Arts & Culture in Shirley

An oasis for arts-loving crowds tired of taking malfunctioning teleporters to Long Island, the cavernous, recently renovated Paramount draws in major acts to spare fans stressful commutes. The buxom venue buzzes with a true rock 'n' roll vibe, beaming with a nocturnal color scheme decorated with whimsical local art and exposed brick walls.

After his daytime gig as a financial planner in Manhattan, Eli Newsom returns to his theatrical roots as artistic director of Bridgeport Theatre Company, a nonprofit founded by a band of Connecticut-based artists in 2010. Eli harnesses more than 15 years of performing and teaching expertise into each season's productions, which range from acclaimed dramatic fare to beloved musicals. The company’s ace staffers strive to bring each script to life with local actors and designers, and the BTC New Works program annually highlights the work of local playwrights, actors, and directors. In addition to its local cast and crew, each production depends on the aid of 25–50 volunteers, who lend a hand with countless tasks such as set construction, ushering, and haunting the theater dressed in a phantom costume.

The Broadway Center aims to provide outstanding theatrical venues in which to entertain artistic attendees of all ages. Your Friend membership grants you a year of performance perks, as the best seats for season shows at the Pantages Theater, the Rialto Theater, and the Theatre on the Square are held for members. You'll also have the opportunity to purchase tickets before the general public and get wait-list priority for sold-out events. Use your status as a newly christened member to snag primo tickets to upcoming shows such as Twist and Shout: The Ultimate Beatles Experience on March 31, or the Tony Award–winning musical Fiddler on the Roof on April 26.

Greek immigrant Louis Santikos founded his first movie theater in San Antonio in 1911, when silent moving pictures of train robberies and slapstick comedy were an exciting novelty. Today, the thriving regional theater empire continues the family tradition of dazzling audiences with attractions such as IMAX sensory journeys.

Santikos's expansive theaters house up to 19 screens of first-run cinematic entertainment at some locations. Equipped with popcorn and sodas, moviegoers can nervously munch and sip their way through every pulse-pounding car chase, tragic missed connection, or gripping montage of drying paint. Screenings in 3-D of select films are brought to life by the gloriously immersive illuminations of Xpand 3-D projectors.

Film buffs across six states stare wide-eyed at large cinema screens, losing themselves in first-run Hollywood movies and the smell of fresh, buttery kernels within Your Neighborhood Theatre's 17 locations. Though all theaters prioritize comfortable seating, old-fashioned friendly service, and high-stakes preshow trivia slideshows, each location encompasses its own distinct charm, be it through arthouse décor, 3-D screens, or Rhode Island's vintage 1950's drive-in setting.

At Movie World Cinemas, a recently added café draws in early arrivers with sandwiches and fresh cappuccinos. Patrons can linger there before heading to one of seven handsome screening chambers with projection capacity for traditional film and 3-D movies. Newly installed digital projectors show crystal-clear images while digital surround-sound speakers shake seats with the screeches of onscreen car chases and the weeping of James Bond’s dry cleaner. In the large main lobby, the digital burble of a small arcade stirs air scented heavily by sunshine-hued popcorn. The staff has spent the past few years working on a series of updates and improvements, and the movie palace regularly hosts special events and children’s parties.