There are plenty of beautiful old barns in the Sullivan Catskills, but only one of them has been hosting world class theatrical productions since 1947. As one of only a handful of small summer theaters left in the United States, both locals and visitors alike will tell you the Forestburgh Playhouse punches well above its weight.
More on that later. For now, let’s start with the backstory.
The Best of Live Entertainment Since 1947
In the 1940s, theater founders John and Aida Grahame and Alexander and Sally Maissel were leasing the legendary Provincetown Playhouse in New York City’s Greenwich Village when they learned that NYU was buying up land to expand the university. Preferring to be proactive rather than reactive, which is a very Catskill thing to do, they wandered up the Hudson Valley to Forestburgh where they bought a farm with a barn.
“When we purchased it with a down payment of very little money and an unbelievable amount of ambition and of dreams,” Sally would later write, the goal was to house Provincetown productions in summer, while keeping the prospect of a permanent move in their empty back pockets.
“Summers were hot on MacDougal Street [where the Provincetown Playhouse was located] and after a few attempts at establishing a summer season at Point Lookout [Long Island], we gathered a few of our winter performers, found a few paying apprentices and made the first payment on Forestburgh in March of 1947. It was completely under snow at the time. As the snow melted, worn out walls, all but empty wells, miles of broken-down fences, patches here and there came to the surface…and it still looked like heaven to us.” – Sally Maissel
Barndominium at a Theatrical Level
Their “ambition and dreams” then built a small stage, repaired a pair of outhouses, installed some incredibly uncomfortable second-hand seats and opened a theater at the end of June of that year.
There’s a phrase “about dying in the place of someone I love.” In 1960, the Grahames did both. She, in the box office and he, two years later in the dressing room before a performance. Al Maissel followed in 1974, and after well over 250 performances, Sally tried to keep the stage lights on by renting the building. The weight of which took its toll, and she ultimately lowered the curtain and sold it to Gregg Harlan and Craig Sandquist who in 1980 promptly changed the name to the Forestburgh Playhouse.
“We played almost all of Shakespeare, much of the 18th century, modern classics, all of Gilbert and Sullivan, Moliere, John Gay and a dozen delightful children’s shows written by Mr. Grahame, by me or in collaboration, and all with wonderful scores by Mr. Maissel. Camps and bungalow colonies from miles around have been our happy audiences for 28 years,” wrote Sally.
Gregg and Craig took what was then a run-down and depressed property and between 1981 and 1991 doubled the seating capacity in the playhouse, expanded a small tavern that used to be a coffee room built by the Maissel’s, and bumped the audience subscription by 35 percent.
Fabulous Food, Spirits & Song
In the new Tavern at Forestburgh Playhouse, the fellas introduced a dinner cabaret where actors from the main stage took turns plinking a piano. It was an instant hit and evolved into an original music review performed today with full food and cocktail service.
Gregg died in 1986 and Craig, like Sally before him, kept the doors open until health issues of his own proved too much to manage and thus sold the property to an old friend and fellow theater enthusiast named Norman Duttweller. Norman took the Playhouse to a new level by introducing a children’s theatre program, installing air conditioning, adding new far more comfortable seating, a new bar and a digitized ticketing system. Just for funsies, he added Sullivan County’s largest perennial garden complete with water features.
Nearly 80 Years of Curtain Calls
To this day, Norman serves as the Forestburgh Playhouse Producing Director where he, along with the help of Franklin Trapp, who became the theater’s producer in 2014, now welcomes 35,000 patrons each summer and fall into what locals call the “Miracle of the Forest.”
Now in its 79th season, the Forestburgh Playhouse is the heart of performing arts in Sullivan County with a full menu of interactive entertainment including musicals, plays, the cabaret, arts education, concerts and special events presented by professional actors and instructors.
This season alone featured musicals Newsies and Shrek along with plays The Full Monty and Young Frankenstein on the main stage. Its accompanying Forestburgh Playhouse Academy for children hosted a week-long Musical Theatre Ensemble Experience and a two-week Musical Theatre Intensive. The annual In the Woods Theatre Festival hosted at the beginning of September welcomed creators from around the country to Forestburgh for three days of Q&A talkbacks, open mic’s, stage readings of new plays, a new musical and two solo cabaret acts.
Rave Reviews from the Audience
“My sister and I saw Newsies and the production was phenomenal!! I expected a good show, but it was way above and beyond that. I had never been to the Playhouse, but I will definitely come back for more! Great job,” reviewed Lisa Salvato.
“Just saw Young Frankenstein and it was as good as anything I’ve seen on Broadway. The singing and choreography was top notch. I smiled through the whole show. This is an outstanding venue. Looking forward to the next show,” said Steve B.
“Absolutely THE BEST local playhouse! The talent is phenomenal with the majority of the cast & crew coming from Broadway, off-Broadway & touring productions. The playhouse itself is set in a rustic barn & any seat in the house is fine. There is a tavern attached that offers special dinner cabaret events in addition to drinks. One of my favorite live entertainment venues!” adds Angel Scalice.
“A premier LOCAL playhouse offering big name productions with enthusiastic and amazingly talented Thespians, and no need to travel into NYC! When I say, “I laughed… I cried”, We really did. At every show. We are Summer Season subscribers, and now also enjoy the after-show Cabaret’s. You must try Forestburgh!” says Fred Kalena.
A Town Steeped in Arts, History and Hidden Gems
Even if you don’t grab a bite, enjoy a cocktail or catch a famed dinner cabaret performance at the Forestbugh Tavern (you should) when cruising into town for a show, the community of Forestburgh is as enchanting as the playhouse itself.
As the smallest town in Sullivan County (remember the punching above its weight bit), there is something around every corner to surprise you. Merriewold Park, for example, is famous for its residents of playwrights, and stage and screen actors.
Down the road from the park is Sho Fu Den, a Japanese palace brought to Forestburgh from the 1939 New York World’s Fair by Dr. Jokichi Takamine, a biotech pioneer whose research led to the use of adrenaline in medicine. There are 15 historical markers within a few blocks.
In 1982, a log cabin was discovered within an existing home and its age was traced back to 1834 when those of Celtic, German and Swedish descent worked the tanneries and logged the surrounding forest. You read that correctly, a circa 1800s log cabin was found in the 1980s inside of a farmhouse. How cool is that?
Locals’ Tip: You can see the now relocated and restored cabin, along with the historical marker that accompanies it, when you visit Forestburgh to catch a play or cabaret.
Broadway Spirit, Catskills Soul
Here, the spirit of Broadway exists in the Catskill woods because two ambitious couples from NYC were scared to lose their city land and decided to gamble on a neglected barn in the sticks. Nearly 80 years later, that barn is still a beacon for the performing arts and those who love the escape that can only come from the creativity of a stage built and loved by a community.
Forestburgh is the kind of place where $35 bucks will get you a front row seat to Rocky Horror Live along with salad, dinner and dessert every Friday and Saturday in October. Take that, TKTS.
