The Summer Place, Inc. (or Summer Place Theatre as it has come to be known) got its start back in 1966 as a way to keep students active and their acting skills sharp over the summer months. 

It was founded by Donald "Doc" Shanower, then Dean of Theatre at North Central College in 1966. 2016 was our 50th season, and we dedicated our shows to Doc. Sadly, we lost Doc in 2015, just shy of our big 50th anniversary. We miss you, and most of all we thank you for creating this long-lasting Naperville institution.

The Summer Place, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit, volunteer-supported community theatre, based in the Naperville area, strives to provide professional quality year-round theatre arts entertainment. We are committed to providing:

• A supportive and collaborative environment for artists;
• High quality, culturally enriching entertainment to the community;
• Educational opportunities for all ages through mentoring and performance based participation.

The Summer Place, Inc. gets funding through ticket sales, advertising sales, concessions proceeds, grants, and the generous donations of our patrons.

The bulk of our expenses go towards royalty fees, set building costs, and, depending on the production, costuming. To a far lesser extent we spend money on honorariums for our directors and musicians. Our actors do not get paid. For that matter, our actors don't pay us for the opportunity to act in our shows, although of late they have paid a script and costume fee to help defray those costs. Our producers, who are pulled from our Board of Directors, are not paid to produce the shows, nor are any of our Board Members or Officers paid for their service.

Summer Place is a Community Theater. It provides a great deal to Naperville: the opportunity to gather and create a work of art and to share that work with its citizens at a very low cost.

One of our largest supporters is Naperville itself. The Naperville Park District provides rooms for us to meet and rehearse and is a partner with us for Ghost Stories in the fall, and Naperville School District 203 provides our theatre venue during the summer: Naperville Central High School Auditorium.

Visit Our Past Shows

Matt is excited to return to the Summer Place Board and assume the role of President. Matt is a native of Naperville and grew up seeing Summer Place shows, and you could say was "bitten by the bug" as an audience member seeing musicals both in the Pavillion and at NCHS. His stage debut was in Summer Place's production of Heidi in 1994. After graduating from Neuqua Valley High School, he appeared in Summer Place's productions of Into the Woods and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. He received his BA in Musical Theatre from North Central College, and has performed with many professional and community theatres in the area. Other Summer Place credits include Jekyll and Hyde, Kiss Me Kate (Fred/Pertruchio), Mamma Mia (Bill Austin), The Sound of Music (Captain von Trapp). As a previous board member, he co-produced The Secret Garden with Past President Don Gingold, and directed productions of Grease, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Ghost Stories...In the Park in the Dark. His experience in non-profit leadership includes serving on the board, as Secretary, and as Internal and External Vice President of Naperville Jaycees. He's very excited about collaborating with the board on another great season of theatre in Naperville. He lives in Naperville with his fiance, Lauren.

Christina joined Summer Place Theatre in 2019 when she was cast in South Pacific. She also performed in the Spring 2020 fundraising revue and most recently played Liesl von Trapp The Sound of Music. Christina manages the publicity committee and works hard to publicize the shows Summer Place Theatre has to offer!

Christina and her husband, fellow Summer Place actor/ board member Jason, have been residents of Naperville since 2018. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education and a Master's in Principal Preparation. She currently works as a high school special education teacher.

Taylor has been with Summer Place since 2022 when she took on the role of Stage Manager for The Sound of Music. Taylor moved to Naperville just at the start of the pandemic from her hometown of Peoria. She was last seen in Tarzan the Musical (Terk) and Addams Family (Wednesday). As much as she can't wait to get back on the stage, she is enjoying being behind the scenes again.

Jeff has served Summer Place in many capacities in his more than 10 years with the troupe: Sound Designer, Stage Manager, Producer, Box Office, Ticket, Poster and Program Designer, and Board Member. Jeff has recently taken the lead in our grant submissions efforts as well as updated our bookkeeping.

Sam has been involved in the entertainment industry for the past 25 years. He received his BA in theater from North Central College, and his MFA in technical direction from SIU. After receiving his masters, he was the technical director for Pfeiffer Hall and the North Central College Theater department. He was promoted to Production Manager for the Fine Arts department as the Wentz Concert Hall was being constructed. After leaving the college Sam has involved himself in various community events such as the Naperville Jaycees Last Fling. Sam has worked on more shows and concerts that he can list. 

We met Erin when she brought her daughter Ava to audition for Gretl in The Sound of Music in 2022. Ava got the part and Erin dove in, helping both at rehearsals and in promotions. Now she's part of our publicity committee. An actress herself with many credits, Erin spends much of her theatre time lately fostering Ava's and older sister Aubrey's theatrical careers.

Jason has been a part of Summer Place Theatre since 2019. He is a resident of Naperville and most recently played Rolf in The Sound of Music with Summer Place. He was also seen in South Pacific, Broadway Backwards, and Songs of Hope. By day, Jason works as a mechanical engineer.

Ted Waltmire has been a part of The Summer Place since 1977 when he was cast in Damn Yankees. Since then he has served as a musical director and on the Board of Directors producing plays and musicals as well as a term as President.  Ted has also studied at the Second City Training Center, Chicago Dramatists, and Porchlight Theater.  Following a stroke in 2009 Ted wrote the book and lyrics, collaborated with Stephanie McCullough on the music, and starred in The Mighty Ted which has been produced twice in Chicago. He was recently seen as the Bellboy in Sugar - The Some Like It Hot Musical. 

Sabrina Zeidler was introduced to theatre when she saw her father in our production of Man of LaMancha; she saw every performance. She is grateful for being brought to the theatre by her mother and being handed a drill by her father, all at the age of five. She is a graduate of Elmhurst College with a degree in Theatre – Stage Management, Design and Technology, and Theatre Arts Administration, with minors in Communication Studies and Business Administration. Sabrina has been honored by the Kennedy Center for her work as a Stage Manager on several occasions. Currently, she is a Technical Director at Hinsdale South High School and a Technician at the McAninch Arts Center. She has been on our Board of Directors since 2013.

Steve is a past president of Summer Place Theatre and has been a major supporter of this theatre group for years. He's also an accomplished actor and singer, appearing in many of our plays and musicals, most recently as Osgood Fielding in Sugar - The Some Like It Hot Musical, as well as Arthur in Spamalot, and appearances in Oklahoma, Harvey, The Man Who Came to Dinner, a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (pictured).