, co-president of LIREG.

Moll’s business, Jazz Hands, practices in the space above the theater, he said. The monthslong effort to build a new theater has proved challenging. But it's only hardened his resolve to create a welcoming space for drama, comedy and expression. 

"January is our next round of shows," Moll said. "We're going to be in the theater — I'm just going to say it."