Greenport's storied theater to reopen as North Fork Arts Center in late December

Tony Spiridakis was perhaps 5 or 6 years old when he caught a gladiator epic at the Greenport Theatre with his dad.

“It blew my mind,” the Greenport resident said recently, recalling the moment that inspired him to become a filmmaker.

Spiridakis, who is also founder of the Manhattan Film Institute, will now get to direct the future of the village theater where he spent countless hours catching movies. He is tasked with transforming the 635-seat theater into the nonprofit North Fork Arts Center, a cultural hub of performing arts, exhibitions, multigenerational education and film.

The theater, which closed for nearly three years due to the pandemic, was listed for sale in January for $5.5 million. But in an effort to save the historic building, Spiridakis struck a deal with theater owner Josh Sapan, who placed several conditions. Spiridakis would need to assemble a nonprofit board to run the arts center and raise $1 million to demonstrate community buy-in. If Spiridakis met those benchmarks, Sapan would donate the building to the nonprofit in perpetuity.

With the goals met, the building is off the market and Spiridakis estimates the donation deal will close within six weeks.

He plans a soft opening in late December with a showing of a holiday film series. 

"It’s just insanely generous,” Spiridakis said of the agreement. “The community didn't speak — they roared.”

Tentative programs at the arts center include film, photography and performing arts classes, comedy, theater and a three-week Brooklyn Ballet residency featuring workshops and performances.

Keeping with tradition, summer blockbusters will be shown from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The off-season will feature curated programming that includes short films, Friday “fright nights,” classic and family films, and Latino and world cinema to foster inclusivity, Spiridakis said.

“He’s got the right vision from A to Z,” said Sapan, a former AMC Networks executive. “It’s, for me, a dream come true.”

The building on Front Street dates to 1916, and was rebuilt by renowned cinema architect John Eberson following the 1938 hurricane. It evolved from a single-screen cinema to a four-theater multiplex.

Sapan purchased the theater for $500,000 in 2004 and began modernizing the technology while honoring its Art Deco roots.

In 2018, Spiridakis and his partner, Lisa Gillooly, launched a popular winter film series, which ceased when COVID-19 struck. He plans to continue making upgrades at the theater using a portion of the donations raised so far. The nonprofit running the center may also seek grants for renovations such as adding a backstage area to accommodate larger acts, according to their website.

Greenport Mayor Kevin Stuessi said he was concerned the theater could be lost when it was initially listed for sale. “I knew some hotel developers had taken a look at it,” he said, noting that a vibrant year-round arts center could provide a boost to shops, bars and restaurants during typically quiet months. “I’ve really enjoyed seeing the vision come to life.”

Ultimately, Spiridakis hopes the space will foster creativity and community.

“People need to come together to share, to talk, to argue, debate,” he said.

“To see a big theater sitting on Front Street dark and shuttered doesn’t speak well to the creative health of the community.”