Summer Place unveils 2012 theater season
Three characters named Charlie, Harvey and Joseph will take the stage in Naperville this summer as part of the 2012 season presented by The Summer Place, a Naperville-based community theater group.
All of the shows, which begin in June, will be presented at the Naperville Central High School auditorium, 440 W. Aurora Ave.
The season opens with “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” under the direction of Naperville native Matt Whalen, June 15-17 and 22-24. Based on the characters of Charles Schultz, the 1967 musical follows a typical day in the life of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang.
The comedy “Harvey” follows July 13-15 and 20-23. Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy introduces us to Elwood P. Dowd and his imaginary pal, Harvey, a 6-foot rabbit. Is Elwood crazy or eccentric? The production will be directed by Billy Surges.
Finishing the summer season, is “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s early collaboration takes the famous Bible story and adds infectious tunes, clever lyrics and a little bit of Elvis to put some rock ’n’ roll into your summer. The show will be presented July 27-29 and Aug. 3-5. Tom Reiser will direct.
Tickets for all three shows may be purchased at the door or by calling the box office at (630) 355-7969.
The Summer Place was founded by Donald Jamison and Donald Shanower in 1966. The first seasons were held in a circus tent on an empty parking lot with seats donated by a movie house.
After several storms, the site was replaced with an outdoor pavilion, which, thanks to the blizzard of 1979, was again replaced. Since then, the company has performed at Naperville Central High School.