JACKSON TWP. − Daryl Robinson’s first performance on the Players Guild stage was by chance.
A friend told him the director of “Titanic” was in need of someone to fill a role. Robinson hadn’t stepped on stage as an actor since college, but he was excited about the opportunity.
“I auditioned and was added to the cast, and that kind of started me on the path of getting more involved with theater,” he said. “I sang in all the chorus parts, and that just put the bug in my ear, and I continued to do it, but it was a great experience.”
Roughly two decades have passed since he joined the cast of “Titanic,” but his passion for theater has continued, despite jobs that kept him busy in the financial, insurance and hotel industries.
And when the top job at the Players Guild Theatre became available, Robinson said it was an opportunity to combine both his stage and private sector experiences.
“Being in that structured business world has really helped me,” the 55-year-old Robinson said of leading the Players Guild. “That organizational structure is something that I can use hopefully going forward into the arts world, and kind of combining the free-spirited arts with a more structured setting as well.”
Robinson, who was named executive director in July and was a former member of the Players Guild board of directors, said he’s maintaining the theater company’s core principles while being open to fresh approaches.
That includes the recently announced 2026 to 2027 Players Guild Theatre show schedule, which is an effort to appeal to both longtime patrons and new audiences.
“Fiddler on the Roof,” “Annie” and “The Color Purple” are among the standards that will be performed on the Players Guild stage on the campus of Kent State University at Stark.
“One of the big things I want to do is reach back to what I would call the old guard of the guild,” said Robinson, a 1989 graduate of Washington High School in Massillon. “Those who helped build the theater, 10, 15, 20 years ago (because) they still want to do things and they still want to be involved but they just need to feel a sense of connection.”
But “we also want to reach as broad of an audience as we can and bring in new faces,” he said.
The Players Guild is closing out its current theatrical season with “Matilda the Musical,” which runs on weekends May 15 to 31. The new season, which begins Sept. 11, with “Fiddler,” also includes “Winnie the Poo Booooo!,” “Junie B. in Jingle Bells Batman Smells,” “A Christmas Carol” and “Dear Evan Hansen.”
Robinson said he “really had to fight fast and hard to get the rights” for “Dear Evan Hanson.”
“We’re really excited,” he said. “It’s a show that has great meaning to it, and it was very popular on Broadway — it won several (Tony Awards), and we’re hoping the audience will embrace it.”
‘More innovative and visonary’
Robinson of Canton said he understands what the Players Guild means to the community.
“It is much different being on this side of things,” he said about leading an organization that was founded in 1932. “But I think being involved with it from an actor standpoint has given me some additional insight on really trying to integrate how it feels to be a volunteer in the community and then be a leader in the community in an arts organization.
“It’s very enjoyable because it gives me the opportunity to explore new avenues and look for ways to be a little more innovative and visionary in how we produce theater at a community level,” said Robinson, whose other Players Guild credits include performing in “The Full Monty,” “Rent,” “Annie,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Jesus Chris Superstar,” “Jekyll & Hyde” and “Les Misérables.”
Maureen Ater, president and CEO of ArtsinStark, said she believes Robinson is striking the right balance in his new role.
“I think Daryl understands the importance of honoring the Player Guild’s incredible history while also looking for ways to evolve, connect with new audiences, and build meaningful partnerships,” she said. “That balance is incredibly important for arts organizations today.”
Robinson will lead the Players Guild in a different capacity as compared to Josh Erichsen, who served as the producing and artist director at the Players Guild before stepping down from the roles. The Players Guild board created the new position of executive director when Robinson was hired.
Erichsen, who was involved in staging productions, continues to be involved with set design for the Players Guild.
What hasn’t changed is the value of local live theater, Robinson said.
“It gives you that outlet, it gives the community a space, a safe space to really be taken away and purely entertained from your everyday life,” he said of audiences. “It allows them to take a break.”
Ater agreed.
“Live theater organizations like the Players Guild do far more than produce shows,” she said. “They create connection, inspire young people, strengthen quality of life, and help make Stark County a vibrant place to live and work.”
‘Building one arts community.’
Robinson previously worked at GE Capital, Bank One and Nationwide Insurance.
As executive director of the Players Guild, he oversees and manages the organization’s roughly $500,000 annual operating budget and staff of three, which includes his own position. Grants, donations, corporate sponsorships and show revenue fund the budget.
Robinson’s duties include selecting and scheduling shows and securing light and sound crews. Expanding the theater’s social media presence is among his new goals, he said.
“We have to be able to move into the future with the way things are put out there, with advertising and those kinds of things, to let people know we’re still here,” he said.
“Some of the other things I’m taking on is being out in the community and really trying to connect with other arts organizations to really build a collaborative environment with the arts, and all of us supporting one another and building one arts community,” Robinson said.
Ater applauded that mindset.
“What I’ve appreciated most in working with him so far is his collaborative spirit and genuine excitement about the future,” she said. “Not just for the Players Guild, but for the broader arts community as a whole.”
‘It’s been a great spot.’
The theater company’s biggest change in recent years was when the Players Guild relocated in 2022 from its longtime home at the Cultural Center for the Arts in downtown Canton. The move happened under the direction of former ArtsinStark CEO David Whitehill, who opted to vary the uses of the Cultural Center’s theater spaces.
Robinson said the arrangement with Kent State has gone well.
“Kent State is a great size theater for the community,” he said. “It’s been a great spot. … Those who run the university are extremely accommodating to us. If a light bulb goes out, they’re there to fix it. … And they’re really willing to work with us to be successful because they want the theater to be vibrant as well.”
For more information about the show schedule and to purchase tickets, go to https://playersguildtheatre.com.
Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com. Follow on Instagram at ed_balint and on TikTok @edwardbalint.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘Move into the future.’ Players Guild alum leads theater in new era
Reporting by Ed Balint, Canton Repository / The Repository
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