Couple converting East Rockaway bank into dream theater

For the past 25 years, Anthony Leone of Valley Stream has been telling family and friends that he would love nothing more than to own a theater.

"It's his dream," said his wife, Marla D'Urso.

And with her support, that dream has become a reality. Of course, adding a pandemic and a bank vault into the mix is a scenario no playwright could have written.

And then there's the most dramatic element — investing all of their savings in what Leone estimates will be a "seven-figure" renovation to turn the long-abandoned East Rockaway National Bank and Trust Company into the appropriately named Strongbox Theater. They've already hired an architect who's drawn up plans to convert the bank, which was built in 1930 and has been empty for five years, into a performing arts venue featuring a black box theater for presenting plays, open mic nights, film screenings and concerts. Construction is set to begin in early 2021.

"We were looking at properties in Lynbrook and Valley Stream, and then the real estate agent told us to take a look at this bank," Leone, 48, said. Impressed by its stately stone exterior, high ceilings and stylish archways, Leone added "once we saw it, we knew we had to have it."

The goal is to make the venue "small and intimate" with seating for 100 people. "We’re shooting for a really beautiful, upscale theater and delivering an unexpected experience," Leone said. "One month, it’s a drama, another it’s a comedy. And music, too. Our personal mission is to have something going on every night of the week."

Such an ambitious venture is fraught with risk in a normal business climate; in a year like 2020 when the word normal is on no one’s lips, the hurdles for success are especially high.

"We’re extremely concerned about the obstacles. The business plan is for this to be an independent commercial theater," Leone said. "The risk is high and the challenges are many — the current pandemic, high real estate taxes, competing for people’s attention. We’re optimistic that a vaccine will come out before the summertime, and as time goes, on restrictions will relax."

At the same time, with theaters on Long Island still on lockdown, the timing for construction couldn't be better.

"The world is kind of quiet right now and we have the opportunity to do this creative thing behind the scenes. And real estate prices were good now," D'Urso said. "By the time we get to open next fall, people are going to be starving for entertainment and actors are going to want to act."

A FULL-TIME JOB

"I think I was an actor in a past life," said Leone, who studied theater at SUNY Buffalo and acted in several productions upstate. See shows both on and off Broadway has always been a favorite pastime.

But rather than pursue a professional career in theater, Leone, who has a master's degree in logistics, instead joined a pharmaceutical logistics company where he worked for 23 years. Just before the pandemic hit, he left his job as senior manager for strategic accounts to focus exclusively on Strongbox. D’Urso, 52, continues to work as a partner in a real estate management company.

In addition to the black box (typically a small square room with black walls and a flat floor), Strongbox will have dressing rooms on the second floor, a rehearsal space, and lighting grids installed in the ceiling. D'Urso's background in interior design and restaurant management have come in handy in designing the cafe/lounge area. One idea is to repurpose the glass from the tellers' windows for table tops. The biggest challenge is deciding what to do with the massive bank vault that the couple was told would cost $100,000 to be removed.

"Do we use it or get rid of it?" Leone said. "It depends on what the final plans are."

A SHOW OF SUPPORT

While the financial responsibilities are great, one huge boost has been the support of the local government. "This is an excellent opportunity. It’s going to really revitalize our downtown area," said Bruno Romano, mayor of the Village of East Rockaway. "It will be a nice complement to the restaurants and bars and ice cream parlor. It’s a very good opportunity for our community to get together."

It's an opportunity that Leone and D'Urso are happy to embrace. "Sure, this is overwhelming, but it's also very exciting," Leone said. "I want people to come out and see a show and be entertained and talk about and think about something other than what’s on Instagram."