By Sam Desmond
The Argyle Theatre in Babylon has tapped a Commack native to help lead its next chapter.
Tommy Rainieri has been named the theater’s new artistic director, succeeding longtime artistic director Evan Pappas, who is retiring after nine years with the Argyle.
Rainieri arrives after a three-season run as artistic director of Timber Lake Playhouse in Illinois and already has ties to the Babylon theater, where he directed Disney’s “Newsies” earlier this year.
“Under Evan’s clarity and kindness, he has been a leader in the trenches for the theater,” Rainieri said. “The culture in different theaters varies greatly, but in the nine years Evan has been here, he has treated everyone like family and asked them to do better and level up.”
During his tenure at the Argyle, Pappas directed productions including “Guys and Dolls,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “The Producers,” “The Full Monty,” “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Cabaret.”
Argyle owners Mark and Dylan Perlman credited Pappas with playing a key role in establishing the theater’s reputation for Broadway-caliber productions.
Pappas’ resume also includes off-Broadway credits for “A Letter to Harvey Milk,” “Liberty,” “Wonderful Town” and “DuBarry Was a Lady.” He also won a Helen Hayes Award for directing a regional production of “Lucky Stiff.”
Rainieri and Pappas first met after the Argyle’s inaugural production, “Guys and Dolls.”
“I first met Tommy Rainieri after the first Argyle show in the lobby and the first thing he says to me is, ‘your transitions are [expletive] brilliant!’” Pappas said. “When he said that, I thought, I need to know this guy because not a lot of people pay attention to that.”
Rainieri earned a BFA in directing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he trained at the Playwrights Horizons Theater School.
His career began in Long Island theater, including work with the John W. Engeman Theater and CM Performing Arts Center. During the COVID-19 shutdown, he also served as COVID safety manager for the reopening of Broadway’s “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Rainieri said returning to Long Island brings his career closer to home.
“For my whole life, I’ve always wanted to do shows where I can be at home and direct at home and my grandma can actually see the show I’ve done,” he said.
Pappas said Rainieri’s experience running a theater, combined with his creative vision, made him a natural successor.
“I always say if you can’t have fun making art, then why do it?” Pappas said. “We’re the luckiest people in the world. We get to create, we get to entertain, we get to take people on journeys.”
Rainieri said the work is especially rewarding because of the impact live theater can have on audiences.
“It’s worthwhile because you know that the work you do has an impact,” he said. “I want the work that I do have a contribution to something bigger than me. And being able to provide art is huge right now.”
Both Rainieri and Pappas said a strong production starts with a cohesive vision, mutual respect and chemistry among the cast and creative team.
“Our job is to make it look like it just happened overnight,” Pappas said.
Rainieri said he also pushes actors to find the deeper meaning in a production, even when the material may not immediately resonate with them.
“I’ve had casts come in saying, ‘this is dumb,’ and I’m like, OK, fine, but what’s the nugget, what’s the gift, what message do you want to give to the audience?” he said.
Rainieri previously put that approach to work while directing “Saturday Night Fever,” encouraging the cast to focus on themes of stagnation, escape and finding a place to shine.
“Once they started to look at it that way, the dancing became more aggressive and spirited and excitable with a point of view,” Rainieri said.
Pappas will close out his Argyle tenure directing “Mary Poppins,” which is scheduled to run from Nov. 12, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027.
Argyle Theatre’s upcoming season
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