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Teeny Awards head to Riverhead High School

Citing a need for more space, the East End Arts Council is moving its annual Teeny Awards ceremony from the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. Future events will be held at East End high schools on a rotating basis.

First in the rotation is Riverhead High School.

“While the Performing Arts Center continues to be a strong supporter, they have 500 seats there, and those seats get filled by supporters, nominees and the nominees’ families,” said Pat Snyder, executive director of the East End Arts Council, “so there was really very little option for the casts of plays to go. It really limited who can attend and then that limits how much people really know about the program.”

Riverhead High School, like many in the region, boasts an auditorium that could hold about 900 people.

“This is about making the event more accessible,” Ms. Snyder said.

The Teeny Awards, modeled after the Tony Awards and now in their seventh year, recognize standout student performers and crews from across the East End.

A display of Teeny Award memorabilia was unveiled Tuesday at Applebee’s restaurant on Route 58 in Riverhead. The event also featured a performance by past winners Erin McKenna and Brett Chizever, who sang “You’re the Top” from “Anything Goes.”