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www.HalstonPlay.com
[Sag Harbor, NY] - Bay Street Theater (Scott Schwartz, Artistic Director) has announced that internationally-acclaimed designer and philanthropist Donna Karan will serve as Executive Producer for its upcoming production of Mister Halston. This world premiere production runs June 2 through June 21, 2026, at Bay Street Theater (1 Long Wharf, Sag Harbor, NY, 11963). Tickets for Mister Halston and other 2026 Summer Mainstage Season productions are now available at BayStreet.org or by calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500.
Karan joins Tony Award–winning producer Bruce Robert Harris (this season’s Dog Day Afternoon and Death of a Salesman on Broadway), in bringing Mister Halston to the Bay Street Theater stage.
Mister Halston is a new play by Raffaele Pacitti and directed by Michael Wilson, exploring the life and times of famed American fashion designer Halston. Set against the glamorous and volatile 1970’s and 80’s New York, Mister Halston offers an unguarded look at the man behind the myth, tracing the meteoric rise, stunning fame, and ultimate fall of this iconic fashion and cultural figure. Mister Halston is a bold, intimate and surprisingly human exploration of artistry, ambition, identity, and the cost of fame.
“I saw a workshop staging of Mister Halston last summer at Bay Street Theater and liked it so much I wanted to get involved,” says Donna Karan. “Halston defined modern American fashion. Clean lines, pure shapes, liquid fabrics, a sexy attitude. He paved the way for what was to come. Mister Halston will bring audiences into the world of one of the most influential figures in American fashion.”
Mister Halston marks the latest chapter in Karan’s meaningful artistic connection with Bay Street Theater, which honored Karan, alongside Christie Brinkley, at their 2025 Gala. During that celebration, the creative team behind Mister Halston presented a tribute performance inspired by the legendary 1973 "Battle of Versailles" fashion showdown in France, a defining moment in American fashion history attended by both Halston and Karan. The presentation offered audiences a glimpse into the glamor and ambition of an era that reshaped global style. That creative spark now expands into a full world premiere production.
“We are honored to collaborate with Bruce Robert Harris on this exciting new work and are grateful that world-renowned fashion icon Donna Karan, who had a legendary time with Halston himself in Paris, has agreed to support the production as Executive Producer,” said Scott Schwartz, Artistic Director of Bay Street Theater. “This project reflects the intersection of theater, fashion, and cultural history that continues to inspire audiences.”
Bay Street Theater is a nonprofit professional theater and community arts center that has served the East End for 35 years.
RAFFAELE PACITTI, Writer
Raffaele Pacitti is a writer of fiction, poetry, and theatre. He has always been fascinated by the life and times of American designer Halston. New York City brought him face-to-face with the drama, intrigue, and cultural importance of fashion, design, and the culture of celebrity.
Halston was always at the forefront of Pacitti’s imagination, having witnessed as a child the awe and admiration that women from every walk of life paid to this famous designer. From the ghosted lights of a shuttered Studio 54 to the spirited, industrial vibrancy of Seventh Avenue, Pacitti’s imagination was ignited by the likes of Elsa Peretti, Pat Cleveland, Liza Minelli, Bianca Jagger… stunning figures swirling around this one iconic figure, Halston.
Halston, the man, represented a movement; Halston the name defined an era.
Set against the glamorous and volatile worlds of 1970’s and 1980’s New York, Pacitti’s latest play, Mister Halston, explores the meteoric rise, stunning fame, and ultimate fall of the iconic designer. Mister Halston has received awards for Outstanding Script, Outstanding Actor, and the Audience Award at New York's United Solo Festival.
MICHAEL WILSON, Director
A Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Award-winning director who led Hartford Stage as Artistic Director from 1998-2011, Wilson's Broadway productions include Gore Vidal's The Best Man, Enchanted April, Old Acquaintance, Dividing the Estate and The Trip to Bountiful, which he subsequently directed for television, earning him DGA & Image Award nominations for Outstanding Director of a TV-Movie.
Recent projects include the premiere of Bryan Batt's solo play Dear Mr. Williams and NETWorks' tour of Hal Holbrook's Mark Twain Tonight! starring Richard Thomas. A Morehead Scholar graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Wilson holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Hartford and is the recipient of Bay Street's Artistic Visionary Award.
Michael Wilson returns to Bay Street where he directed the premiere of Fellow Travelers and Grey Gardens starring Betty Buckley and Rachel York, which subsequently transferred and became the musical's Los Angeles premiere at CTG's Ahmanson Theatre.
KEITH SHERMAN & ASSOCIATES (National Press Representative) is the communications firm for a diverse range of entertainment, arts, Olympics, lifestyles, and international brands. KSA has represented hundreds of Broadway, Off Broadway and touring productions, films, television broadcasts, music projects and major events globally. The company represented The New York Times for a decade, the Tony Awards for 18 years, the Drama Desk Awards for 14 years, and the Chita Rivera Awards for nine years. ksa-pr.com (http://ksa-pr.com/)
BRUCE ROBERT HARRIS, (Producer) is a multi-award winning producer, executive producer and entertainment industry consultant who has presented over sixty six plays and musicals for Broadway, London, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Berlin, Off-Broadway, regional Theaters, national and international tours and festivals, plus many private and corporate events over the past twenty-three years. He is a recipient of Tony Awards for the Broadway productions of the Pulitzer Prize winning play, Clybourne Park, and the musical revival of Pippin.
His most recent shows last season include, Good Night and Good Luck starring George Cloonly, John Proctor is the Villain, starring Sadie Sink, The Roommate starring Mia Farrow and Patti Lupone,
Off Broadway, Drag the Musical and currently still running Heathers the Musical.
New York, New York (brought his thirteenth Tony Award nomination), The Who’s Tommy (soon to begin a US tour), plus Magic Mike Live (now in its sixth year in London and Las Vegas) and Magic Mike Live opening in July in New York City, plus Criss Angel Mindfreak (six years years and going strong in Las Vegas), and Titanic the Musical (UK tour and film). Upcoming: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Broadway), Hank & Jim Build A Plane a new play to be directed by John Rando (Broadway), Angel of Arkansas (a new musical for Broadway to be directed by Susan Stroman) and the premiere performance of Mister Halston by Raffaele Pacitti, coming to Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts, June 2nd - June 23rd 2026.
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