Spokane stages will be hopping this summer

Local theater seasons tend to end in May or June, returning with new productions in the fall. But that doesn’t mean area stages are going to be completely bare during the summer months. In fact, if you were to go out to the theater in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene every weekend in June, July and August, you could see a new production nearly every time. Here are some of the highlights of the summer’s theater offerings.

Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre, 1765 W. Golf Course Road – The theater’s 49th season includes the Tony Award-winning Peter Pan origin story “Peter and the Starcatcher” (June 16 to July 3), the Meredith Willson classic “The Music Man” (July 14-31) and the stage adaptation of the Disney feature “The Little Mermaid” (Aug. 11-28). The theater will also be hosting a series of staged readings, including an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” on June 22, and “Lombardi,” a week in the life of the revered NFL coach, on July 20. On Aug. 17, you can see a one-night only concert called “Bad Boys of Broadway,” which features songs by famous theater villains. www.cdasummertheatre.com/

Spokane Valley Summer Theatre, 821 S. Sullivan Road – Former Civic Theatre artistic director Yvonne A.K. Johnson’s newest theater collective premieres its first year of shows this summer. “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” runs from July 7 to 17, and it’s followed by the beloved Charles Dickens musical “Oliver!” from July 28 to Aug. 16. The short season closes with “Bring It On: The Musical,” Aug. 18-21. Season tickets are now available. https://svsummertheatre.com/

The Modern Theater, 174 S. Howard St. in Spokane and 1320 E. Garden Ave. in Coeur d’Alene – Both the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene locations of the Modern Theater continue to stage new productions during the first two months of summer. The Cole Porter musical “Anything Goes” premieres in Coeur d’Alene on June 3. “Man of La Mancha,” the Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of “Don Quixote,” premieres in Spokane on July 8. The season closes in Coeur d’Alene with “Dogfight,” a musical about a group of Marines in the 1960s, on July 29. www.themoderntheater.org/

Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. – Civic’s regular season is about to wrap up, but it has a handful of productions scheduled throughout the summer. The Playwrights’ Forum Festival occurs Thursday, featuring eight one-act plays penned by Northwest writers. It runs through June 12. Students of the theater’s summer academy will perform “Disney’s High School Musical” on July 22 and “The Worst Talent Show…Ever!” on Aug. 19. http://spokanecivictheatre.com/

Stage Left Theater, 108 W. 3rd Ave. – Stage Left will premiere “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later” on June 3. The show is a companion piece to the acclaimed play about a small Texas town in the aftermath of Matthew Shepard’s murder. It runs through June 19. “The Gin Game,” running June 22-26, stars Ed Bryan and Kathie Doyle-Lipe as cantankerous nursing home residents and their increasingly competitive gin rummy matches. www.spokanestageleft.org/

Ignite Community Theatre, 10814 E. Broadway Ave. – Ignite’s current season closes with Brendan Behan’s “The Hostage,” a socially conscious drama set in an Irish brothel in the 1950s. The show runs June 10-26. www.igniteonbroadway.org/

Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. – Bing’s ongoing Stage to Screen series brings filmed presentations of live performances from the National Theatre in London to Spokane. On June 19, the theater will screen Martin McDonagh’s black comedy “Hangmen,” starring David Morrissey of “The Walking Dead.” In July and August, the series will broadcast two classic Shakespeare comedies –“As You Like It” on July 17 and “The Taming of the Shrew” on Aug. 21. www.bingcrosbytheater.com/

Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague Ave. – Although it’s only been open for a few months, the Spokane Comedy Club is already bringing a gaggle of A-list comedians to town in the coming months. Upcoming names include Craig Robinson (June 2-4), Ralphie May (June 28 and 29), Marc Maron (July 7-9), Nick Swardson (July 21-23), Mike Epps (Aug. 5-7) and Rob Schneider (Sept. 2-3). In other comedy news, TV star George Lopez will perform stand-up at Northern Quest Resort and Casino (http://northernquest.com) on June 17. www.spokanecomedyclub.com/

INB Performing Arts Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. – Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has become a household name through his playful social media presence and his TV hosting gigs on educational series like “Cosmos.” He’ll take the stage at the INB on June 14, and his touring show, titled “An Astrophysicist Goes to the Movies,” blends science and pop culture in humorous and enlightening ways. www.inbpac.com