The Gateway in Bellport is hosting a Cabaret Night fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 28, featuring cocktails, cuisine, and live Broadway music in the original barn.
Emmy Award-winning Sally Struthers will join the lineup, performing Broadway tunes to benefit The Performing Arts Center of Suffolk County, also known as The Gateway.
She will also star in “The Full Monty,” a somewhat risqué story about unemployment, from March 13 through April 12 in the main playhouse at 215 South Country Road.
Cabaret Night will take place from 7 to 9:30 p.m., and tickets for both events are available online.
“We are certainly known by our Broadway shows. But we are a not-for-profit and have not in the past done many donor and fundraising events," Allan said, explaining the genesis of Cabaret Night.
The $75 ticket price will support live theater, which has expanded to a year-round schedule in recent years, as well as The Gateway’s school for the performing arts, Allan said.
"There's nowhere on the island that has the heritage and the legacy. The Gateway is pretty unique."
Struthers, known for “Gilmore Girls” and “All in the Family,” has been a longtime supporter, demonstrating a “soft spot” for The Gateway by appearing in several productions.
Additionally, Cabaret Night will feature alumni from past productions, including “The Sound of Music,” “Evita,” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” he said.
Allan, who directs the playhouse, said he is also part of the family that founded the theater in 1950. The theater was started by his aunt and her college friends and served as an early influence for actors such as Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman, and Dustin Hoffman.
“They were all just kids that wanted to learn about theater, and it grew within the community," Allan said.