Given East Hampton’s artists community, it should be no great surprise that our town is also a center for both professional and amateur dramatics. Since opening to the public on Aug. 19, 1931, Guild Hall has been the beating heart of the theater scene here. Guild Hall has gallery and multipurpose spaces, but the building was designed to “cultivate a taste for music, drama, and the arts,” as noted in the original incorporation application.
In November of 1931, less than three months later, the Guild Hall Players were formed. The Players were an amateur theater group composed of East Hampton locals and visitors from all walks of life who performed in Guild Hall’s John Drew Theater. Over the course of the next 45 years, the Players would give many performances, including a production of “My Sister Eileen” in the summer of 1944.
This photo from The Star’s archive shows Alfred James LaBatti (1922-1971) playing one of the show’s leading roles. LaBatti was born in New York City but moved with his family to East Hampton as a child, staying for the rest of his life. By day, LaBatti was a bus driver for Sunrise Coach Lines, and by night a beloved comic actor.
In “My Sister Eileen,” LaBatti appeared as “the Wreck,” a tenant renting a grimy basement apartment in Greenwich Village, the set for which can be glimpsed in the background of this photo. The cast featured a bevy of familiar East Hampton names, like Dayton, Barnes, Reutershan, and Loris. Stanley Stanlea, a hairdresser, appeared in the production as a South American sailor. The Star gave the show a good review.
LaBatti later appeared in several other productions. Sadly, he died unexpectedly at the age of 49, but his theatrical achievements were notable enough to be mentioned in his obituary, along with his friendliness.
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Julia Tyson is a librarian and archivist in the Long Island Collection.
