Welcome to Rydell High! Meet the senior class of 1959: hot-rodding "Burger Palace Boys" and their gum-snapping "Pink Ladies" in bobby sox, evoking the look and sound of the 1950's in this rollicking musical.
Head "greaser" Danny Zuko and new good girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive the high romance of their "Summer Nights" as the rest of the gang sings and dances its way through songs such as "Greased Lightnin'", "It's Raining On Prom Night", and "Alone at the Drive-In Movie", recalling the music of Buddy Holly, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley that became the soundtrack of a generation.
An eight-year run on Broadway and two subsequent revivals, along with innumerable school and community productions place Grease among the world's most popular musicals.
We can't wait to travel back to 1959 this summer! We hope you will join us!
PERFORMANCE/TICKET INFO
Thursday, August 1, 7 p.m.
Friday, August 2, 7 p.m.
Saturday, August 3, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
General Seating for all performances.
If you need assistance with purchasing tickets, require accessible seating, or have any questions about the performance, please call 860-421-3166 and leave your name and a call back number. A ticket volunteer will return your call and will be happy to assist you.
Tickets can also be purchased at the door - cash, check, or Venmo is preferred. Ticket box office will open 1 hour prior to each performance.
Please email us with any questions.
Our mission statement:
Simsbury Summer Theatre for Youth (SSTFY) was formed in Simsbury, CT in 1966 to produce a full-scale Broadway musical for youth members in the region entering 9th grade through age 22, allowing them to experience constructive educational opportunities in theatre arts during the six weeks of summer production. SSTFY's goal is to develop performance and organizational skills on a multitude of important levels, creating self-confidence and promoting friendships among all participants while providing enjoyable entertainment for residents of Simsbury and surrounding towns. SSTFY is open to all students interested in developing poise, self-assurance, and skills in artistic expression such as singing, acting, dancing, orchestra participation, and backstage technical work. The organization provides young people with challenges to meet, leadership and learning opportunities onstage and off, adult mentorship, and a deep sense of community in which friendships have been forged for life. Participants learn how to put on a show, and have the opportunity to take a leadership role running a non-profit on the Youth Board as they learn about themselves and what they can accomplish. SSTFY is a place where hard work, commitment, enthusiasm, teamwork, and active learning provide the foundation for artistic self-expression.
Simsbury Summer Theatre for Youth is well-known for its exceptional annual production of a full-scale Broadway musical. Under the direction of a new team of talented theatre professionals, for six weeks each summer, SST provides a comprehensive, challenging, and fun educational experience for its members. SST is open to incoming 9th grade students (or age 14 by August of the current year) through age 22.
SSTFY is a self-funded, not-for-profit private community theatre organization committed to giving young adults the opportunity to learn, create, express, and enjoy the magic of theatre, both on stage and off. Unpaid internships with personal letters of recommendation and community service hours are available for behind the scenes leadership in costuming, set building, and other key tech roles.
Join us for our 59th show! We can't wait to put on an amazing show with you!
Simsbury Summer Theatre exists as a result of donations from our supporters. Your donations help us to create the world-class theatre you witness each summer. Additionally, they ensure that need-based partial and full scholarships can be given to students. SST is an organization where our young adults feel safe to be themselves, take chances in their creativity, and garner life-long friendships.
Will you become a Friend of Simsbury Summer Theatre? Click below to make a donation via PayPal for our upcoming season. Donations may also be made using Venmo (username SimsburySummer-Theatre), or by sending a check (made out to Simsbury Summer Theatre) to P.O. Box 82, Simsbury, CT 06070. Thank you!
I am not comfortable with any in-person meetings; will I still be able to participate and get the experience?
Yes! All workshops and videos will be available virtually, via a members-only Facebook page (we will accommodate anyone who doesn't use Facebook). Students will also be able to record their songs at home with tracks that we will provide.
How will the kids who attend in-person be kept socially distant?
We will be following whatever the state standards are at the time. Everyone who attends will be required to wear a mask. Kids will be separated into groups the size of whatever the state standards are.
Where will the in-person meetings be held?
We will be meeting outdoors at the Grange in West Simsbury (236 Farms Village Road, across from the post office). There is parking in the Grange parking lot as well as in the adjacent shopping center.
What safety measures will the SST adults be implementing?
All adults will also wear masks. Everyone who attends will be responsible for washing hands before arrival. We will be taking everyone's temperature upon arrival with a contactless thermometer. Hand sanitizer will be available. All indoor surfaces will be cleaned prior to students' arrival each day, and sanitized between uses.
How will in-person singing be done?
There will be no full group in-person singing. One-on-one and small groups will rehearse at least 6 feet apart, facing different directions (toward open doors and windows if indoors), or outdoors. Group recordings will be done in individual pieces.
In the past, SST has had snacks on some occasions. How will snacks be handled this summer?
We will not be providing snacks this summer. Kids may bring their own snacks, if necessary.
What will I need to bring with me if I attend in-person?
A face mask will be required. Please bring something to sit outdoors on, whether it be a camp chair or beach towel. You will need to bring your sheet music, preferably in a folder or binder, and a pencil. A water bottle and snack (if you think you'll need one). Perhaps some bug spray.
How will I do a virtual audition?
Best options are to record yourself using the Smule Sing app, or a YouTube karaoke track. Please choose a musical theatre song, and record a verse and chorus (which is around 38 measures). Please email your audition no later than June 24.
We are proud to have produced a musical every summer since 1966. Here is the past decade of shows.
2023 - Rock of Ages
2022 - Mamma Mia!
2021 - Working
2020 - Cabaret 2020, Some Good Tunes
2019 - The Drowsy Chaperone
2018 - How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
2017 - On the Town
2016 - The Music Man
2015 - Fiddler on the Roof
2014 - Carousel
2013 - Cinderella
2012 - Bye Bye Birdie
Cabaret 2020: Some Good Tunes
Our 2020 season was a summer like no other, as we were met with the challenge of COVID-19. Once it became clear that we were not going to be able to perform Grease as we had planned, the SST Board, along with an amazing Production Team, worked diligently to offer an alternative and enriching opportunity for students who were desperate, after months of quarantine, to be able to create.
Working with the ever-changing approved guidelines from the Governor's office, we created a physically-distant summer program which we call Cabaret 2020: Some Good Tunes. We chose songs from musicals that would uplift our members, as well as our audience. For 4 weeks, 31 members and our staff met 4 nights a week, outdoors, wearing masks, keeping physical distance, checking temperatures, and diligently sanitizing, so that we could safely continue to do what we love and produce Simsbury Summer Theatre's 55th show.
We learned music, choreography, built set pieces and painted backdrops, wrote our own scripts, and enjoyed several workshops from guest speakers who graciously came to talk to us about several aspects of theater. We audio and video recorded 23 songs individually, which our Music Producer seamlessly compiled to make it sound like we were singing together.
While this was definitely a summer with challenges we never could have expected, we all learned so much about keeping safe, the wonders of technology, and how to create something beautiful, even in the midst of a pandemic. For Simsbury Summer Theatre, "The Show Must (and did) Go On!"
Get out your hair gel and your bobby socks and dance your way to SST this summer because we are going back to 1959 and performing one of the most loved and iconic musicals of all time!
Our 55th annual production, Grease, is a well-known and well-loved musical about American high schoolers, featuring music in the rock ‘n roll style of the 1950s. The hot-rodding “Burger Palace Boys” and their gum-snapping “Pink Ladies” sing and dance their way through their senior year of high school. Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Named after the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as greasers, the musical is set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School and follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of peer pressure, politics, personal core values, and love. The score borrows heavily from the sounds of early rock and roll. An eight-year run on Broadway and two subsequent revivals place Grease among the world’s most popular musicals.
With 17 named roles and a large ensemble, this is truly a show where everyone will shine! Our new Production Team is committed to precisely that!
click here for cast information
The Simsbury Summer Theatre for Youth was founded in 1966 when approximately 100 high school and college students presented L’il Abner at Eno Memorial Hall. Each year since, SST has produced a Broadway musical, moving from Eno Hall to the Simsbury High School stage, to the Westminster School’s Centennial Theater, and back to Simsbury High School in 2020! SST alumni have starred in Broadway and regional shows and become Grammy-winning artists, pursuing careers in directing, technical theater, and instrumental and vocal performance. Others are enjoying life outside the performing arts mainstream, staying involved through community groups. Read more...
read more history
A native of Simsbury and an alum of SSTFY, David is thrilled to be directing this year’s production of Grease. In addition to many appearances onstage, David has worked around the globe as a manager in the live entertainment sector. For 10 years, he served as director for the annual musical at Henry James School. His management credits include work with Norwegian Cruise Line on productions such as SIX, Jersey Boys, After Midnight, Burn the Floor, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, FL, and at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford. David holds a BA in Performing Arts Management from the Hartt School.
Playing her first show (Godspell) when she was 13, Diana Lawler is a veteran of over 80 productions. Past favorites include Carrie, Spring Awakening, Into the Woods, Young Frankenstein, Godspell, Fame, Les Mis, and too many others to mention. Diana has been MD and/or accompanist for high school, community, and college productions. When not doing theater, Diana is a private piano teacher, accompanist for the Canton School District, and Music Minister at a local church, She is thrilled to be music directing with SST for the first time.
Rachel Armstrong is excited to return to Simsbury Summer Theatre for her fifth year! Rachel has been a resident of Simsbury for the past 9 years. For the past 17 years she has been a dance instructor and choreographer throughout the Hartford area. She attended UConn with a major in kinesiology. She has performed on stage with Theater Guild of Simsbury, and West Hartford Community Theater. She recently choreographed Simsbury High School's production of Guys & Dolls, and is currently choreographing at Little Theater of Manchester.
