The Stage Coach Theater, 126 S. Fifth St., is offering affordable summer entertainment for students staying in DeKalb during the summer.

The Stage Coach Players are celebrating their 62nd season of production with the theater’s opening summer production of the play “Heaven Can Wait,” directed by David W. Booth. It opens May 8 and runs until May 18. Tickets for summer shows are $12 for adults and $9 for kids 12 years old and younger. The theater also offers season tickets or group rates for 10 or more people. The box office for “Heaven Can Wait” opens May 4.

The cast for this play includes both actors who have been appearing on stage for more than 30 years as well as newcomers.

“I think what our organization can offer for students over the summer is live entertainment for a reasonable price, and it is something different from seeing a movie,” said Gloria Dennison, president of the board of directors for the Stage Coach Players. “A lot of people in our

organization are also involved in the university; both staff and students who do a good job.”

Barbara Andree, chief clerk of the College of Health and Human Sciences and a member of the Stage Coach Players for more than 10 years, encourages students living in DeKalb over the summer to visit the theater.

“I think the NIU students would really enjoy our offerings, and even though most of our shows are between May and October, there are many students who are on campus for summer classes,” Andree said. “We are also happy to welcome any students – they don’t have to be actors – who would like to work on productions or perform. There’s lots to do in community theater and NIU is a big part of our community.”

Other plays this summer include “Communicating Doors,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “The Curious Savage,” “All My Sons” and “Over the River and through the Woods.”

According to the Stage Coach Players Web site, the organization is a nonprofit group with a mission “to foster an appreciation of the theatre and create opportunities for all those interested in the theatre to participate.”

The Stage Coach Theater remains one of the oldest continuously working neighborhood theater groups in northern Illinois.