Theatre Three occupies Athena Hall in Port Jefferson, New York as a fully functioning, non-profit theatre company. Begun in the late 1960s, Theatre Three has become one of the premier theatre houses on Long Island. History Athena Hall has occupied many uses in its long lifetime. It was built in Port Jefferson as a common meeting place for the town and at one point functioned as the high school gymnasium after a fire. The building that was built as basically a large cube was finally cut in half to produce the theatre upstairs with raked seating and lobbies and a second stage underneath. Athena Hall ultimately became a popular vaudeville house where a number of famous acts would pass through weekly. As vaudeville waned, Athena Hall became used more as a movie theatre. The famous "Griswold Film Splicers" were manufactured in the very shop of the building that is now used as a second stage. This piece of machinery was used for virtually every motion picture, professional and amateur and was considered the latest technology at the time. After its use for motion pictures, it fell into disuse until it was acquired by Theatre Three, a year-round, non-profit professional theatre that was founded in 1969. For the past 38 seasons, Theatre Three has occupied Athena Hall, a now 140+ year-old historic building in the heart of Port Jefferson. Mission statement Theatre Three is dedicated to developing an appreciation for the art of live theatre among the residents of Long Island by involving as large a constituency as possible in a rich variety of programming which includes Mainstage, Second Stage, Cabaret, and Children's Theatre productions. The development of future audiences and performers is accessed through touring programs, a dramatic academy, and workshops. Theatre Three presents a diverse program of fresh and imaginative revivals of classics and modern plays. The theatre is an arena for previously unproduced plays, and works towards their future development. The theatre provides an environment in which talent can be nurtured, encouraged, and trained in the pursuit of a professional career. It is the goal of Theatre Three to attract familiar and established theatre artists to work with the theatre's own ensemble. Theatre Three expands its Long Island base by working with other theatres throughout the country in the development of programming and artistic exchange in order to achieve its goal of being the premier professional theatre of