THE CM GEMS SEMI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER UPDATE – SEPTEMBER 2026
From the Desk of Eileen Cooper, CM Gems Conceirge
Hello GEMS Family,
First, thank you all for being a CM GEM and an amazing supporter of the CM Performing Arts Center – you are truly appreciated! It is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through Season 57. We received rave reviews for our spirited performances in Hairspray – we combed it, teased it, and styled it, but the hairspray has set! We have only a few performances of Rocky left, and apparently Rocky is a knockout thus far:) We certainly had fun “fake” running through the streets of Sayville and Oakdale to promote it! Our patrons seem to be very excited about both The Addams Family, The Musical coinciding with the spooky Halloween season and, of course, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas with the holidays swiftly approaching.
Our LAPAA (Local Artists, Performers, Artisans, & Authors) initiative continues to gain momentum since it began in 2025 and we are proud to continue to highlight our local talent! We have featured sculptors, painters, authors, photographers and some of our artists were multitalented so we had a bonus talent on those particular nights! LAPAA has become quite popular as evidenced by the pile of artist submission requests to have their artwork grace our Gallery Wall. 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. It is fun to learn about each artists’ unique journey and hear some of the fun questions you come up with. In addition to our LAPAA Gallery Wall, we have had plenty of local talent on our stage and more to follow with our upcoming shows including Senioritis: We’re Still Here! The Musical (back by popular demand!) and The Nutcracker Remix. Our next LAPAA event will be held on Tuesday, October 6 at 6:30 pm. We will meet Callie Barker, a Board Certified Art Therapist from Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. The artwork is created by her patients and families. If you have not joined us for one of these LAPAA events, please join us (and feel free to bring a friend) for this complimentary event. Remember – there is absolutely no obligation to purchase any artwork at all. Rather, it is a night to learn about and support local artists in our area!
We continue to make changes and improvements in several areas of the theatre to make everyone’s theatre experience more enjoyable and comfortable. We purchased a new refrigerator for our concession closet; though not very exciting, it is a huge improvement for us behind the scenes of our concession. We are actively working on enhancements to the orchestra pit to improve sound balance and dampening, creating an even better listening experience for our audiences. Our team is currently exploring new solutions to better control the orchestra’s sound while maintaining the energy and excitement of live music, and we look forward to implementing these improvements soon. As you already know, we previously expanded our VIP Table area to include tables (house right) and a new high top table in front of our sound booth to maximize our popular VIP area! This area remains fully ADA compliant and accessible and, as a point of pride, we were recently designated “Accessibility Verified” by Wheel The World!
CM has improved programs and benefits that we offer to our patrons! We are proud to announce that we have launched SPARKLE (Supporting Performance, Arts & Recreation for Kinesthetic Learning & Expression), classes for neurodivergent students age 13-19 years old with classes beginning in November 2026. We added a sensory sensitive performance to every Main Stage and Children’s Theatre production. What does that mean? We have a dedicated performance that is open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend, however it is specially designed for neurodivergent patrons. For example, the lights may be dimmer, sounds won’t be as loud or spontaneous, patrons can bring comfort items with them and they are free to move around if needed. The goal is to have a safe and welcoming space where EVERYONE can enjoy the arts! We have received many positive surveys thanking us for having this wonderful opportunity available. As far as our website, our check out flow is easier, we now offer VIP Table subscriptions online (previously patrons had to call us), we rolled out a new Children’s Theatre flex subscription (which includes free coloring books), we now offer Theatre Pass holders 40% off tickets (as opposed to their usual 30%), and we are changing/improving our GEM benefits that will be released in the near future-YAY for all of our GEMS!!
CM has been recognized and awarded several accolades since my last newsletter! There’s a lot so here we go….CM Performing Arts Center was selected as one of WBAB’s and WBLI’s Long Island’s Local Legends Award as a local business making a difference by supporting the community, shaping the economy, and making Long Island feel like home! Marc Hollid-Ausset, our CEO and President, became a member of the Sayville Chamber of Commerce and they are wonderful supporters of CM, and he recently received an award from the LI Business News for Leadership Excellence of a nonprofit. Brendan Noble, our Director of Marketing, was honored with the Long Island Press Power List 2026 Gay City News Impact Award. Ryan Nolin, our Director of Operations, was honored with Dan’s Power List of the East End Award 2026. Liza Aquilino, our Director of Education, was honored as one of Long Island Business News 2026 Emerging Leaders Under 30. Eileen Cooper was honored as one of Dan’s Power Women of the East End 2026.
CM has added several new staff positions and new employees: Dr. Dennis McElheron of DJM Consulting Services Inc. is our Accessibility & Inclusion Coordinator and he has helped CM coordinate our brand new SPARKLE (Supporting Performance, Arts & Recreation for Kinesthetic Learning & Expression) program. Ray Atkin is our new Front of House Manager and he manages all of our Children’s Theatre shows. Ashlyn Frank is our Director of Production and she is also the playwright of The Area Between Us. (I am delighted many of you took advantage of our complimentary ticket offer and really enjoyed the show)! Anthony Arpino is our new Scene Shop Manager, though you probably already know him from his many performances as he has been a part of the CM family for years. We have a new Resident Costume Designer, Jojo Minasi, who hosted our recent GEMS Quarterly Behind-the-Curtain event! Last but not least, Luke Graziano and Bailey Cocchi are our new set builders. If you see any of them, please give them a warm welcome or a congratulations!
Now for some fun show information: Our next season (Season 58) starts in January 2027 with a great line up. We have Jesus Christ Superstar, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Fiddler On The Roof, and 42nd Street. As a limited engagement, we have Man of La Mancha from March 19-21. CM Performing Arts Center will be celebrating our 40th anniversary as an organization in 2027. Thirty years ago we moved into our current location; we chose Man of La Mancha as an homage to this anniversary because it was the first show performed in this location all those years ago! For Season 59 which starts in July 2027, we have The Wedding Singer, and drumroll please …. the next show will be The Producers: The Mel Brooks Musical! *Remember you are learning this before the general public! If you would like to buy tickets, please email or call me with the code: PRODUCERS to get 20% discount (limit of 6 standard tickets, expires October 4th) or you can wait until Sunday evening, September 20th, to buy them on our website at cmpac.com. As for our Children’s Theatre shows in 2027, we have: The Three Little Pigs, Pete The Cat, Elephant & Piggie’s We Are In A Play, and The Spongebob Musical Theatre For Young Audiences Edition. The next Children’s Theatre show to be announced is … Curious George: The Golden Meatball. Remember, this show is not public information until Saturday night. Needless to say, we have LOTS of amazing entertainment headed your way! Who knows-maybe some of our Sapphire and Onyx GEMS will take advantage of the GEM benefit for a walk-on role in a show??
Many of you have already purchased tickets to these shows. It is always best to buy your tickets early so we may secure the best seat for you! If you are not a Subscriber, Theatre Pass Holder, Children’s Theatre Subscriber, or a Cover Band Pass Holder, remember each of these memberships offer their own incredible perks and discounts. Many of our patrons purchase them as gifts for birthdays and holidays too! As you know, we love to hear any comments, praise, and constructive criticism; the surveys help us improve, make us aware of some great things we are doing, fix something we were unaware of, or praise an employee or volunteer! Please continue to fill out the surveys OR complete your very first one – I really do read every single one and, BONUS…we choose one winner for each Main Stage and each Children’s Theatre show who receives 2 FREE tickets!
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 your GEM benefits, renewing your membership, or anything else, I am your point of contact. I encourage you to use your GEM benefits! Look them over on our website or give me a call, there are some really fun benefits aside from just free tickets! As I mentioned above, we are improving our GEM benefits so that you’ll receive even more perks for your donation. Once they are finalized, I will send an email so that you can take a look for yourselves!
Thank you again for being CM GEMS and wonderful supporters of the CM Performing Arts Center! We truly appreciate your generosity and can’t thank you enough. On a personal note, thank you for always being kind, generous, and enthusiastic about the events we host. If you have not been to an Artist Meet & Greet, a Behind-The-Curtain Event, or our holiday parties, please bring a friend and experience it! I really love my job here at CM and a big part of that has to do with you-our fabulous GEMS!
Thank you for being a huge part of what makes us “The Heart Of Long Island Theatre”!
Please reach out to me if you need help or have questions! As always….ENJOY THE SHOW!!
Eileen Cooper
Membership Manager
631-218-2810 ext 1033
631-218-2811 CM Gems Concierge Number
eileen@cmpac.com
