Addison Trail to present winter musical, ‘Guys and Dolls’

Addison Trail Theatre invites you to explore what happens when love blurs the line between reality and make-believe, as the school presents its winter musical, “Guys and Dolls.”

According to https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/1263/guys-and-dolls, “‘Guys and Dolls’ is a musical romantic comedy involving the unlikeliest of Manhattan pairings: a high-rolling gambler and a puritanical missionary, and a showgirl dreaming of the straight-and-narrow and a crap game manager who is anything but. Set in the Manhattan of Damon Runyon’s short stories, ‘Guys and Dolls’ tells of con-man Nathan Detroit’s efforts to find new life for his illegal, but notorious, crap game. When their trusty venue is found out by the police, Nathan has to find a new (spot) … quickly – but he doesn’t have the dough to secure the one location he finds. Enter Sky Masterson, a high-rolling gambler willing to take on any honest bet with a high enough reward attached. Nathan bets Sky that he can’t take the ‘doll’ of Nathan’s choosing to Havana, Cuba, with him on a date. When Sky agrees to the bet, Nathan chooses uptight … Sarah Brown, head of Broadway’s Save-a-Soul Mission. Sky thinks he has been duped, but he’s in for even more of a surprise when his efforts to woo Sarah are so successful that he falls in love with her himself!”

Addison Trail Theatre Director Anna McSweeney said "Guys and Dolls" was selected by District 88 System and Theatre Specialist Alex Holod (who’s an Addison Trail alumnus, class of 2009), as he was part of that show his freshman year.

Holod and McSweeney knew they would be working on this production while also leading the Illinois High School Theatre Festival (IHSTF) All-State Production of “Newsies,” so they chose a musical that would be successful, despite those constraints.

“This is a very colorful show that’s fun and lighthearted,” McSweeney said. “It’s a traditional musical, with a theme that can be seen in many modern films – a love story that starts as pretend and turns into something more.”

McSweeney said balancing two shows at once was a challenge, but it also led to positive outcomes.

“The students have been amazing with taking charge, persevering and developing independence,” she said. “And we’ve established wonderful partnerships with other local high school theatre programs, which has allowed for tremendous collaborations.”

She added another highlight of “Guys and Dolls” is it will feature a mix of experienced actors and new performers.

Addison Trail seniors Elias Aguilar (who plays Sky Masterson) and Lilia Zielinski (who plays Sarah Brown) said the story has a clear lesson: “Love can be unexpected and can change everything.”

“Audience members can look forward to seeing a bit of themselves in the story, as the premise is finding your true self,” they said.

“Guys and Dolls”

When: 7 p.m. on Feb. 5, 6 and 7, 2026 (also a 2 p.m. performance on Feb. 7)

Where: Addison Trail High School, 213 N. Lombard Road in Addison

Tickets: 

• $10 for adults (13 years old and older)
  
  
• $5 for children (12 years old and younger)
  
  
• Free for those with a District 88 student ID or a District 88 Senior Gold Card
  
  
• Tickets can be ordered online at NEED LINK.
  
  
• Tickets also will be available to buy at the box office (30 minutes before the performances).

For questions or more information: Call 630-628-3365