History
The Canterbury Guild
...was founded in 1969, as the Festival Players Guild, when Michigan City businessman Lyman Taylor purchased the St. John's Church property at 9th and Franklin Streets in Michigan City, Indiana. For 28 years this building, The Canterbury, was "home" to the programs of the Guild.
After Taylor sold the building, the Guild continued to present its programs in the Canterbury until the new owners decided that they, also, wanted to offer the property for sale. After years of renting, the Guild decided to renovate a building it owned at 807 Franklin Street into a complete Theatre Complex. The Guild changed its name in 2016 to Canterbury Guild in order to unify the overall branding of its various programs.
From the outset, the Guild has been fortunate to have capable artistic direction through its staff. Dale Miller served as the Canterbury Summer Theatre's first artistic director. Miller assembled a talented cast, drawn primarily from Northwestern University students and graduates to present the 1969 and 1970 seasons. Since that first season, seven have held the position of artistic director with the current artistic director, Ray Scott Crawford, serving in the position for 36 seasons.
Gerald "Jerry" Peters
Sadly in 2012, we lost Gerald "Jerry" Peters, the longtime president of the Festival Players Guild, (now Canterbury Guild) and production administrator for the Canterbury Summer Theatre. Jerry helped pilot the Guild through 43 years of civic accomplishment, as well as helming the summer theatrical production entity that has given hundreds of young theatre artists from across the nation their first professional jobs.
Michigan City has lost one of its favorite sons, and the legacy of Jerry's efforts to help his hometown flourish will not soon be forgotten, nor will our memories of his generosity, colorful personality, sense of humor and dedication to the Guild and Canterbury Theatre.
Contributions in Jerry's name may be made to Canterbury Guild, P.O. Box 157, Michigan City, IN 46361.