A Q&A With Julienne Penza-Boone, The New Executive Director At The WHBPAC

On April 18, Julienne Penza-Boone was officially named the new executive director of the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. A native of Massachusetts, Penza-Boone joined WHBPAC as the arts education program manager in 2008.

She takes the helm during an uncertain time for all arts organizations — just last week, the PAC launched a critical relief campaign to raise funds to sustain its Arts Academy through the COVID-19 crisis. Recently, she talked a bit about her background, her vision for WHBPAC and what she’s learned about the community since coming to the area.

What is your background in the arts? Did you major in theater in college?

I did. I went to Boston College as an undergrad. I always thought I was going to be an actor, but when I was studying at BC I explored other aspects of education that were interesting to me. I stumbled into sociology and graduated with a double major in theater and sociology.

After graduating, I realized I like being a student, so I went to Rhode Island College where they were premiering a performance and society MFA. It was conservatory training, directing and acting, but also how to use theater for social change. The second year of that program was an internship with the Trinity Repertory Company in Rhode Island, which has a very respected education department. While I love performing, that passion was only matched by my love of kids and teaching. I also loved administrative work — creating programs and analyzing them — and I became interested in theater administration.

I finished the program in ’08 at the height of the recession, so I threw my net far and wide and was applying everywhere. I saw the listing for WHBPAC looking for an arts education and programming manager. My mother grew up on Long Island, so I applied and they liked me.

When you arrived at WHBPAC, you were new to the community. What was that transition like for you?

When I first moved down, I figured it would be a place like any other — and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Even within the East End, every hamlet has its own personality and quirks. It’s such an interesting community and you have to live here a while to understand.

For the first five years, I was young, in my 20s, and my family and friends were all in New England and I was hopping on the ferry every weekend. I was in a seasonal rental, and somewhat transient. It was not until a relationship ended that I stopped going up every weekend and [then executive director] Clare Bisceglia said, “I think it’s really time for you to start laying some roots here.”

When I got a year-round rental and started being part of that community and out and about on weekends, that’s when things change. I met my husband [Emmett Boone] and we bought a house in Center Moriches, and that’s when it changed.

It was five years before I really felt I was part of the community, in that I intrinsically understood it.

So what have you learned about the area since then?

There’s a thriving year-round population here, but even some folks in the summer have been coming for years and years. Whether they’re seasonal or year round, there is a small community bond between everybody.

I started to get to know the year-round families as they were coming through, but also in summer welcomed the same people back every year as a kind of ritual. I saw that this is not just a year-round vs. a summer community, this is all of us and those two components work together.

The mistake many people make is thinking this is only a seasonal community.

Q: How did heading up WHBPAC’s arts education program prepare you for this new role?

In so many ways. The great thing about the education program is that it’s so different from the main stage that it was running independently. I was responsible for school day performances, working with agents, signing contracts. I was learning the ropes and was even responsible for fundraising — finding money for sponsoring camps, hiring staff and teaching artists.

So it was a mini version of the job you have now.

It was.

There are a lot of cultural institutions on the East End that provide theatrical and musical entertainment. How do you design programming that doesn’t duplicate their offerings?

We have to think about how we’re differentiating ourselves. We’ve become known for presenting big names in music, which is a challenge. We’re a 420-seat independently run theater — we don’t have that Live Nation thing going on. Frank Russell, our production manager, has worked on building relationships, showing people this is a place they want to put their artists. They know they’ll be treated well, the acoustics are bar none and they feel comfortable coming to us — and big names want to come back.

Tribute acts have become popular, and an act like that is perfect for a shoulder season. We want names that excite people when they see it on the marquee, but we’re also looking for emerging and up and coming artists who are exciting.

What new initiatives would you like to introduce to the space?

I’m very interested in engaging younger audiences. We’re ready to work on that by forming a council of young people to advise us. We want to bring in our Generation Z audiences, but also Gen X and the Millennial audiences.

I also feel a missed opportunity is the Latino artists. Before the shutdown happened, Tito Rojas was going to be our first Latin act and we were excited. I’m always asking, “Who’s out here, and who are we not serving?”

Kids workshops are a big focus at WHBPAC. But can you talk about your interest in getting adults involved?

Yes! This is a big piece of my vision for the theater. We’ve always had our main stage programming and our arts education programming which is perceived as being just for children. I want to take down the wall between those two. How can we create opportunity for adults to engage in the arts instead of having them just sitting and watching a show?

I think that’s a huge need. Adults say, “I’d like to improve my public speaking or express myself beyond the monotony of everyday life.” We’ve been exploring that through our “Sip & Speak” public speaking for adults, and “Sip & Sing” singing program for adults.

We’re looking for those opportunities, but also to expand how we define the performing arts — it’s music, theater, dance, but also storytelling. We have a program called “The Moment” where we listen to entrepreneurs talk about how they built their business.

I think in the future, the PAC can be a place to see incredible performing arts but also a place to come and feel empowered.

How has the COVID crisis changed your take on what WHBPAC can and should be going forward?

Well, I would say it hasn’t changed what I think it should be going forward, this crisis has only cemented that. I’ve never felt closer to my community. [The recently rebuilt] Main Street is so beautiful and was on the precipice of something huge when all this happened. I think we’ll get through this and come out on the other side better than before. I believe the theater and Westhampton Beach’s best days are ahead.

We just don’t know what the season is going to be. But we are resilient and we have the right team.

During the reconstruction of Westhampton Beach’s Main Street, the Walk of Fame in front of the theater was also rebuilt by the construction crew. Tell me about that.

They took all the stones out of the Walk of Fame and had to put them all back in. They had been put in piece-meal and they offered to put them in permanently and make them all even. Now it’s all uniform and we gained more stones to sell, but when it’s done it’s done. When Main Street reopens, it will be gorgeous and it’s a great way to support the theater.

How much is a stone?

It’s $1,000 per stone and you can engrave it however you like — for a graduation, a business name, a birthdate. It’s all tax deductible and there are 200 stones left.

By the way, you can also rent our marquee for $500 for a birthday or graduation photo op or drive-by celebration. That also supports us. It will stay up at least three hours — depending on when it goes up, you might get a couple extra hours.

Q: How do you arrange that?

Go to our website — whbpac.org — or contact Christine Alford, the development director.