Canterbury Summer Theatre opens its 53rd season of productions with the comedy-drama, Out of Love, performing June 16-19. The theatre is located at 807 Franklin Street in Michigan City.
Written by Elinor Cook, the play was first seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017, and was produced in London the next year. It received its American premiere in 2019 by the Interrobang Theatre Company in Chicago.
A funny, tender and well-crafted celebration of the richness of female friendship, Out of Love examines the thirty-year friendship of Lorna and Grace, two girls growing up in a stagnating small town, beginning as they become best friends on the playground.
However, the scenes of their lives together are not told in chronological order, but rather in an ingenious manner that reveals hidden, hilarious and sometimes painful truths about their friendship.
Out of Love stars Anne Brown, Melanie Frasca and Jeroen Frank Kales, all making their debut as part of the Canterbury Resident Company.
Brown, an actress based in Los Angeles, has appeared on stage in such productions as The Great Gatsby and Death and the Maiden, as well as on screen in NCIS: New Orleans and Geostorm.
Melanie Frasca, a native of Michigan, currently teaches at Texas Tech University, where she is pursuing an MFA in Performance and Pedagogy. She worked at Pit and Balcony Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and has performed in Lady Windermere's Fan and 9 to 5: The Musical, among others.
Originally from Holland, Jeroen Frank Kales is an actor living in Los Angeles. Stage credits include the roles of Bobby Strong in Urinetown, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Eric Swan in Cash on Delivery, with appearances in several independent films.
Leah Mazur returns to Canterbury as Guest Artist, to create the scenic design for Out of Love. Mazur is Assistant Professor of Scenography and Resident Designer at St. Mary's College of Maryland. She formerly worked as Scenic Designer and Technical Director at Canterbury for five seasons, while also performing in several shows, including the starring role in A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline.
Costume design is by Sarah Schwartz and Jakob Innes with lighting by Austin Ferrari. Megan Ross serves as the production stage manager.
Out of Love is directed by Canterbury Associate Artistic Director, David Graham, marking his 31st staging for the company.
This production contains adult themes and language, and is recommended for those audience members of high school age or older.
Canterbury performances are at 2:00 PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7:30 pm on Fridays, and Saturdays at 6:30 pm. Ticket prices are $16.00-$17.00, with discounts for seniors and students.
Tickets can be purchased by phone at (219) 874-4269 or e-mail info@canterburytheatre.org
Canterbury will follow health and safety protocols as set forth by the Indiana State Health Department, implementing socially-distanced seating and other precautions. Patrons are not requited to wear masks, but are recommended to do so if they feel it necessary.
Canterbury Summer Theatre, one of the Midwest's oldest professional summer companies, is produced under the auspices of the Canterbury Guild, a nonprofit arts organization, which also manages the Canterbury Winter Arts Series.