![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DTD-L-HARRYDIETZLERTINAFEY-0620-1.jpg\")
In an undated photo, Harry Dietzler, the founder and former longtime executive director of Upper Darby Summer Stage, with one of Summer Stage’s most famous alumna, Tina Fey, actress, writer and producer. (COURTESY OF UPPER DARBY SUMMER STAGE)<\/p>\nUPPER DARBY \u2014 Upper Darby Summer Stage will present its 50th Season Gala Weekend on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28 at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center and Drexelbrook Event Center. This milestone event will kick off a spectacular summer season with a musical celebration unlike any other \u2014 and everyone is invited.<\/p>\n
The weekend will feature two unforgettable events: the Gala Show, taking place on both nights, and the Reunion Celebration on Friday. Together, these gatherings aim to raise vital funds to preserve and propel the legacy of Summer Stage. Everyone is invited to join in celebrating 50 magical seasons and to help ensure the next 50 are just as extraordinary.<\/p>\n
More than 175 Summer Stage alumni, representing five decades of performances, will return to the stage to sing, dance, and celebrate the program that helped launch countless careers and lifelong friendships. The 50th Season Gala Celebration Show will feature beloved numbers from past Mainstage productions including \u201cCrazy for You,\u201d \u201cNewsies,\u201d \u201cWest Side Story,\u201d \u201cJoseph,\u201d \u201cBarnum,\u201d \u201cTitanic,\u201d \u201cHunchback of Notre Dame,\u201d \u201cHairspray\u201d and \u201cSpongeBob SquarePants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Show Performances are planned for 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 27 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28 at Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, 601 N. Lansdowne Ave., Drexel Hill. Tickets cost $30 to $100.<\/p>\n
The Gala Show, a landmark production, is directed by Marcus Stevens, Richard Rodgers Award-winning playwright and co-creator of \u201cMythic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy vision for the Summer Stage Gala Show is to celebrate both where we\u2019ve been and where we\u2019re headed,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cIt\u2019s a chance to look back on some of our most iconic performances \u2014 those favorite numbers we all remember \u2014 while also looking ahead to the next 50 years of Summer Stage. More than just a showcase, the gala is an opportunity for us as a community to recommit to the values that make this program so special. Summer Stage has never been just about creating great performers, it\u2019s about building empathy, confidence, collaboration and lifelong friendships. It\u2019s a true community, one that stays with you long after the final curtain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musical direction is by longtime Summer Stage veteran Gina Giachero, with orchestrations by Vince Leonard of the Philly Pops.<\/p>\n
Julianna Schauerman, an original Summer Stager, serves as producer, with WHYY\u2019s Tristan Horan creating video content.<\/p>\n
Summer Stage founder Harry Dietzler is contributing to music preparation, and Allie Steele is coordinating the 50th season events.<\/p>\n
In an undated photo, Harry Dietzler, the founder and former longtime executive director of Upper Darby Summer Stage, with one of Summer Stage’s most famous alumna, Tina Fey, actress, writer and producer. (COURTESY OF UPPER DARBY SUMMER STAGE)<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of jobs in my life but directing children\u2019s theater at Upper Darby Summer Stage might have been my favorite,\u201d Summer Stage alum Tina Fey said in a statement. \u201cPutting up shows with sixty kids that then would be seen by five hundred little kids every morning, we were really providing something fun and wholesome to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Summer Stage alumni are some of the most accomplished in the performing arts world, including:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fey, writer, actress and producer<\/p>\n
\u2022 David Corenswet, star of Warner Brothers\u2019 \u201cSuperman\u201d film, due out July 11<\/p>\n
\u2022 Monica Horan, \u201cEverybody Loves Raymond\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Terrence Nolen and Amy Murphy, co-founders of Arden Theatre Company<\/p>\n
\u2022 Gianna Yanelli, currently starring in Broadway\u2019s \u201cSix\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Josh Young, Tony-nominated actor<\/p>\n
\u2022 Jeremy Morse, \u201cWaitress on Broadway\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Alyse Alan Louis, \u201cMamma Mia on Broadway\u201d and \u201cTeeth\u201d (Lucille Lortel Award and Outer Critics Circle nominee)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Marie Eife, \u201cWicked,\u201d and Kait Kerrigan, \u201cThe Great Gatsby\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI made many of my closest friends and most cherished performance memories on and off the stage at Upper Darby Summer Stage,\u201d Corenswet said. \u201cBut more than that, I learned a valuable lesson about life and career: dream of the leading role, compete hard for it, then let it go and enjoy the chorus. Dance your feet off in the ensemble. You may have your solo moments center stage in life, but if you\u2019re lucky, you\u2019ll spend most of your time surrounded by a chorus of friends and family, singing in harmony together. The culture, the leadership, and the people of Summer Stage instilled that truth in us, and continue to remind us, summer after summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upper Darby Summer Stage was founded in 1976 by Harry Dietzler and has grown to become one of the nation\u2019s premier youth theater programs, empowering young performers while providing affordable, family-friendly entertainment to residents of the Greater Philadelphia region.<\/p>\n
Dietzler\u2019s leadership has earned widespread recognition, including a Barrymore Lifetime Achievement Award (2011), an honorary doctorate from Villanova University (2014), and a Tony Award for Theater Education finalist nomination (2016).<\/p>\n
The 2025 season of Summer Stage shows:<\/p>\n
\u2022 July 1-3: \u201cDare To Dream: A Disney Musical Revue\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 July 8-10: \u201cHow to Train Your Dragon Jr.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 July 15- 17: \u201cDisney\u2019s Frozen Jr.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 July 22- 24: \u201cJunie B\u2019s Essential Survival Guide To School Jr.:<\/p>\n
\u2022 July 29- 31: \u201cAnnie Jr.:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Aug. 5-7: \u201cThe SpongeBob Musical\u201d<\/p>\n
The Young Adult\u2019s Main Stage production for this year will be \u201cSomething Rotten,\u201d which will run July 25 to Aug. 2. Tickets are currently on sale for all of this season\u2019s shows.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis (50-year) milestone is a testament to the visionary support of township and district leaders, the dedication of our staff, the commitment of our Summer Stagers, and the support of our families and audiences,\u201d Dietzler said. \u201cSummer Stage has changed our lives, and we are grateful beyond words. Now, it\u2019s time to ensure future generations can experience this precious program. Let\u2019s commit to supporting Summer Stage in whatever way we can. Love ties us all together. My prayer is that we continue to radiate that love for many years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Named one of the Top Performing Arts Summer Camps in America by http:\/\/Playbill.com<\/a>, over 800 young people from across the Philadelphia region come together each summer to create eight professional-quality shows over six weeks that entertain nearly 27,000 audience members.<\/p>\n Now led by artistic and Executive Director Chris Luner and supported by the Upper Darby Arts and Education Foundation\u2019s Executive Director Justin Heimbecker, the program continues to inspire new generations.<\/p>\n The 50th Anniversary Reunion Celebration will take place at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, June 27 at Drexelbrook Event Center.<\/p>\n The gala is open to all Summer Stagers, parents and supporters. Tickets cost $75.<\/p>\n A live auction will be ongoing from June 22 to 29, where people can bid on exclusive items including vacations, celebrity golf outings, memorabilia and opening night tickets to \u201cDear Evan Hansen\u201d at the Arden Theatre.<\/p>\n To browse items and place bids: http:\/\/32auctions.com\/organizations\/129139\/auctions\/181926.<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"Summer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DTD-L-SPONGEBOB-0620-1.jpg\")
Summer Stage will present its 50th season of shows this summer. Above is the cast of a previous Upper Darby Summer Stage production of \u201cThe SpongeBob Musical.\u201d (COURTESY OF UPPER DARBY SUMMER STAGE)<\/p>\n