Canterbury Summer Theatre, one of the Midwest's oldest professional summer companies, is pleased to announce its 54th season of plays and musicals, with weekly performances beginning June 15 through August 6.
Drawing on talent from throughout the country, the Canterbury Resident Company will present audiences with a summer slate packed with comedy, music and thrills performed at Canterbury Theatre, located at 807 Franklin Street, in the Uptown Arts District of Michigan City.
Ray Scott Crawford returns for his 37th season as Artistic Director. Crawford is Director of Theatre at Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana.
He was recently awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Gold Medallion during the 54th Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. The Kennedy Center Gold Medallion is the highest award the festival gives and is considered a great honor in theatre education.
(L-R) Grace Cummings, Bailey Roberts, Jacob Ryan Martinez and Anna Holmes in the 2021 Canterbury Summer Theatre production of 8 Track: The Sounds of the '70s
Canterbury Associate Artistic Director, David Graham, will helm The Thin Place, a supernatural tale, to kick off the season. Crawford will direct the musical romp, Streakin' Thru the '70s!, as well as the romantic comedy, Sylvia, which will premiere at Canterbury, before continuing on to performances in Louisiana.
Stephanie Murry, Producing Artistic Director of the North Dakota Shakespeare Festival, joins Canterbury this season to stage the Kander and Ebb musical revue, The World Goes 'Round, featuring songs from the legendary composing team's repertoire of hit Broadway shows, such as Cabaret, Chicago, and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Canterbury veteran, Lari Leber, returns to direct the darkly comic musical thriller, No Way to Treat a Lady, based on the best-selling novel. Leber previously directed productions of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and Vanities: The Musical for the theatre.
Crawford offers, "Our season is 'Out of This World'! With everything from the supernatural to a '70s streaker to a talking dog named Sylvia, we've got something for everybody. The Canterbury Resident Company is getting the engines ready to blast off with the five exciting and entertaining plays and musicals of our 54th Season!"
Canterbury theatre seating will be by general admission and patrons will be safely social-distanced. Season ticket holders still may reserve specific seating, if the box office is notified in advance of the performances that they wish to attend.
The health and safety of patrons and staff, as always, is a top priority for Canterbury and this summer is no exception.The monitoring of, and adherence to, CDC and state guidelines regarding COVID will be ongoing..
Canterbury Summer Theatre is produced under the auspices of the Canterbury Guild, a nonprofit arts organization began in 1969 (as the Festival Players Guild) by Michigan City businessmen and educators with the goal of bringing professional summer theatre to the area.
In addition to its summer initiative, Canterbury has produced its Winter Arts series for over two decades, highlighting a variety of performing arts programming.
Performance times are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 PM, Fridays at 7:30 PM and Saturdays at 6:30 PM, at Canterbury Theatre, 807 Franklin Street, in Michigan City.
Tickets for all Canterbury productions, as well as season discount cards, can be reserved by calling (219) 874-4269 or by e-mail at info@canterburytheatre.org. Reduced ticket prices are available for seniors, groups and students.
For more information, please visit www.canterburytheatre.org
The 2022 Canterbury Summer Theatre Season
The Thin Place
By Lucas Hnath
June 15-18
Linda communicates, professionally, with the dead, who are still here, just in a different part of here, in the "thin place." She can make those who believe hear them, offering them peace and closure and meaning. Hilda, a keen listener and observer who’s grappling with loss, takes a great interest in Linda’s abilities. She befriends the veteran medium, seeking answers that lie across the fragile boundary between our world and the other one. With acuity and relentless curiosity, Tony Award-winning playwright, Lucas Hnath, transforms the theater into an intimate séance, crafting an unnerving testament to the power of the mind!
Streakin' Thru The '70s!
By James A. Rocco & Albert Evans
June 22-July 2
An outrageous, mind-blowing dash through the “Me Decade,” complete with (shh!) a real life streaker! Featuring over 40 hit songs, Streakin’ Through the '70s! is filled with enough music and comedy sketches to make your bell bottoms burst. You 'll be dancing in the aisles to classics such as "Play That Funky Music," "You Sexy Thing," "Peace Train," "Smokin' in the Boys Room" and many more!
The World Goes 'Round
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
July 6-16
A thrilling retrospective of the legendary Broadway writing team, the creators of classic musicals such as Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Curtains! Filled with humor, romance, drama and nonstop melody, this show is a celebration of life and the fighting spirit that keeps us all going. Five individuals find themselves careening through the world of love, babies and coffee. From Cabaret to Chicago, the nonstop hit-parade features unforgettable gems, including "Mr. Cellophane," "Maybe This Time," "Cabaret" and "New York, New York," seamlessly interwoven into a passionate, harmonious, up-tempo evening of musical theatre!
No Way To Treat A Lady
Book, Music and Lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen
Based on the novel by William Goldman
July 20-30
This theatrically charged musical comedy thriller about a publicity-crazed actor-turned-killer and the endearing detective who pursues him is based on the bestselling novel that became a renowned motion picture. It is a devilish blend of humor, romance, and murder as the killer adopts a myriad of disguises, including a tango instructor, French waiter, female barfly and priest. However, both the detective and the killer have to deal with another obstacle--their mothers!
“Catchy tunes and snappy lyrics... Mr. Cohen's score is a reassuring fusion, a mastery of traditional musical comedy style adorning and informing an offbeat story. A beguiling musical!” – The New York Times
Sylvia
By A. R. Gurney
August 4-6 (No Wednesday performance)
Greg and Kate have moved to Manhattan after twenty-two years of child-raising in the suburbs. Greg’s career as a financial trader is winding down, while Kate’s career, as a public-school English teacher, is beginning to offer her more opportunities. Greg brings home a dog he found in the park—-or that has found him—-bearing only the name “Sylvia” on her name tag. A street-smart mixture of Lab and poodle, Sylvia becomes a major bone of contention between husband and wife in this beautiful, funny, touching and profound play!