THE CM GEMS SEMI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER UPDATE – MARCH 2026
From the Desk of Eileen Cooper, CM Gems Conceirge
Hello GEMS Family,
First, I would like to thank all of you for being a GEM and a wonderful supporter of CM Performing Arts Center-we can’t thank you enough! It is hard to believe that we are more than halfway through our season already with Legally Blonde the Musical and Monty Python’s Spamalot the Musical already finished. We hope you enjoyed Spamalot for which we received spectacular reviews (apparently it was the “holy grail” of comedy)!! Everyone is loving CATS with its energetic dancing and creative costumes. Of course, we are all eagerly anticipating Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons!
Our LAPAA (Local Artists, Performers, Artisans, and Authors) initiative has flourished since it began in 2025 and we are proud to continue to highlight our local talent! We have featured painters, authors, photographers, sculptors, and one recent artist treated us to an evening with both her artwork and singing! It has been wonderful that our GEMS join us for these events and experience the abundance of creative artists that live right here on Long Island. In addition to our LAPAA Gallery Wall, some local talents on our stage have included An Evening with Donna Lipari, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Behold…The Moment! A Christmas Celebration, our New Year’s Eve show Fly Me to the Croon, and of course, a Tribute to Jon Rivera including his one act play, The Confession. Thank you to all that came out to celebrate him, Jon is missed by all.
We continue to make changes and improvements in several areas of the theatre to make everyone’s theatre experience more enjoyable and comfortable. First, we were fortunate to receive a generous donation from Advance Sound Company who installed a brand new, state of the art sound system! It has really made a huge difference and our patrons have noticed. Our landlord installed a new roof for us, so no more leaks!! We received an anonymous donation for new baby changing stations which were installed in both restrooms. We purchased additional booster seats (which are surprisingly super expensive) for our smaller patrons. Both the changing tables and the booster seats are necessary additions as our Children’s Theatre shows grow in popularity. Last, we purchased $23K worth of new stage lights through grant money we received. That’s a lot of improvements in just six months…it’s how we roll!
We have added several new staff positions: Scene Shop Manager: James Austin, Technical Operations Manager: Kevin Purdy. Both James and Kevin have worked here for quite a while, but these are new titles for them. We also have a new Director of Education: Liza Aquilino! Liza is no stranger to CM as she has performed here since middle school. She has a desk in our box office alongside our other staff members making for a wonderfully collaborative team! If you see any of them, please give them a warm welcome or a congratulations! Speaking of the Education Department, they have booked CM’s Annual Disney Performance Trip for 2026! Auditions take place in March. This is an exciting opportunity where students will perform at Walt Disney World AND receive a professional master class from a Disney Cast Member!
CM Performing Arts Center has been awarded several accolades over the past few months: Discover Long Island Partner of the Year, Best of Long Island Theatre Arts Center, Best of Long Island Best X (Formerly Known As Twitter) Account from Long Island, and the first ever 2026 Long Island Business Summit & Thrive Award for Arts and Culture. To say we are proud is an understatement. These awards are a true testament to the hard work put in by our CEO Marc Hollid-Ausset, our Executive Team, all of our Directors, staff, Board of Directors, casts, and volunteers. There’s a reason people say it takes a village, it’s because it’s true. Our collective effort has led to extraordinary results!
We have continued to nurture our wonderful partnerships with several Long Island companies such as North Fork Potato Chip Company and Pindar. We have also developed a new partnership with Spider Bite Beer Co. who has won two awards in 2026 including a Silver Medal (for Boris The Spider, Imperial Stout and Porter) and a Bronze Medal (for Silk Spinner, Porter Non-Imperial). We aim to provide our guests with a broad assortment of drinks and snacks so everyone has something to enjoy!
Now let’s get to some fun show information! Our next season (Season 57), begins in July with a great lineup of shows: Hairspray, the Long Island Premier of Rocky The Musical, The Addams Family The Musical, and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas the Musical! For Season 58 that starts in January 2027, we have Finding Neverland, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and Man of La Mancha (limited engagement). Now it’s time for our announcement of our third show of that season. It will be: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF!! It will run from April 3 through April 25. Please remember you are the FIRST to know about this – it is not public information until CATS closes this weekend. If you would like to purchase tickets, please call me on our GEMS Concierge Line at 631-218-2811 and you can use promo code: “Tradition” for 20% off up to six standard tickets (promo ends April 12).
We have already been selling tickets for these shows and many of our subscribers have renewed their subscriptions already. If you need tickets, please let me know soon so we can find you the best seats that are available. As usual, we love to hear any type of idea or review, whether good or bad because it only helps us improve! You can call, email or fill out a survey – I really do read every single one!
Now time for a special offer!! If you refer someone that signs up as a BRAND NEW GEM and they pay in advance for the year in full (any level), you will receive one free two person VIP table to either one main stage show or one guest artist performance…the choice is yours!! So tell your friends about us and then you can also enjoy their company at our GEM Quarterly Events, Artist Meet & Greets, our Holiday party, and any other fun events we have throughout the year!! Call me directly to redeem this offer that expires June 30, 2026 (*Please have them mention this offer when signing up).
Last, but not least, as your personal membership manager, my job is to make your membership and theatre experience seamless! Any questions you may have, whether it’s about using your GEM benefits, renewing your membership, or anything else, I am your point of contact. I encourage you to use your GEM benefits! Depending on your level, some benefits include fun things like a walk on role in a show, pics on set with the cast, and autographed playbills to name just a few!
I have spoken with many of you in person and on the phone, and I am always struck by how much our GEMS support and love CM. On a personal note, it has been wonderful getting to know all of you more and more through the year. I enjoy hearing about your families, your vacations, and hobbies so I personally thank you for making my job even more fun and interesting! We realize that we are truly lucky to have the most wonderful patrons and GEM members!
As you know, our tag line here at CM is “The Heart Of Long Island Theatre”. Thank you for being a huge part of what keeps our heart beating! Please reach out to me if you need help or have questions! As always….ENJOY THE SHOW!!
Eileen Cooper
Director of Guest Experience
631-218-2810 ext 1033
631-218-2811 CM Gems Concierge Number
eileen@cmpac.com
