History of Gateway

The Gateway Playhouse - and it's first incarnation, the Gateway Hotel, have operated under the same family management since 1941. The property, originally a farm, was formerly the estate of J. L. B. Mott, and its Mansion House and ballroom were designed by the famous architect - Stanford White. Presently the buildings on the property include: the Main Stage Playhouse, The Barn Theatre, part of the original mansion house, dance studios, costume shop and costume storage loft, rehearsal studios, set painting and construction buildings, prop and furniture storage, housing for personnel and staff, box office facilities and administration offices.

1941-1950

Gateway Hotel - Harry C. Pomeran and his wife Libby operate a resort hotel for Christian Scientists during the summer months. Their three children Sally, David and Ruth are involved planting vegetables, washing dishes, waiting on tables, as well as milking Daisy, the cow. The property houses two hundred chickens as well as hay, corn etc. The windmill on the property pumps the family's water from a deep artesian well. The barn is used for storage as well as the cow. Sally, David and Ruth go away to college and bring friends home with them to wait on tables in the elegant dining hall. The Pomeran children entertain the guests by singing, performing skits, puppet shows and playing the piano. After local residents begin lining up to see the performances, Harry decides to make a small investment. Echoing Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, the family thought, 'let's put on shows in the barn!' Oldest sister Sally takes on the project, devoting her senior thesis to designing an arena stage, with haylofts as balconies on each side. Daisy the cow is moved out to make room for dressing rooms in the stalls. The property is converted into a fully operating professional theatre.

1951-1960

The former Sally Pomeran, (now Sally Harris,) operates the theatre with a charter from the United Nations. In a letter from Eleanor Roosevelt, the Gateway is named the "official international theatre of the United Nations." At this time, actors present works by international authors, Shakespeare, Moliere, Chekhov and Christopher Fry. "We envisioned summer stock here and planned to move into a New York theatre in the winter," David Pomeran (professional name, David Sheldon) says. The first play to be performed was Shakespeare's, "Taming of the Shrew." Audiences begin to flock to the shows performed by the talented company in the unique set-up. Ruth (Pomeran) Allan recalls a couple of stand out stories from the days in the Barn Theater. She remembers, "During a performance of "The Madwoman of Chaillot" in 1955, actress Ruth Jostyn called for an imaginary dog, Dickie. Boye Dog, Gateway's resident canine, did not understand the finer points of a Jean Giraudoux fantasy. Knowing that a dog was being called but not stopping to discriminate, Boye Dog tore through the open barn doors,down the aisle, and onto the stage, forcing both actors and audience to wonder who was really crazy." Robert Duvall, one of the Playhouse's more famous alumni, was the villain in a production of John Willard's 1922 thriller, "The Cat and the Canary" when he missed his cue and failed to enter to choke another actor to death. The actor on stage who was to be killed, realized he would have to fake it himself. He turned away from the audience, put his elbows up with his hands around his neck and made it appear as if the "murderer" had done the job by sticking his hands through the curtain." Other performers and directors in Gateway's formative years in the 50's include Gene Hackman, Ulu Grossbard, Michael Gazzo, Ken Howard and Julia Migenes-Johnson. Sally, David and Ruth are all performing thru this decade.

1960-1970

David and his father Harry are at the helm of the theatre, by then known throughout the country as Long Island's leading Summer Stock Theatre and Training Center. Stanford White's grand ballroom is destroyed by a tragic fire. The Main Stage Theater is constructed. The original Barn Theatre is used for student productions, and smaller "second stage" dramas and musicals. All the scenery and costumes for the productions are built on the Gateway grounds and dormitory facilities house as many as 60 students/apprentices during the summer months. A total of 16 productions, including a series of children's shows requires two plays in production, two in rehearsal and at least one in the audition process at the same time. Professionals are hired in New York for leading roles and talented apprentices are cast in featured and chorus positions. Gateway becomes Columbia Pictures talent farm. Casting Director Joyce Selznick sends her discoveries from LA and NY to gain experience. James Darren and David Carradine follow in Tony Curtis's footsteps. Tour packages are booked late in the decade. Hans Conreid, George Gobel, Geraldine Page, Betty Field, Dick Shawn star.

During the mid-1960's, Sally, now married, moves to Baltimore where she becomes the head of the Drama and Communications Departments at Villa Julie College. Her husband is the prominent artist, Charles Leslie Harris who has a gallery in Baltimore, MD. David, marries and moves to Los Angeles, now a successful movie producer, director and writer. He is married to actress-writer Joan McCall. They both meet their spouses at Gateway. Ruth stays and heads up the training division and does quite a bit of musical theater performing. She met her spouse, Stanley Allan, after he reviewed her show for a local radio station. She got a rave! Stan begins working part time for the Playhouse, selling advertising for the Playbill and also begins his long history of pre-show announcements.

1974-1980

The novelty and popularity of summer-stock begins to wane. Full scale musical productions replace star-packages. Ruth and her husband Stan, take over as Producers. Non-Equity productions such as Hair, George M, Pippin, Mack and Mabel, and The Rocky Horror Show are presented. Gateway audiences continue to grow and include subscribers from all over the Island. The training center expands.  The Allan's, along with their children Robin Joy and Paul, oversee all technical and artistic aspects of the business and continue the training programs. Young people that take part in the programs, come to Gateway from all over the United States during the summer months as workshop students, apprentices and A.I.Ts (Actors in Training.) The training encompasses morning classes, afternoon rehearsals and evening performances. The faculty, directors, counselors and the administrative staff unite to give inspirational guidance to young actors. During this time  period, Paul gravitates towards the technical end of the theater, carpentry, electrical and sound engineering. Robin spends her time performing on the Main Stage and writing, teaching and directing in the "Barn."

The following is an excerpt from NEWSDAY, written by Steve Parks:

Ruth Allan always knew where to find her son when school was out for the summer - even if it was 1:00am and Paul should be, but wasn't home in bed. "When I was about 12, I remember one Sunday night/Monday morning, actually - we were striking the set for Anything Goes," said Paul Allan, now an associate producer and the third generation of his family to run the show at Bellport's Gateway Playhouse. "My Mom comes into the theatre and asks, sort of anxiously, 'Where's Paulie?' - 'He's up there on the scaffold. See him up there with the socket wrench?' someone on the crew said, pointing way up towards the lights. Well, that did it. Mom ordered me down and dragged me off to bed while everyone was hollering, 'But we need Paulie!'"
They don't call him Paulie anymore, but the cast and crew - and his mother - still know where to find him during the Gateway season. They still need him, too, especially when something goes wrong. "Something always goes wrong, are you kidding?" Paul Allan said with a laugh. "But I learned from my grandfather how to deal with whatever happens."
"My kids were born in a trunk," said Ruth Allan, borrowing an old expression which means that they were stage brats. Paul's sister Robin, made her debut in a production- at the age of 16 months.

1980-1990

Ruth answers a different call and embarks on a new career as a Christian Science practitioner and lecturer. Stanley is elected to office as Brookhaven Town Clerk. The management is turned over to their children Robin Joy and Paul who basically could find the road map for producing written on the palms of their hands.

Paul and Robin become co-producers in the early 1980's, but Robin, pursuing an acting career, joins a National Tour of "Godspell" and later moves to Los Angeles to become a casting director. Her credits include: When Harry Met Sally, Parenthood, Ghost, and the remake of Lord Of The Flies. She does return to Bellport  in 1993, to raise a family, and along with her husband, Lorrin Gillman, re-establishes Gateway's Acting School.

John Hodge, their former stage manager becomes the Associate Producer with Paul. Previously, during the long Gateway off-seasons, they had worked together on Off-Broadway shows such as Painting Churches, Groucho, Diamonds, Pacific Overtures, Dames At Sea, and Just So. Computerized lighting systems are added, a complete re-rig of the fly loft, and a state of the art sound system are installed to upgrade the facility. Gateway grows from a season of four shows to six.

1991-1999

Paul Allan and John Hodge set up a touring company. Waco, Texas, Memphis Tennessee, Victoria British Columbia, even Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were some remote locations on the tour routes. John muses.."People wanted to know if they could rent our costumes or buy our sets, so we decided to send out the whole show instead." Gateway took its production of Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Song and Dance" on a 25 city national tour, and Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music" on a Far East tour of Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. Incidentally, "The Sound Of Music" was the first American musical ever presented in Korea. Other Tours produced Internationally; "Anything Goes", "South Pacific", "Camelot," and "A Chorus Line."

Robin Joy Allan (returning form Los Angeles as Robin Gillman) re-joins the Gateway Management Staff as full time Casting Director. To expand their base, in 1993 Gateway takes over the 650 seat-Candlewood Playhouse in New Fairfield, Ct. The first production at the new theatre is the show-biz classic "A Chorus Line" (directed by Bobby Longbottom - Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Scarlet Pimpernel.) Gateway sends it's shows to Ct. for five years before ceasing operation in 1998. The productions there receive critical acclaim including many Connecticut Critics Circle Awards.

Bellport Village designates an historic "Performing Arts" business zone, allowing Gateway to run their business as they had been accustomed, ending a flurry of expensive legal battles instigated by neighbors who had moved close to the theatre fifteen or more years after its inception. In 1997, Paul Allan consults on the renovation and restoration of Patchogue's derelict 1923 former vaudeville house and movie theater, which reopens The Patchogue Theatre For The Performing Arts, with Gateway's Nutcracker On Ice. Allan and Hodge and their Office Staff manage the new theater along with Gateway Playhouse for two years.

2000 and Beyond

Gateway resolves a dispute with Patchogue Village, and while they no longer manage Patchogue Theatre, continue to mount two shows there each summer, as well as a holiday show in December. John Hodge moves to Connecticut and operates his expanded touring business. Paul Allan continues the family tradition producing , and running   the active set rental business. Gateway Playhouse continues to thrive as Long Island's only professional musical theater, representing four unions and showcasing Broadway talent, while maintaining a long tradition of offering quality entertainment to generations of Long Islanders.