to do something for their kids,” Higginbotham says. “But there was just a huge interest, a hunger for that kind of thing. Local schools wanted children to be able to see other children performing.” In the early days, ARIEL utilized driveways, garages, barns, homes, churches, schools and warehouses as rehearsal spaces. Performances were scattered around Salinas in a variety of venues, attended by tens of thousands of school children. These days, approximately 500 kids perform at ARIEL, and roughly 10,000 audience members attend shows. When registration for programs opens, some of them are filled within four minutes. There are no auditions; one registers for a program and the roles get distributed. That’s because “every child is valuable,” Higginbotham says. “That it’s not talent that makes you valuable, it’s you yourself, intrinsically, as a human being that is being valuable.” ARIEL stands for accountability, respect, integrity, excellence and leadership. “ARIEL’s program is really good at building kids up,” says Sarah Gaudoin, who had experience with the nonprofit both as a child and an adult, and is currently, along with her husband Justin Gaudoin, running Paper Wing Theatre in Monterey. “The philosophy of ARIEL is not just get on stage and perform for everybody to look at you. The leadership there is very passionate about teaching life skills through theater.” Gaudoin grew up in Salinas and did two shows with ARIEL when she was 13 and 14. More recently, she has ARIEL THEATRICAL ARCHIVES ARIEL Theatrical puts on a variety of well-known performances, including The Phantom Tollbooth. ARIEL THEATRICAL ARCHIVES ARIEL actors say the experience helps build their confidence. 16 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY ® FAMILY 2026-2027 BigSurFiddleCamp_1-6v_FG26_DG.indd 1 3/10/26 10:45 AM 831-373-2631 Find all registration/scholarship info at: www.spcamc.org/camp Sessions Available June 8 - August 7 Scholarships Available SPCA Summer Animal Camp SPCA_1-6v_FG26_GK.indd 1 3/10/26 10:47 AM
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==