The Big Chill Guild Hall cast brings major stage and screen talent to East Hampton for a one-night staged reading presented by The Center at West Park.
On Monday, August 31, 2026, The Center at West Park returns to Guild Hall with a staged reading of The Big Chill, the screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek. Directed by David Saint, the evening will feature a remarkable ensemble that includes Marisa Tomei, Matthew Broderick, Ayo Edebiri, Amy Brenneman, Spencer Garrett, Frederick Weller, Ilana Levine, and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, with additional cast members to be announced.
For audiences in East Hampton, the event offers more than a chance to revisit a classic American film. It creates a live theater experience built around performance, memory, friendship, conversation, and the energy of an audience gathered in the same room.
At Guild Hall in East Hampton, events like this bring film, theater, public conversation, and cultural community together in one evening.
The Big Chill Guild Hall Cast: Marisa Tomei, Matthew Broderick, Ayo Edebiri, and More
The announced cast for The Big Chill at Guild Hall brings together performers and public figures from film, television, theater, comedy, and civic life.
The ensemble includes Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei, Tony Award-winner Matthew Broderick, Emmy Award-winning actress Ayo Edebiri, Emmy Award nominee Amy Brenneman, Spencer Garrett, Drama Desk Award-winner Frederick Weller, Ilana Levine, and Jumaane D. Williams.
That range is part of what makes the evening compelling. A staged reading depends on voice, timing, chemistry, and the ability to bring a screenplay to life without the full production elements of film. When recognizable performers enter this format, audiences get to experience familiar storytelling in a new way.
The event also gives visitors a reason to experience Performing Arts at Guild Hall as part of East Hampton’s live cultural calendar.
Why The Big Chill Works as a Live Staged Reading
A staged reading invites audiences to focus on the words, rhythm, and emotional structure of a screenplay.
Without the camera, editing, soundtrack, and visual language of film, the story depends on the performers in the room. The audience hears the dialogue differently. Silences feel different. Humor, grief, tension, and recognition become immediate.
The Big Chill is especially suited to this kind of format because it is built around a group of friends confronting memory, disappointment, loyalty, loss, and the distance between who they were and who they have become.
The story follows a group of idealistic University of Michigan friends from the 1960s who reunite 20 years later after the death of their friend Alex. Over the course of a weekend, old relationships resurface, unresolved questions return, and each character must face the choices and compromises that shaped adulthood.
In a live reading, that emotional structure has room to breathe. The audience listens not only for plot, but for the relationships between characters.
Marisa Tomei, Matthew Broderick, and Ayo Edebiri Bring Star Power to East Hampton
The presence of Marisa Tomei, Matthew Broderick, and Ayo Edebiri gives the evening a special level of cultural attention.
Each performer brings a different audience connection. Tomei is known for work across film, theater, and television. Broderick has long been associated with both stage and screen. Edebiri represents one of the most exciting contemporary voices in television and comedy.
Together, their participation helps make The Big Chill at Guild Hall feel like a live cultural moment rather than a conventional screening or standard theatrical event.
That is part of the appeal of celebrity staged readings. Audiences come with associations from past roles, but the live format asks them to listen again. A familiar performer can make a familiar story feel newly present.
Visitors can view details for The Big Chill at Guild Hall before attending.
Amy Brenneman, Spencer Garrett, Frederick Weller, Ilana Levine, and Jumaane D. Williams Join the Ensemble
The wider ensemble adds depth to the evening.
Amy Brenneman, Spencer Garrett, Frederick Weller, Ilana Levine, and Jumaane D. Williams each bring distinct experience and presence to the staged reading format. In a story centered on friendship, memory, and unresolved personal history, ensemble balance matters.
A staged reading does not rely on scenery or cinematic framing to tell the story. It relies on the relationships created in the room.
That makes casting especially important.
Each performer contributes to the atmosphere of the evening, helping audiences feel the tension, humor, discomfort, warmth, and emotional complexity of the screenplay.
From All the President’s Men to The Big Chill at Guild Hall
The Center at West Park’s return to Guild Hall follows last year’s sold-out celebrity benefit reading of All the President’s Men.
That event brought together a star-studded cast that included Alec Baldwin, Robert Downey Jr., Nathan Lane, Julianne Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Andy Cohen, Wendell Pierce, Spencer Garrett, Jumaane Williams, and others. It was directed by John Benjamin Hickey and followed by a conversation with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
The move from All the President’s Men to The Big Chill shows how the staged reading format can illuminate very different kinds of American stories.
One centers on journalism, power, and political consequence. The other centers on friendship, generational ideals, grief, and personal reckoning.
Both formats invite audiences to revisit a well-known film through live performance.
Readers interested in the previous event can learn more about All the President’s Men at Guild Hall.
Why Celebrity Staged Readings Create a Special Live Theater Experience
A celebrity staged reading can feel intimate in a way that film often cannot.
Audiences are close to the performers. The text is presented live. The experience exists only once, in that specific room, with that specific cast and audience.
That sense of immediacy changes the way people listen.
The performers do not disappear fully into a finished film world. Instead, they reveal the screenplay’s structure in real time. The audience can hear how a scene works, how a line lands, and how emotional shifts happen through voice, pace, and timing.
This makes the format especially rewarding for people who enjoy theater, film, writing, performance, or behind-the-scenes creative process.
Guild Hall’s article on live theater on Long Island’s East End offers more context on the value of live performance in the region.
How the Talkback Adds Depth to The Big Chill
The staged reading of The Big Chill will be followed by a talkback with the cast and creative team.
That conversation is an important part of the evening.
A talkback gives audiences the chance to hear how performers approached the material, how the creative team thought about the screenplay, and how the story resonates in a live setting. It can also reveal choices that may not be obvious during the performance itself.
For a film like The Big Chill, the talkback may deepen the audience’s understanding of character, friendship, memory, generational identity, and the continued relevance of the story.
This kind of post-performance conversation can make a one-night event feel more reflective. It gives audiences a way to carry the experience beyond the performance.
Visitors interested in cultural conversations can also explore Guild Hall’s article on Public Talks in The Hamptons.
The Center at West Park and Guild Hall: A Returning Collaboration
The Center at West Park is an inclusive, multi-generational nonprofit organization committed to community, arts and culture, collaboration, diversity, affordability, and accessibility.
Its work supports artists, audiences, cultural groups, and community programs. Through collaborations and benefit events, The Center at West Park creates opportunities for major performers and creative teams to support a wider mission.
With The Big Chill, that mission arrives again at Guild Hall in East Hampton.
For Guild Hall audiences, the evening connects a celebrated screenplay, a notable cast, and a live benefit performance in one cultural setting. For The Center at West Park, the event supports ongoing programs that serve artists and audiences across New York City.
Learn more about The Center at West Park.
How to Experience The Big Chill at Guild Hall
The Center at West Park Presents: The Big Chill will take place at Guild Hall on Monday, August 31, 2026, from 7 PM to 9:30 PM.
The event is a staged reading of the screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek, directed by David Saint, followed by a talkback with the cast and creative team.
For visitors, the evening offers several layers of experience:
- a live reading of a classic film screenplay;
- a cast featuring major names from film, television, theater, and public life;
- a post-performance conversation;
- a benefit supporting The Center at West Park;
- a cultural evening in East Hampton Village.
Visitors can review The Big Chill at Guild Hall for the latest event details.
Plan Your Visit to Guild Hall for The Big Chill
Guild Hall is located at:
Its central location in East Hampton Village makes it a practical destination for performances, staged readings, public programs, exhibitions, and special events.
Before attending The Big Chill, visitors should review event details, ticket information, arrival timing, accessibility, parking, and transportation.
Visitors planning a local route through East Hampton can use a nearby cultural landmark as a starting point before heading to Guild Hall.
See The Big Chill at Guild Hall in East Hampton
Marisa Tomei, Matthew Broderick, Ayo Edebiri, and an ensemble of acclaimed performers make The Big Chill at Guild Hall one of the standout live performance events of the season.
The evening brings together a classic screenplay, a remarkable cast, a staged reading format, and a talkback that invites audiences deeper into the story.
For those who love film, theater, performance, and cultural events in East Hampton, this one-night program offers a rare way to experience The Big Chill live.
Explore upcoming programs and events, learn more about Performing Arts at Guild Hall, or plan your visit to Guild Hall in East Hampton.