Summerstage was an arts festival that ran for six recorded seasons at Trinity during the summer months. It was started the summer of 1977 as a way to share Trinity's resources with the Hartford community, it being Hartfords only professional summer theatre. The plays themselves were put on by professional actors and troupes, giving Trinity students the chance to work alongside seasoned actors.

The festival featured adult and children play productions, alongside dance concerts, art exhibits and live music performances. Roger D. Shoemaker, assistant professor of theatre arts at Trinity, took a large role in directing Summerstage and picking the plays it showcased each summer.

The plays drew large audience numbers, the adult theatre attendance being over 13,000 in its opening year in 1977. Grants were given to fund the festival, including ones from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, and the Philip R. Graham Fund.

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The Trinity Reporter, June/July 1977, pp. 3.

The Trinity Reporter, Winter 1979, pp. 3.

The Trinity Reporter, Spring 1980, pp 8.