Staller Center for the Arts

Staller Center for the Arts is a major performing arts complex located at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. The Center presents professional music, theater, dance, comedy and film while also serving as an important performance and educational facility for Stony Brook University students, faculty and academic departments.

Located near the center of the university’s main campus, Staller Center contains five theaters as well as the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery. Its largest auditorium, the 1,050-seat Main Stage, accommodates major concerts, theatrical productions, dance companies and other large-scale performances, while the 350-seat Recital Hall provides a more intimate setting particularly well suited to chamber music, recitals and smaller programs.

History of Staller Center for the Arts

The performing arts complex was originally known as the Fine Arts Center and developed during a period of significant expansion at Stony Brook University. The facility brought together spaces for music, theater, visual art and other creative disciplines, establishing a permanent center for the arts on the university campus.

In 1988, Erwin P. Staller and the Staller family made a $1.8 million contribution to the university, its first million-dollar donation. The Fine Arts Center was subsequently renamed the Staller Center for the Arts in memory of Erwin Staller’s parents, Max and Mary Staller.

The Staller family’s relationship with Stony Brook continued well beyond the naming of the Center. Erwin Staller and members of his family became significant supporters of the university and its arts programs, contributing to scholarships and helping strengthen the Center’s role as a cultural destination for both the university and the surrounding Long Island community.

Main Stage

The 1,050-seat Main Stage is the largest performance space at Staller Center and hosts many of the venue’s major professional and university productions. The proscenium theater has a stage designed to accommodate large musical ensembles, theatrical productions, dance companies and other technically demanding performances.

Programming on the Main Stage can include nationally and internationally known musicians, theatrical productions, comedy, dance and special performances. It is also used by Stony Brook University’s performing arts programs, including concerts by the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra and university opera productions.

The Main Stage also functions as a cinema. Film presentations were introduced there in 1994, and the theater continues to be used for movies, special screenings and high-definition presentations of Metropolitan Opera productions.

Recital Hall and Other Performance Spaces

Staller Center’s 350-seat Recital Hall offers a smaller and more intimate environment than the Main Stage. The hall is frequently used for chamber music, solo recitals, university performances, lectures and other programs where a closer relationship between performers and the audience is desirable.

Altogether, Staller Center contains five theaters, allowing the complex to support a wide range of performances and academic activities. The multiple venues make it possible for professional programming and university productions to operate within the same arts complex throughout the academic year.

Stony Brook Film Festival

Staller Center is also home to the Stony Brook Film Festival, an annual summer event that brings independent films and filmmakers to the university. The festival uses the Center’s theatrical and cinema facilities for screenings and has become one of Staller Center’s signature annual programs.

Film is part of the Center’s programming beyond the annual festival as well. The Main Stage is equipped for large-format presentations, and Staller regularly presents selected films and Metropolitan Opera Live in HD broadcasts alongside its live performing arts schedule.

Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery

The Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery is located on the first floor of Staller Center and adds visual art to the complex’s performing arts programming. The gallery traces its history to 1975, when it opened as the Fine Arts Center Art Gallery. It later became the University Art Gallery before receiving its current name in 2013 in recognition of support from Alice Zuccaire and the Paul W. Zuccaire Foundation.

The gallery presents exhibitions featuring contemporary artists as well as projects involving university faculty and students. Together with Staller Center’s theaters, it allows visitors to experience both performing and visual arts within the same university arts complex.

Professional and University Programming

Staller Center serves two closely connected roles. It is a public performing arts venue presenting professional artists and entertainment to audiences from across Long Island, while also functioning as an academic arts facility for Stony Brook University.

Professional programming includes music, dance, theater, comedy and other live entertainment. University-generated events include orchestral concerts, recitals, theatrical productions, opera and programs produced through Stony Brook’s arts departments. This combination gives the Center an active schedule that extends well beyond a conventional university auditorium.

Visiting Staller Center

Staller Center for the Arts is located on the main campus of Stony Brook University in Stony Brook. Visitors should allow additional time to enter the campus, locate the Center and park before a performance, particularly for major events.

Tickets for Staller Center-presented performances are available through the Center’s box office and online ticketing system. Because schedules, ticket prices, parking arrangements and performance policies can vary by event, visitors should review the individual event information before arriving.

---

Staller Center for the Arts

---

Key Facts & Details

Venue	Staller Center for the Arts
Location	Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, Suffolk County, New York
Address	2032 Staller Center, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5425
Original Name	Fine Arts Center
Renamed	1988
Named For	Max and Mary Staller
Number of Theaters	Five
Main Stage Capacity	1,050 seats
Recital Hall Capacity	350 seats
Programming	Music, theater, dance, comedy, film, opera, university performances and special events
Annual Film Event	Stony Brook Film Festival
Art Gallery	Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery
University Affiliation	Stony Brook University
Box Office	631-632-2787 (631-632-ARTS)
Website	Staller Center for the Arts

Staller Center for the Arts brings professional entertainment, university performance and visual art together within one of Long Island’s most substantial university arts complexes. With its 1,050-seat Main Stage, intimate Recital Hall, additional theaters, art gallery and annual film festival, the Center has developed into an important cultural destination for Stony Brook University and communities across Long Island.