April 10, 2024
Ari Stidham
Submitted by Ari Stidham
I was first introduced to CLU through Kingsmen Shakespeare’s SET program, which was essential to my love of performance and literature. I got to see actors in person at my school teach us about Shakespeare, perform with us, and then a few days later we’d go to the theater! At the time it was at the Kavli Theater at the Civic Arts Plaza. Seeing the same people teaching us kids now ONSTAGE, in full costume, playing the leads in those shows was what initally gave me the theater bug. I was in third grade.
I joined the Kingsmen Summer Camp the following years and when I was old enough, I became a junior apprentice even performing in the mainstage show, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2006. Seeing this clear path to a profession in the arts, and being among working professionals in my community inspired me for rest of my life. I’m happy to report I have had a fruitful career as an actor since my teenage years at Kingsmen Park, I’ve been lucky enough to star in a few television series – most notably in </SCORPION> on CBS as Sylvester Dodd.
If you love the arts and want to foster the future of artists in TO, then please consider giving to Kingsmen Shakespeare. Their program changed my life, and continues to provide a direct line from education to full-scale artistic execution (and potential employment). It is vital to our literary, educational, and theatrical communities, not to mention its a fun way to spend a romantic evening under the stars.