SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Iconic as much for his literary prowess as his larger-than-life personality, Truman Capote has ties deeply woven into Hamptons life and lore.
And so it's especially fitting that, for the first time on Long Island, staged readings of Capote's holiday story collection will bring his unique voice to life on a Hamptons stage — a place where he spent many years and where, in fact, he found a final resting place.
Center Stage at Southampton Arts Center will present the Long Island premiere, staged readings of Truman Capote's holiday collection of short stories: “The Thanksgiving Visitor,” “One Christmas” and “A Christmas Memory” on two separate weekends in November.
The stories speak of family, of childhood memories, of home — and where better to see new life breathed into his rich words than in a place that called to him and held such deep meaning?
Capote's presence was rich and vibrant on the Hamptons canvas: According to the Long Island Press, Truman Capote didn't spend his summers, like so many, traveling to the Hamptons — instead, he enjoyed the bliss of fall and winter. Sagaponack was once referred to as “Kansas with a sea breeze.”
Born in New Orleans in 1924 but raised largely in Monroeville, Alabama by aunts and cousins, Capote spoke to Architectural Digest in a 1976 interview about his Hamptons retreat, filled with his favorite things, Victorian collectibles. and photos that were his tests.
His weathered gray beach house was tucked away near Sagaponack, the article said—and the writer sank into solitude, heading to the East End to find inspiration for his work in natural splendor. He spent time reading and writing, walking his beloved dog Maggie, not engaging in the frenetic social scene that so many of his contemporaries preferred.
“I own these fields,” he told Architectural Digest, explaining that he had the house built to his specifications “by a local carpenter who's dead now. He did it according to my instructions. It's exactly how I wanted it. I'm working on this unpredictable look. It's intentional. You can tell how quiet it is here because you can barely see the top of another house. This is a place to be alone.”
And, too, the Hamptons was a place where he found eternal peace in the rich beauty of nature, the scent of the salty ocean breeze. According to a Sag Harbor Express article published on October 21, 2010 and reprinted by the Southampton Trails Preservation Society, a granite marker bench with a plaque was placed in tribute to Capote and his partner, author and playwright Jack Dunphy.
In the summer of 1994, friends, family and others joined The Nature Conservancy staff as the ashes of both Capote, who died in 1984, and Dunphy, who died in 1992, were spread over the waters of Crooked Pond.
The location, off Widow Gavits Road, south of Sag Harbor and deep in the Long Pond Greenbelt, makes a lot of sense: After their deaths, proceeds from the sale of Capote and Dunphy's Sagaponack home will be used to buy nearly 20 of critical acres, which will connect lands. to the north and south and the creation of a contiguous parcel of land vital to the preservation of the Green Belt for posterity.
An everlasting gift to the place that long symbolized Capote's home, where his memory lives on.
Performances of “The Thanksgiving Visitor” will take place on Friday, November 15 at 7 p.m., Saturday, November 16 at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, November 17 at 2:00 p.m. Performances of “One Christmas” and “A Christmas Memory” will will be held on Friday, November 29 at 2 p.m. (prior to the annual village Christmas parade), on Saturday, November 30 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, December 1 at 2 p.m.
The Southampton Arts Center is located at 25 Jobs Lane in the Village of Southampton, New York 11968.
Created through special arrangements and permission granted by The Truman Capote Literary Trust, Center Stage will bring to life the bittersweet, moving and thought-provoking prose written by one of the greatest and most celebrated American writers of the 20th century, Truman Capote. Set during the Great Depression of the early 1930s, the three stories are based heavily on Capote's youth in rural Alabama and focus on young Buddy and his lovably eccentric cousin, Shook. Together, through one Thanksgiving and two Christmases, Buddy and Shook learn a lot about honesty, love, loss, and lasting friendship.
“The Thanksgiving Visitor” centers on young Buddy and his reluctance to invite a classmate to his family's annual Thanksgiving dinner. In “One Christmas,” young Buddy spends the holidays away from his family in Alabama and in New Orleans with his seldom-seen father. “A Christmas Memory” is Capote's love letter to his elderly cousin, Sook, who raised him and taught him a lot about kindness, sharing, and forever.
Productions are funded in part by Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. Michael Disher directs, with direction and set design by Joey Giovingo and projections and music by Jack Seabury. Production photography provided by Dane Dupuis, with graphics and posters designed by Tracy Alia. The Center Stage cast includes Patrick Abillama, Daniel Becker, Susan Cincotta, Rori Finazzo, Tom Gregory, Vincenzo James Harty, Franco Pistritto, Jack Seabury, Michaal Lyn Schepps, Richard Schindler, Mary Sabo Scopinich.
“The Truman Capote Literary Trust has been quite pleased to present Mr. Capote's short stories in an area he once called home. I am delighted and honored to bring these stories, in their entirety, to the stage,” said Michael Disher. . “It is the trust's hope that interest in reading these stories is renewed. In many areas, 'A Christmas Memory' was once required reading in many schools,” Disher said.
Christina Strassfield, executive director of Southampton Arts Center added: “We are looking forward to our second season and holiday partnership with Center Stage at Southampton Arts Center. We can't think of a better way to kick off the holiday season with these beautiful stories.”
