This summer, teens at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre are taking the lead in putting on two very different, but equally challenging productions.

An interactive exhibit at the Lakeshore Museum Center in Muskegon is highlighting all the parts of a theater that make a production happen, especially the “backstage” roles like lighting, costuming and set design.

In the second act of Grammy- and multiple Tony-award winning Broadway musical “In The Heights” (the show that launched Lin-Manuel Miranda, star creator of “Hamilton”) the Spanish word “alabanza” is introduced as a song.

Having the ability to look back on adolescence — because somehow we survived it — can be a tremendous joy, though one we may avoid to save us from reliving utterly cringe-worthy moments we’d prefer to forget.

There are reasons to see a show above and beyond the quality of the script. And in the case of the comedy “Love, Lies, and the Doctor’s Dilemma,” which runs one week only at The Barn Theatre in Augusta, those reasons are many. In this case, it’s actually a special treat to see how much an enormously talented resident company can do with their imaginations and skill to create wildly hilarious entertainment with so little.

Every now and then, the perfect show comes at the perfect moment. The stunning production of “Fun Home” currently at Farmers Alley Theatre in Kalamazoo is that rare case.

When Kurt Stamm first saw In The Heights on Broadway, he knew it was a show he wanted to present as part of Mason Street Warehouse’s summer lineup in Saugatuck.

A Republican running for re-election in Virginia is about to face a uniquely tough decision in this month’s Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids production.

For anyone who's ever felt different, cast out or judged by society, they’ve always been able to find a home and comfort in the theater. There’s something unique and special about the camaraderie and the feeling that it doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like or who you love.

There’s something different about summer theater.