"Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the Summer Place,
Naperville's Community Theatre Since 1966"

Dr. Donald Shanower, Founder

The Summer Place has been Naperville's Community Theatre since 1966 when Don Shanower, then North Central College's Theatre Department Chair, created it.  Our mission was and is to provide a vehicle for the community to participate and enjoy quality theatre. 

And we couldn't do it without you!

In continuous operation all these years, Summer Place Theatre has performed in canvas tents, tin-roof structures, and outdoor pavilions. There are many fond memories of the challenges outdoor theatre faces, like

• a family of ducks unexpectedly joining the actors on stage
• rain pounding on the tin roof
• sirens, skateboarders, and even fireworks filling dramatic pauses

Since 1993, an agreement with the Naperville Park District and Naperville School District 203 has allowed us to act in the Naperville Central High School Auditorium, where we stage our major productions.

You couldn't tell it just by our name, but we're more than a summer-only theatre. We expanded over 15 years ago, when "Ghost Stories in the Park... In the Dark" premiered, and has since been a regular October haunt. Each year we gather in the Naperville Riverwalk Grand Pavilion and tell our scary stories to hundreds of patrons, young and old alike. Last year we created an even more entertaining way to be spooked: theatre in the round! We acted out our stories and even brought the audience into the act!

2008 was the start of another in what hopes to be a long-lasting tradition at Summer Place: a late winter/early spring cabaret show. Roger's and Hammerstein's Some Enchanted Evening was enjoyed by full houses. The wonderful folks at Wesley United Methodist Church hosted our event in their nearly accoustically perfect worship hall, and they again hosted us for 2009's original production, Even Stephens, an Evening of Schwartz and Sondheim. Learn more about Even Stephens.  The 2010 show - Sentimental Journey - is another original, combining 40's music, letters from home, and a typical USO-type touring show.

Ticket prices are kept low by our Board of Directors as part of our philosophy of keeping the enjoyment of theatre within reach of all our community. For the rest of our expenses, we rely on the generosity of our patrons and sponsors. Advertising in our programs and donations to our non-profit organization are vitally important to our survival and success, and to all those who support community theatre we give a hearty "thank you."

To all who have enjoyed a Summer Place performance, we ask that you consider giving what you can above and beyond the ticket price to help us continue to bring this unique experience to the Naperville area. We've created a Donation "Ticket" in our box office for $25. "Buying" these tickets means making a donation to SummerPlace and may be tax deductible based on your personal financial situation - check with your accountant. Visit our online Box Office and while you're buying your ticket, please consider adding a donation. Thanks for advancing the arts in your community.