The Stissing Center Brings World-Class Performances To Pine Plains
An iconic building in Pine Plains has been restore to its former glory and is a center of cultural activity.
Nearly a century after Pine Plains Memorial Hall was originally built, the stately three-story brick building that had sat empty since the 1990s began a journey back to its former glory. In 2014, local philanthropist Jack Banning spearheaded the purchaseof the building and, working closely with a group of residents, restored it to its original
purpose as a rural community hub and beacon of civic pride.
In 2019, the renamed Stissing Center for Arts and Culture unveiled its transformed main auditorium, Banning Hall—a rustic-chic performance space with an accessible glass entryway and rebuilt proscenium stage. Next on the docket is a final wave of construction that will restore the upper and lower levels of the building, adding an intimate second performancestage, community multi-use space, and office space for staff and other arts and community-focused nonprofits.
In the years since it opened, the center has become known for world-class performances that range from leading classical and folk musicians to Broadway stars, dance ensembles, theater productions, comedy acts, community movie nights, enriching children’s programming, and more.
This summer’s lineup showcase’s the center’s rich diversity of programming, from household names to rising stars.
Alan Cumming
On June 15, American Patchwork Quartet (APQ), led by multi-Grammy award-winning guitarist/vocalist Clay Ross, brings to the stage its masterful confluence of timeless American folk songs, jazz sophistication, country twang, West African hypnotics, and East Asian ornamentation.
Broadway lovers will thrill for “An Evening with Sally Mayes” on June 29. Mayes, perhaps best known for her Tony award-winning performance in the Roundabout Theater revival of “She Loves Me,” weaves together an evening of song, stories, and personal reflections of the lives of the talent that makes Broadway so unforgettable.
August 31 brings an appearance from musicians from the New York Philharmonic—including assistant principal violist Cong Wu and Nathan Vickery, the youngest cellist ever to join the Philharmonic. The quartet will explore the brilliance and lyricism of string repertoire, including the works of Schubert, Francaix, Panderecki, and Faure.
The summer wraps up with Alan Cumming’s new tour-de-force one-man show, “Uncut,” on September 28. The performance from the Scottish-American polymath, who has played God, the Devil, Hitler, the Pope, a teleporting superhero, Hamlet, all the parts in “Macbeth,” and the Emcee in “Cabaret” in the West End and on Broadway, is sure to draw a crowd.
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