LongHouse's Spring Opening to Honor Albee

Edward Albee was a longtime friend of the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton and its founder, Jack Lenor Larsen, and he served on its arts committee from its inception 27 years ago until his death in 2016. It is fitting, then, that LongHouse will rename its amphitheater in memory of the playwright when it opens for the season on Saturday.

“Rites of Spring,” the opening celebration, will include the dedication of the amphitheater by the Academy Award-winning actress Mercedes Ruehl and her friend and fellow actor Harris Yulin at 5:30 p.m. Jane Alexander, former chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Arts, will also speak, after which the Edward Albee Memorial Fund for art purchases will be launched.

The LongHouse garden’s daffodils will be in full bloom for the opening. An exhibition of figurative works by the American artist Judith Shea will on view, as will a site-specific work in the garden by the artist Orly Genger.

Ms. Shea, whose work is in the collections of major American museums, has made a study of the human figure for more than four decades. Her materials have ranged from simple textile clothing to bronze, hollow iron, and carved wooden figures. Her “Lower Manhattan Classic,” part of her 9/11 “Legacy Collection,” will be on view along with earlier works in bronze and steel.

Ms. Genger uses the vernacular techniques of crocheting, knitting, and knotting to create monumental sculptures of hand-knotted rope, which has become her signature medium over the past 10 years.

A video from 2001 of Albee reading at LongHouse with Elaine Stritch will also be playing throughout the day. The playwright performed and read in the amphitheater many times and engaged in dialogues, including one with Robert Wilson. 

Admission to “Rites of Spring” is $15, free for members.