Unassuming and quaint, The Depot Theatre is a historic gem and cultural icon for the idyllic town of Westport, Lake Champlain, in the Adirondacks. Held within the walls of a restored, functioning 1876 train station, now part of Amtrak’s Westport hub, The Depot Theatre has become a nationally recognized cultural landmark.
“It’s just a really interesting space,” says Executive Director Sarah Wilson of the unique performance space. “When the trains go by, people cheer. If it’s a musical, they stop or sometimes they just incorporate it into the script, ad lib a little bit, I mean, it really is part of the DNA of the theater.”
In the late 1970s, time had eaten away at this landmark and demolition was set. However, due to an overwhelming community push to protect Westport’s piece of history— the station and the theater, a sizable 135 seats in a huge former freight room, were saved.
“As a historic preservation building, a big part of the challenge is keeping up with the building,” says Wilson. The unwinterized theater has a few issues most don’t have to deal with, like keeping the raccoons and bats out in the off-season and trying to maximize the theater season with better insulation and the restoration of windows and doors. “If we could get the kids to rehearse in May, maybe even April, that would be great—and if we could stay in the theater a couple weeks after Labor Day weekend.” As it is, by Labor Day, people begin to request that they turn off the air conditioner (they don’t have one).
“But it’s the same things that offer the challenges that offer the joys,” she says. “I mean we have graffiti on the walls from the 1800s—it was a train station 150 years ago. So I think just keeping that alive and part of our DNA is one the unique joys. And people love it.”
Originally controlled by the Westport Historical Society, the old train depot started off as a small community theater with Wednesday Night Bingo games for fundraising. By 1985, the theater became its own not-for-profit entity and has only continued to flourish.
Today, The Depot Theatre stands proudly as the only professional Actors’ Equity Association and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society affiliated theater company in the six-million-acre Adirondack Park. And it’s certainly well situated for easy access to transit.
“The Amtrak train absolutely plays a role in getting our cast to and from the theater,” Wilson says. She estimates 80 percent of their cast takes Amtrak from New York City. The other 20 percent has come from all over the country—last year included cast members who came from Buffalo, Chicago, New Orleans and the Pacific Northwest.
Gateway to the Adirondacks
Westport, in Essex County, is set on the shores of beautiful Lake Champlain. This historic gateway to the Adirondacks between Port Henry and Port Kent on Amtrak’s Adirondack route is home to the Essex County Fair and the birthplace of the Adirondack chair. A daily Amtrak Westport stop on the Adirondack service departs NYP 8:21 am arriving at 2:36 pm. Check amtrak.com for updated schedules. Lake Placid is approximately 45 minutes from Westport.
Check out what’s waiting on the other side of the train doors in this year’s theater season:
- Hadestown: Teen Edition (Depot Theatre Academy)
June 4-14, 2026 - Tick, Tick… Boom!
June 23-July 5, 2026 - Incident At Our Lady Of Perpetual Help
June 25-August 9, 2026 - Ring Of Fire
August 20-September 6, 2026