Canadian actor Julien Arnold, 60, dropped dead onstage Nov. 24 while appearing in A Christmas Carol (he played Marley and Fezziwig) at Edmondton’s Citadel Theater. The actor, director and teacher co-founded the Shakespearean Free Will Players and the Atlas Theater Collective, and he was also a regular presence at the Citadel, Teatro La Quindicina, and other Edmondton theaters. For the past 30 years, Arnold appeared in such varied plays as The Wizard of Oz, Spamalot, Slumberland Motel, and The Laws of Thermodynamics; the plays of Shakespeare and the modern comedies of Stewart Lemoine were always in his repertoire. Though he never became wealthy, it’s nice that—as in days of yore—people can still enjoy a long career in regional theater. One fan on Reddit wrote, “when I was just starting out he was the only pro that treated me as an equal. I had nothing to prove to him.” Another added, “When I tell you he is one of the kindest, genuine people I have ever met, I mean it.”
Related Posts
