If your definition of theater and arts includes taking in a play at the local opera house or watching the latest Hollywood movie at a movie theater, Stony Brook has you covered. You can enjoy shows at the Staller Center for the Arts, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The 1000-seat Main Stage Theatre at the center is home to the annual Stony Brook film festival, which takes place in the summertime and features the best in independent film: provocative foreign films, unusual and absorbing American premieres, entertaining comedies and a variety of outstanding short films.

The Stony Brook University Department of Theatre and Arts offers undergraduate and graduate programs, encompassing theatre, dance and media arts. They present a few plays each year, including Stony Brook Theatre Festival, featuring a week-long presentation of readings of new work by some of the country's leading playwrights. Finally, you can take your family or friends to the local movie theater and watch the latest scary, comedy, action, romance or drama movie at the big screen of AMC Lowes Stony Brook 17 on Nesconset Highway.