April 19 - 20, 2024. Murder in the Cathedral was written by T.S. Eliot and performed at Holy Rosary Church, very similar to a cathedral.

In 1170, Archbishop Thomas Beckett was murdered in the Canterbury Cathedral, in one of the most famous assassinations in British history. King Henry II supposedly said, “who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” In 1935, T. S. Eliot—author of The Waste Land, considered among the most important English poems of the 20th Century—was commissioned to write a play for that year’s Canterbury Festival, an annual arts event near Canterbury Cathedral, where Thomas Becket was assassinated in 1170 by knights of King Henry II. T.S. Eliot, then a novice playwright, chose this event as the focal point of his play, Murder in the Cathedral. It was directed by Michael Beehler, and featured John Hosking as Thomas Becket, and Kevin Asselin, Sharon Beehler, Jess Benoit, Jenna Ciralli, Kirsten Daniels, Beth Ann Kennedy, Ben Leubner, Alex Miller, Mary Orr, Aaron Schuerr, and Kalen Watson portraying knights, priests, and townspeople.

Erik Pearson composed original music to accompany this performance, the first time this has been done for this play.