![]() “Nick is a rare find with an astounding breadth of professional accomplishments and versatility in genres,” Grover says of Schwartz-Hall. “I think that space could be a fantastic place for monologue and new work like that.” “I’m really aware and intrigued that Spalding Grey was part of the community there when he was still alive and active,” he says. He has a love for contemporary dance, intimate theater productions, spoken word and storytelling, and he shares excitement about podcasts, along with shows like The Moth on National Public Radio and even stand-up comedy. Not to be coy, but I’ve literally just started the conversations with Andrea, and I’m not the kind of programmer who’s just like, ‘It’s all about what I see as important and everybody else just shows up for it,’” he explains, describing a desire to truly get to know the community and be “both innovative and responsive.” “I’ve had at least four different versions of a vision so far. Schwartz-Hall has an extensive background in theater and music, but he remained cagey about his vision for exactly what people should expect on the Guild Hall stage. “I’m excited to see what it will be like when we finally get in there next year.” ![]() “I don’t know the history, but I can see and feel how important the space is to the community in East Hampton, and my sense is that (Guild Hall Executive Director) Andrea Grover and the leadership, and the architects and the technical side have really tried to be very careful and respectful about maintaining what it is that feels special about that space, at the same time trying to put upgrades in, in terms of how comfortable the seating will be and the acoustics,” he says. “It’s under renovations so it’s a little hard to say, but it’s a super interesting combination of the historic architecture and a complete modern upgrade in terms of sound and building in positions for cameras - I think it’s kind of the best of both,” he continues noting that things like the John Drew’s circus-tent ceiling design will remain in place. ![]() “I’ve paid two visits to East Hampton and I’ve seen what the theater is going to look like when it’s done, and I think it’s exciting,” Schwartz-Hall says. ![]() He also went fishing off Montauk every summer, so the area isn’t completely new to him. The new director points out that he spent 10 years at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) before moving to L.A., and they did a fair amount of work with Robert Wilson in Water Mill during his time there. A lot of people and artists I work with, they told me just the loveliest things about it,” Schwartz-Hall says, speaking on the phone from Los Angeles, adding, “Basically, in a nutshell, it was just too good an opportunity to pass up on.” “I was contacted when the search was launched for the Guild Hall position, and I wasn’t really looking to move or anything, but it’s just such a unique and remarkable opportunity to work across all areas of the performing arts in a beautiful location with a great legacy. Guild Hall Performing Arts Director Nick Schwartz-Hall Olivia Eberstadt, 2023 A Chat with Guild Hall Performing Arts Director Nick Schwartz-Hall He comes to Guild Hall with limited experience of the East End, but Schwartz-Hall has an open mind and already appears to understand the weight of the institution’s powerful heritage and what it means to the community after more than 90 years supporting the arts locally. Schwartz-Hall also established the Music Center’s producing department and oversaw the annual Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance season.
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