THE CANTERBURY PLAYERS

By Robert Scarponi, founding member of the Canterbury Players and former President of the Canterbury Historical Society.

For 10 years in the 1980s and 90s, a dedicated troupe of Canterbury residents brought Broadway productions to Town Hall, initially to raise money for the town bandstand, where generations of townspeople have enjoyed entertainment and marked memorable town events for more than 40 years.

It started on May 20, 1983, when the Canterbury Players presented their first production—the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta “HMS Pinafore.” This production was one of nine Gilbert and Sullivan shows that the company produced (HMS Pinafore was staged twice) over 10 years. To fully appreciate all the effort that went into these productions, one must realize that all of the talent was local, mostly from Canterbury and all amateurs.

Cast of HMS Pinafore, the Canterbury Players’ first production. May 1983.

Front Row: Rob Fogg, Jackie Mears.
Second Row: Kent Ruesswick, David Withrow, Jane Pratt, Randy Morrison, Eileen Peterson, Robert Scarponi, Priscilla Lockwood, Doug Ruesswick.
Third Row: Ann Fifield, Jan Boyd, Nancy Lilly, Marcia Hudson, Betty Peterson, Cal Ruesswick, Debbie Fifield, Ruth Mann.
Fourth Row: Robert Hill, Bill Mears. Mike Winograd, Toni Halla, Sara Fogg, Sid Upham.

During those 10 years, scores of individuals contributed their acting and production talents as well as technical skills to mount the productions. The Town Hall basement that housed the selectman‘s office became dressing rooms and restrooms for the cast. Each year, individuals volunteered to extend the stage to accommodate performances, as well as design and create scenery and lighting for each show.

As noted in Canterbury’s 1984 Town Report, the Canterbury Players had its roots in the building of the bandstand that was erected in the Town Center in 1984. A  couple of years earlier, the Canterbury Brass Sextet, under the direction of Bill Mears, had performed in the Center and Bob Lockwood passed the hat, attracting $80 in contributions. After the collection, Bob asked what should be done with the money and Ollie Fifield said the town needs a bandstand — thus a Bandstand Committee was formed.

The Town Meeting of 1982 unanimously approved building a privately funded bandstand. Several fundraisers were held, but more funds were needed.

“I know what we’ll do” I said. “Let’s put on a show.”

As a result, the Canterbury Players was formed to perform Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. It should be noted that without the directorial talent of Bill Mears and the organizational skills of Jackie Mears as producer, there would probably not have been a Canterbury Players!

Remember please, that all of our players were amateurs, many working full-time, and had never been in a theatrical production previously. Therefore, the success of the Players is a tribute to the unbound optimism of the cast, the welcoming reception of audiences who came to see their neighbors and friends perform in ways they had never seen before, not to mention the well of patience that both the producer and director had to tap.

There was always a full house and an appreciative audience, not to mention many slaps on the backs of fellow performers for having made it through the production, or for having done well.

Jackie Mears preserved the memories by making scrapbooks for each show. They and some costumes are included in the Historical Society archives. Digital recordings of each production will be included in the future and added to the Historical Society website.

Canterbury Players scrapbooks in the Historical Society archives.  

Reminders of comical faux pas (but certainly not intended performance glitches) have provided knowing smiles to many over the years.

For example, during the 1984 production of Iolanthe, I, as the Lord High Chancellor, was performing a solo rendition of “The Nightmare Song.” It told the story of a dream, but really did turn into a nightmare. Alone on the stage and part way through the song, I lost the words.

There was only one thing to do — dance frantically around the stage and invent words to sing, even if they made no sense at all. In the end, I did recover, but it was the only time (in 10 shows) that an audience member later congratulated me on doing such a wonderful job with singing a song!

Jan Cote remembers an incident during the opening night of our first production, HMS Pinafore, in 1983.

“Nancy Lilly and I had been sucking on lemon slices to clear our throats. We set the lemon aside, but when we started out on stage, Nancy had lemon seeds stuck to the front of her dress. I started giggling and pointing at the seeds. She didn’t realize what I was trying to tell her until it was too late. We sang our hearts out with huge smiles, knowing the seeds were there until we finished our song and left the stage. Then, Nancy was able to brush the seeds off. We laughed about that for years to come.”

I was the victim of another incident perpetrated by Jim Lilly, who created and designed all of the sets for shows. I was playing the role of Seaman Dick Dead Eye in the second Pinafore production rehearsal in 1989. The scene required Dick Deadeye to raise the deck hatch and quietly emerge. When I peeked out, I was shocked to see a dead fish dangling from the hatch.  The cast was in on Jim’s joke and it became part of Canterbury Players history.

Robert Scarponi had a  close encounter with a dead fish. May 1989.

The Canterbury Players’ 10-year run brought the community together in many ways, helped fund the Bandstand and later raised money for scholarships for theater students. The Players also created lasting memories that are recalled to this day.

The cast of Patience, May 1990.

Front Row: Suzanne Dewit, Catherine Stewart, Nancy Lilly, Marcia Scarponi, Jane Pratt, Sue Buchholz, Mary Boswell, Janice Bowley, Ann Currier.
Second Row: Doug Ruesswick, Ellen Bassett, Pamela Reynolds, Linda Chynoweth.
Third Row: Lenny Edmunds, Alan Hodsdon, Charles Nay, Kent Ruesswick, Eileen Peterson, Priscilla Lockwood, Paul Raymond, William Mears.
Fourth Row: Mike Winograd, Bob Buchholz, Alan Crabtree, Robert Scarponi, John Pratt, Greg Heath, Graham Chynoweth, Bob Hill.

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To view the programs and photos from every Canterbury Players production, visit: https://canterburyhistory.org/the-canterbury-players/