In 1969, Members of the Amherst Women’s League understood that local students longed for a chance to perform. They created a summer community theatre, the first of its kind in the area, to allow students to express themselves. That summer, students performed The Pajama Game and Amherst was hooked. The students immediately felt the sense of family and friendship that only the arts can provide.

In 1983, Sandstone Summer Theatre expanded to include a Children’s Theatre. Year after year, children in Amherst saw their older siblings performing  wanted a theatre experience of their own. Our children’s theatre continues to attract attention as the most affordable youth theatre in the area. Students get the chance to meet local theatre professionals, help construct their set and costumes, and develop a life-long love of the arts.

For forty-nine years, Sandstone continued to perform at Marion L. Steele High School. In 2018, we decided to take a chance and move the adult show to the Lorain Palace Theatre. This massive leap for SST dramatically increased our enrollment with an astounding 100 auditionees for the adult production. We returned to the Palace the following year and experienced the same increase in interest. For summer 2022, we continued our growth by moving to Lorain County Community College’s Stocker Center and continued that growth in summer 2023 by performing in Avon High School's newly built Performing Arts Center.

In summer 2022, we also took on a new endeavor: a preschool program. Much like the Children’s Theatre, Sunshine Theatre was created out of community need. Young students watched their older siblings having fun onstage and wanted an opportunity of their own. We look forward to seeing the growth of this new program. 

Exposing people to the arts changes their lives. We want to make that happen.