Canterbury Woods

Performing Arts Center

As our curtain falls on another season 2025/26, we want to pause and say thank you. None of this happens wthout you our residents, family members, staff and most of all our WNY public patrons. It is because of all of you, the audiences who filled our seats, laughed and cried with our casts, and kept the lights on for everyone who walked through these doors.

This season brought new stories, returning favorites, and a community that showed up again and again to support live theatre. Every ticket purchased, every round of applause, and every conversation about a show after the curtain call helped make this possible. Your presence reminded our actors, designers, and crew why this work matters.

As we concluded our last performance with Nickel City Opera on June 13^th, 2026 we also concluded with the 35^th Artie Awards presenting in 21 categories, honoring outstanding achievements from this past season productions across the region, seven nominees from four productions that were performed right here at our performing arts center. Awarding “Emanuel Fried Award” for New Play to Bella Poynton (The Girl in the Washroom), and for best “Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play” to Paige Cummings, “Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play” to Rick Lattimer in (Preservation). Congratulations to First Look Buffalo Theatre Production in producing for the first time “The Girl in the Washroom” and “Preservation”.

O’Connell & Company Theatre Production, honored for “Outstanding Ensemble of a Musical”, “Outstanding Direction of a Musical”, “Outstanding Choreography”, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical”,  “Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical” and “Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role”.

We are already dreaming up what’s next, and we can’t wait to share it with you. Until then, thank you for being part of our story this season!

Next to Normal, with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. Winner of three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize, Next to Normal was also chosen as "one of the year's ten best shows" by critics around the country.

Dad's an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens, appearing to be a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal because the mother has been battling bipolar disorder for 16 years. Next to Normal takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family's story with love, sympathy and heart.

Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse that addresses such issues as grieving a loss, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life.

Performances:

August 13th 7 pm

August 14th 7pm

August 15th 7pm

August 20th 7pm

August 21st 7pm

August 22nd 7pm

Location:

The performing Arts Center at

Canterbury Woods

705 Renaissance Drive

Williamsville, NY 14221

Tickets $25 general Admission available at the door or at the link below:

OpenDoorProductions.ludus.com

Cast:

Diana- Meagan Millar

Dan- TJ Wilcox

Gabe- Shawn Ward

Natalie- Amelia Mussachio/Allie Clark

Henry- Will Streicher

Doctor- Jacob Aguglia

Ensemble/Natalie Understudy- Jade Huang

Content Warning:

This production includes strong language, depictions of various mental health conditions, drug use, intense grief, infant mortality, suicide/self harm and visual blood. These themes are not just suggested but will be portrayed at times in the production realistically and/or emotively which some viewers may find disturbing.

Summer Serenade is a concert of classical music for Horn and Piano.

Featuring local musicians Jodie White and Steve McChesney.

Wednesday August 26th at 7:30PM. This is a DONATION ONLY event. We hope to see you there!

Jodie White is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist performing on horn, trumpet, and piano,

whose artistry is built on a foundation of exceptional versatility and comprehensive musical understanding. Her regional performances have garnered warm critical praise, with reviewer Peter Hall of Buffalo Rising singling out her "particularly impressive" horn playing in recent local theater orchestration.Jodie holds a Bachelor of Music in K-12 Music Education, a Master of Music in Horn Performance, and a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance all from SUNY Fredonia. This fall, she will be attending the renowned North Bennet Street School, entering their Piano Technology program to further elevate her craft in piano restoration, tuning, and maintenance.

Steven McChesney is a dynamic and accomplished musician, celebrated for his expressive performances as both a pianist and oboist. A native of New York, his comprehensive musical journey began with a robust academic foundation, earning both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music Education and Performance from SUNY Fredonia. In September 2025, Steven joined the faculty at Buffalo Suzuki Strings in Tonawanda as a piano instructor. He deeply enjoys teaching and inspiring the younger generation, passing on a profound understanding of musical structure, nuanced expression, and the discipline vital to compelling music-making.