Historical Images of Porter County

Theater of the Dunes
Beverly Shores, Indiana

Date: Circa 1940
Source Type: Postcard
Publisher, Printer, Photographer: Defender
Postmark: None
Collection: Steven R. Shook
Remark: The Theater of the Dunes, also referred to as the Little Theatre, was a single story building that could seat several hundred. The structure was previously an office building, but converted into a theatre in 1935. Students from the Goodman Theatre in Chicago would spend their summers at Beverly Shores giving plays under the direction of David Hutton Lewis.

The first performance at this theater took place on June 1, 1935, with a presentation of the production Let Us Be Gay by the Beverly Shores Players. The cast was composed of "seasoned actors from the Goodman Theater, Chicago, Illinois" with David Putnam Lewis the managing director.

The playhouse was an attraction for seven years until World War II claimed most of the company's actors. After the 1942 season, the playhouse was boarded up. Unfortunately, vandals began to destroy the structure and the lumber was taken to be used on farms.

Information courtesy of Carl O. Reed.

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Image and related text prepared by Steven R. Shook