Star-Studded 'All the President’s Men' Stage Reading Comes to the Hamptons

Hollywood stars, including Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, and many more will take the stage at Guild Hall in East Hampton on August 25 for a one-night-only stage reading of All The President’s Men directed by John Benjamin Hickey – an event blending theater, history, and a mission to save one of New York City’s most unique landmark arts spaces.

All the President’s Men is a landmark work of investigative storytelling, first published in 1974 by Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. The nonfiction book details their dogged reporting on the 1972 Watergate break-in and the political scandal that ultimately led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. In 1976, the story was adapted into an acclaimed film directed by Alan J. Pakula and written by William Goldman, with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman portraying Woodward and Bernstein. The film earned multiple Academy Award nominations, won four Oscars, and was later added to the US National Film Registry for its cultural and historical significance. Its themes of persistence in seeking public accountability resonate strongly with the Center at West Park’s fight to preserve a historic landmark.

The stage reading of All The President’s Men supports the Center at West Park, which until June was housed in the Romanesque landmark West Park Presbyterian Church in Manhattan that features “seven different size performing art spaces and rehearsal spaces all under one roof, including the extraordinary 375-seat sanctuary,” says Debby Hirshman, the center’s executive director.

The building’s future has been in jeopardy since June 2022, when its owners applied to remove its Landmark status, allowing them to sell it for $33 million to a developer planning a 19-story apartment building.

“It was beyond my comprehension that anyone would tear this down,” Hirshman says. “Since most people go to Spain and Italy to see these kinds of spaces, and here we are living in New York, where you could see such a space.”

In the past year, the center has rallied a passionate network of artists, activists, and art lovers, a collaboration Hirshman calls “the successful story of a game of telephone.” That network has brought major names to previous benefits featuring Amy Schumer, Wendell Pierce, Matthew Broderick, Scarlett Johansson, and Richard Kind.

“They are all doing this out of their generosity, their belief in the importance of community art spaces for the future, both of Broadway as well as for the young emerging artists who can’t afford rehearsal spaces,” Hirshman says.

The Hamptons performance marks the center’s first stage reading outside of the city. Partnering with Guild Hall, “an anchor to the Hamptons,” according to Hirshman, allows the center to reach new audiences while sharing “the passion of the artists for community arts spaces… and the future of arts and culture in the city.”

Stage readings, Hirshman notes, offer an intimate and impactful theater experience.

“You really become immersed in the characters as well as in their interactions and the use of voice and direct communication in that way that has a power to it… You have a whole different experience than when at a Broadway show,” she says. “For some, as they’ve told me, [it’s a] preferable experience because it’s so real and engaging.”

The All The President’s Men cast came together through that same game of telephone. “It started with… Mark Ruffalo, Kenny Lonergan, Fisher Stevens, and Julianne Hoffenberg… and then each of them had people that they reached out to,” Hirshman says. “The list goes on.”

Proceeds will support the center’s programming and preservation. Those unable to attend can still participate by becoming members, attending year-round events such as the Evolution Festival, or joining upcoming public hearings on the building’s fate.

“We hope that people will become active… and speak on behalf of the preservation of this very important community arts, sacred space, and community programming anchor to Upper Manhattan and the city,” Hirshman says.

All The President’s Men will be performed as a stage reading at 7 p.m. on Aug. 25 at Guild Hall, 158 Main Street, East Hampton. Tickets and information are available at guildhall.org.