Summer Baer is a St. Louis–based theatre artist and creator originally from Kansas. After earning her Bachelor of Arts from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, she relocated to St. Louis, which quickly became her artistic home. Summer works across disciplines as an actor, playwright, director, and teaching artist. She collaborates with many companies including SATE, New Jewish Theatre, Action Arts Collaborative, Prison Performing Arts, Prism Theatre Company, and others. Select stage credits include Catherine in Proof, Gena Scott in Action, Rosalind in As You Like It, and Lee in Rodney’s Wife. 

In addition to performing, Summer is an active collaborator on new works and devised theatre projects throughout the St. Louis arts community. Her original play Bold Stroke for a Villain was produced as part of SATE’s 2023 Aphra Behn Festival. Other produced works include Dear Libby, Escape This, The Gazelle Twins, and staged readings of The Lady Penrhyn and Tilda.

In May 2025, her play Scream, Echo. Scream. premiered at Metro Theater Company in collaboration with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis Artist Support Grant. The production was nominated for a St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Outstanding New Play. The work was met with critical acclaim. Reviewers described it as “emotionally rich, intellectually evocative storytelling,” noting how it “addresses modern problems through Greek mythology.” Critics emphasized the production’s resonance and witty writing, calling attention to its layered exploration of voice, agency, and contemporary identity.

Summer began playwriting out of a desire to expand representation for women and non-binary artists. Frustrated by reductive archetypes – her work emphasizes the lived experiences of underrepresented genders and sexualities while exploring the intersectionality of human emotion. She works to challenge injustice and bias, encouraging audiences to question the systems that shape our lives.

Rooted in empathy, Summer believes there is privilege in being human – to feel deeply, even when those feelings contradict. Through storytelling that demands compassion rather than judgment, she invites audiences to embrace nuance and the transformative impact of empathy.