Thursday, October 1, 2026
For over four years, the Sparkle on Stage Cultural Arts Center has carved out a rare cultural space on Freeport’s Nautical Mile, hosting everything from live music and theater to spoken-word and drag performances, student showcases and community conversations.
Now the organization is trying to ensure that space remains a fixture in the village by purchasing the building at 195 Woodcleft Ave. that it now leases from its owner Gro-Grove Realty Group.
Sparkle on Stage owner Robyn Workman said the effort to buy the building is as much about preservation as ownership.
“It’s a community cultural arts center,” Workman said. “We offer the space at reasonable rates to other nonprofits, to high school students, and we work with the children of the community. I don’t want to see our space become another bar or another restaurant.”
Workman said there are few venues like Sparkle on Stage nearby, let alone on the Nautical Mile, and that the diversity of programming is intentional. Over the past year alone, the venue has hosted high school bands, tribute concerts, original theater productions, multi-generational community events and more.
“There’s not really another space like ours for miles and miles and miles,” she said. “We serve a specific and unique experience — not just for Freeport, but for surrounding communities as well.”
The push to purchase the building comes as Sparkle on Stage continues to gain recognition across Long Island. The venue was recently named a top-five finalist in the Long Island Choice Awards in the small theater category, with voting on the winner set to begin Jan. 22. The nomination, Workman said, came as a surprise.
“I don’t even know who put us up for the vote,” she said. “But it shows the support we have.”
Sparkle on Stage has become a regular stop for touring and local performers alike. It has hosted recent events ranging from yacht rock concerts to theatrical concerts like The Wizard of Oz in Concert to artist networking nights hosted by the Long Island Arts Council at Freeport. Proceeds from several of those shows have supported Sparkle’s #HomeForSparkle campaign, the fundraising initiative tied to the building purchase.
Community members say that purchasing the building would preserve a space that has become meaningful for families across the area. Alina Kuehn, a Baldwin resident whose 8-year-old daughter, Catherine, participates in programming at Sparkle on Stage said the venue has played a significant role in introducing her child to theater.
“I think it’s a wonderful place,” Kuehn said. “It’s a welcoming place. It’s very inclusive. “Mrs. Robyn is great with children, and it gives everyone a place to experience all sorts of different events, from paint nights to community theater. And it gives the children, like, an introduction to productions and experience on a stage.”
Kuehn said her family discovered Sparkle on Stage by chance last summer while visiting the Nautical Mile, when they wandered in during an open audition. She added that she hoped the campaign to purchase the building succeeds.
“I really do hope they’re able to buy the building,” she said to the Herald, “because it’s, I think, necessary for the local community and … society as a whole to have a place like that.”
Workman said the cost of acquiring the property, which she currently rents for $2500 a month, will exceed $1 million. The organization is pursuing a lease-to-own arrangement, and hopes to raise $50,000 to $75,000 for an initial down payment.
“We need the community’s help,” she said.
So far, Sparkle on Stage has raised five thousand dollars through benefit performances, donations and other fundraising efforts. Among the recent fundraisers were a concert by local band Plain Jane and Oz in Concert, a multi-generational production that brought in about $1,500.
Additional events are planned, including the return of Almost Hamilton, an original musical tied to Freeport’s upcoming celebrations of the nation’s semiquincentennial, a High Tea art auction in March, and wellness-focused arts programming throughout the year.
Workman said remaining a tenant indefinitely is risky. “I think, eventually, the current landlords are going to sell,” she said of the Grover family, who own the building.
“I don’t want to see somebody else come in and either raise our rent to a point that I can’t afford to stay, or take the building over for another usage.”
She added that the Grovers have expressed support for Sparkle on Stage remaining in the space as have village officials, performers and community partners.
“I think she brings a lot of happiness to the canal,” said Al Grover Jr., who rents the building to Sparkle on Stage. “Families and dances and movies at night, so we’re anxious to see her continue.”
“Sparkle on stage cultural art center on Woodcleft Canal has proven to be a great asset to the village of Freeport residents,” said Village of Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy when requested for comment. “I have attended numerous events at Sparkle on stage and thoroughly enjoyed each event.
The center regularly collaborates with organizations such as the Long Island Arts Council at Freeport, Freeport Memorial Library and Long Island Traditions, and draws repeat performers who frequently ask when they can return.
“I think we belong there,” Workman said. “I think we’re meant to be there.”
As the fundraising campaign continues, Workman said the goal is not just to buy a building, but also to protect a cultural anchor that reflects Freeport’s diversity and creativity.
“There are plenty of bars and restaurants,” she said. “What we do here is important.”
