Address

158 Main Street, East Hampton, NY 11937

Phone Number

(631) 324 - 4050

Date Visited

10/07/2017

Website

Link to Website

John Drew Theater at Guild Hall

Description

John Drew Theater at Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street, East Hampton. Parking is on the street. There is one handicapped space directly in front of the main entrance and two more are on the street around the corner (to the left of the building).

Two benches are located on the brick walkway in front of the main entrance. Three sets of street-level, double doors lead to the spacious, marble lobby. There are no seats here.

The theater entrance is straight ahead. Entering gets you to the “back of the house,” where there are a number of wheelchair accessible “boxes.”  Getting to all other seats requires going down three steps (with handrails on both sides).

Multi-stall, handicapped-accessible restrooms, with baby-changing stations, are located in an outer hallway. There is a small gift area in the lobby.

Checklist

    Surface of lot:  no lot
    Distance to venue:  depends on where you park
    Transportation to venue offered:  no
    Terrain:  flat
    Paths and walkways:  brick and concrete
    Doors:  three sets of street-level, double doors
    Number of floors:  1
    Elevators:  none
    Steps and staircases:  three steps (with handrails on both sides) down to majority of seats
    Width of aisles:  wide
    Places to sit:  wheelchair and companion seating at back of theater
    Location of restrooms:  in hallway behind one of the galleries
    Type of restroom:  multi-stall, with handicapped-accessible stall and baby-changing facilities
    Ease of entry and exit:  ok
    Baby changing station:  yes
    Available food services:  none
    Friendliness of staff:  fiiendly and professional
    Notes:  Entry to theater is at back - this is only level that is wheelchair accessible

Read More

While we were visiting the Guild Hall Museum we had the opportunity to view the John Drew Theater, which shares space in the  building.


After entering the marble lobby the theater entrance is straight ahead. Entering the theater puts you are at the back of the” house. ” This is the only level that is wheelchair accessible, with a number of “boxes” that have chairs that can be moved.   All other seating requires walking down three steps to the wide aisle. Handrails are on both sides of the steps. The gentleman who accompanied us assured me that if one needs special seating, or any other help, one has only to call the box office.


It is a beautiful theater that “…enchants audiences with its octagonal shape and blue and white striped tent-like ceiling that sweeps up to a chandelier of glass balloons.” (website)  It was recently renovated but, “…retains its original 1931 charm.” (website). We were certainly charmed by it!  We discovered that the theater was named and dedicated to John Drew, who had a summer home in East Hampton.


If you are attending a matinee, check to see if there is an exhibit in the galleries and make some time to visit. You probably won’t be disappointed.


One handicapped parking space is directly in front of the street-level, double door entrance. Two more handicapped spaces can be found on the side street to the left of the building. Beyond that, passengers can be dropped off and have a seat on one of the benches in front of the entrance while you look for a place to park. Brick, and then stone, are underfoot from the street to the entrance way.  The spacious, marble lobby does not have any seating.


Multi-stall, handicapped-accessible restrooms, with baby-changing stations are located in a hallway next to the gallery on the left.


As always, we at Destination Accessible, advise you to check a venue’s website, http://www.guildhall.org/theater , when planning a visit, to “know before you go.”



Location


Nearby

East Hampton LibraryTown of East Hampton