Canterbury Summer Theatre, one of the Midwest's oldest
professional summer companies, is pleased to announce its 56th season of plays
and musicals, with weekly performances beginning June 12 through August 3.
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 39th season as Artistic Director. Crawford
is also Director of Theatre at Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana.
Canterbury Associate Artistic Director, David Graham, will helm
the comedy-drama, The Lifespan of a Fact, to kick off the season.
Crawford will direct Love is a Many Splintered Thing, a Top 40 jukebox musical, as well as the thriller, Murder at
the Howard Johnson's, which will premiere at Canterbury, before continuing on
to performances in Louisiana.
Canterbury veteran,
Victoria Hickman Cantrelle, will direct and choreograph Starting Here, Starting
Now, a revue of the music of Broadway legends, Maltby and Shire. She most
recently appeared on the Canterbury stage in Dames at Sea, The Pin-Up Girls and
Honky Tonk Angels.
Returning for his
fifth season as Music Director, John Berst will also stage the country music
showcase, Country Is: The Music of Main Street in Concert. Berst is a faculty
member at the University of Miami Musical Theatre Training Program, and most
recently directed Honky Tonk Angels at Canterbury.
Regarding the upcoming season, Crawford said, "From contemporary Broadway
dramatic work to laugh-out-loud screwball comedy, from beautiful Broadway love
songs to boot-stomping country hits, we have it all. And for those Boomers and
beyond---we have classic oldies from the 50s through the 80s all wrapped into
one show. Plus, we have a talented company from all over the country ready
to deliver. You won't want to miss a single show this summer."
Canterbury theatre seating will be by general admission. Season ticket holders
still may reserve specific seating, if the box office is notified in advance of
the performances that they wish to attend.
Performance times are
Wednesdays at 2:00 PM, and Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:00 PM.
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.
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 offered its Winter Arts
series for over two decades, highlighting a variety of performing arts
programming.
For more information, please visit www.canterburytheatre.org
The 2024 Canterbury Summer Theatre Season
The Lifespan of a Fact
By Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrel
Based on the book by Jim Fingal and John D'Agata
June 12-15
Jim Fingal is a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent but sinking
New York magazine. John D’Agata is a talented writer with a transcendent essay
about the suicide of a teenage boy in Las Vegas—an essay that could save the
magazine from collapse. When Jim is assigned to fact check D’Agata’s essay, the
two come head to head in a comedic yet gripping battle over facts versus truth!
Love is a Many Splintered Thing
By Dorothy Marcic with Hinton Battle
June 19-29
A fast-paced, zippy musical about— what else?— relationships, looked at through
nostalgic Top 40 hit songs of the past four decades. A company of six takes the
audience on a journey from high school through adulthood, tracing the paths
that each friend eventually follows. Incorporating established song lyrics to
tell a new story in a unique way, Love is a Many Splintered Thing features
recognizable hits from everyone from Neil Diamond to Cher, Connie Francis to
Elton John, Liza Minnelli to India.Arie!
Starting Here, Starting Now
Music by David Shire
Lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr.
July 3-13 (No show on July 4)
A thrilling and touching musical revue using the songs of Broadway veterans,
Richard Maltby, Jr., and David Shire (Big, Baby, Closer Than Ever). From tender
ballads to hysterical husband-hunting laments, from wry comments on trendy
marriages to ecstatic shouting-from-the-rooftop celebration, Starting Here,
Starting Now has an appealing freshness that has made it a perennial favorite
throughout the world!
Country Is: The Music of Main Street in Concert
Conceived by Rick Seeber
July 17-27
Take a musical ride through the heartland with this showcase of uniquely
American music resonating with the lives of hard-working, hard-living,
hard-playing people as they navigate love, regret, faith, and joy. Featuring
the work of George Strait, Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, John
Denver, Willie Nelson, and more!
Murder at the Howard Johnson's
By Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick
August 1-3 (No show on Wednesday; Saturday show is matinee only)
Is all fair in love? Even murder? That's the question posed by this light and
funny suspense comedy about a love triangle in a Howard Johnson Motor Inn. The
play presents a love triangle involving a woman, her lover, and her husband
with three separate murder plots being hatched. As the story unfolds in a
hilarious fashion, it's unclear whether any of the schemes will succeed!
