It's Volunteer Week - Join the Theatre!

It's a perfect week to consider lending your talents

It's Volunteer Week; a great time to support YOUR COMMUNITY THEATRE, the Summer Place!

You may have only attended shows, but have you ever considered working on them? Promoting them, or building sets, or painting them? How about organizing costumes or props? We have a storage shed full of hats and dresses and old phones and lamps and you-name-it. Would you like to help organize that?

We're a non-profit and money is tight as it is for many, plus we have a philosophy of keeping our ticket prices low so everybody can enjoy live theatre.  Stage rental and script licensing and lumber costs take a huge toll on our finances; labor for a show would be horrendously expensive!

So we rely on our community to help us to create and promote our shows. Do you think you can help? Do you have a family member that could benefit from belonging to a community organization? Please help. 

Some jobs are actually paid!  We have stipends for some of the jobs involving more responsibility or perhaps certain skills. You may know someone - even yourself - that could be our...

Stage Manager (one per production, $500 stipend each production): The Stage Manager will be expected to assist the director throughout production, serve as a contact point for actors and crew, attend rehearsals, record blocking, and call the show. Candidates are responsible for their own transportation to Naperville.
Assistant Stage Manager (Sugar & Footloose, $125 stipend each): The assistant stage manager will work under the stage manager and coordinate actors and crew backstage and manage scene changes. The ASM should be available throughout tech week and for all performances.
Lighting Designers (all productions, $400 stipend each)
Costume Designers (all productions, $400 stipend each)
Props Masters (all productions, $200 stipend each)

All this work happens in the center of Naperville. We're either at the Rubin Community Center or Naperville Central High School. Anyone in the area, even outside Naperville, are more than welcome.  Send an email to apply@summerplacetheatre.org if you'd like to help.
 

Auditions for Bleacher Bums Tomorrow and Saturday

Maybe you'd rather be on stage! Great. Come to our open audition anytime Thursday, April 19, from 7 til 9:30 or Saturday, April 21 from 1 to 3:30 to try out.  No monologue to prepare. We'll be doing cold-readings from the script in ad-hoc groups of auditioners. Bring a headshot and resume if you have them, but no prior theatre is required (you have to get your start somewhere!) See you there!

YOU CAN BE AN EXTRA!

Bleacher Bums, our first show, opens June 8, and we're recreating the right field bleachers, including fans! Only a dozen actors have speaking lines but that leaves plenty of room on the stands for extras who can root, root, root for the home team! If you always wanted to be on stage, but your acting ability is best described as "To be, or... LINE!" then this gig is for you! Families, groups, and any individuals interested can write us at bleacherbums@summerplacetheatre.org and we'll talk over the details.
 

Can Your Company Be a Sponsor?

We promise Big Production Quality Performed by Friends and Neighbors.  But even with volunteers, it's still expensive. It takes somewhere around 20-25 thousand dollars to put on a big musical. Alone, the right to perform it is around $5000! Sets cost alot to build and period costumes are expensive.

We keep applying for grants, but that money is hard to come by. And of course we love our generous patrons who throw an extra $20 in with their ticket order. 

But if we had two or three companies each sponsor us with $5000 a year, we'd be much more secure and able to concentrate on creating great theatre. Of course we'll be grateful, and shout your name all over social media and wherever we promote our shows, which will certainly raise your social capital!

If your company is interested in keeping great stage productions alive in Naperville, reply to this email or write me at info@summerplacetheare.org and let's talk.
 

ONE LAST WAY:  Volunteer... to buy tickets!

Hey, somebody has to do it! Why not you?
Visit summerplacetheatre.org/tickets and follow the simple instructions.

Here's our lineup of great shows this summer:
 

• Bleacher Bums - a nine-inning comedy (details)
  • June 8th & 9th @ 7:30, 10th @ 3:00
  • June 15th & 16th @ 7:30, 17th @ 3:00
• Sugar, the "Some Like it Hot" Musical (details)
  • June 29th & 30th @ 7:30, July 1st @ 3:00
  • July 13th & 14 @ 7:30, 15th @ 3:00
• Footloose - the Musical (details)
  • July 27th & 28th @ 7:30, 29th @ 3:00
  • August 3rd & 4th @ 7:30, 5th @ 3:00

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors 65+ and students thru college, $10 for kids 6-10. Buy season tickets and save money! 
 

However you plan to help, we look forward to seeing you during our 2018 season.