THE KATE (KATHARINE HEPBURN CULTURAL ARTS CENTER)

The Kate (Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center) is a 285-seat non-profit performing arts center at 300 Main Street in Old Saybrook. The venue is housed in a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places and includes a state-of-the-art theater plus the Katharine Hepburn Museum on the first floor, the only museum of its kind honoring the actress. The Kate averages 26 performances per month and serves nearly 70,000 patrons annually.

Programming spans music, theater, opera, dance, comedy, film, lecture series, and children's programming across 300+ events per year. Genre filters include blues, bluegrass, folk/Americana, jazz, rock, Irish/Scottish, world music, and indie/alternative. The venue also screens classic films and broadcasts Met Opera in HD. The intimate 285-seat theater provides close-up viewing for all performances.

The building originally opened in 1911 as a combination theater and town hall. After state-of-the-art renovations, the center reopened as The Kate in 2009, dedicated to the legacy of Old Saybrook's most celebrated resident, Katharine Hepburn. Connecticut Public produced a national music series filmed at The Kate beginning in 2016, running for six seasons. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.