Chuck Ethridge – Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre

On May 20, 2026, Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director Chuck Ethridge addressed the Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene with a presentation titled “More Than A Show: What Professional Theatre Does for the Children of Our Community.” His central message was simple but compelling: the missions of Kiwanis and Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre are not as different as they might appear. Both exist to improve the lives of children and strengthen the community around them — and both have been doing it, in their own ways, for a combined 162 years.

Ethridge opened by making the research-backed case for why the performing arts matter for children beyond entertainment. Studies from the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences and Nature’s peer-reviewed journal npj Science of Learning have found that children who engage regularly with the arts develop higher self-esteem, stronger academic performance, and greater empathy than their peers. Drama training specifically has been shown to improve collaborative behavior — skills researchers identify as among the most critical for success in the 21st century workforce. For children from lower-income backgrounds, access to the arts has been shown to reduce stress, increase school attendance, and improve social outcomes in ways that other interventions often cannot.

What makes Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s work distinctive is the breadth of how it reaches children in this community — and its commitment to removing every barrier in the way. The organization’s Musical Theatre Training Institute serves over 1,000 youth ages 8 to 16 every year through year-round classes, workshops, private lessons, and camps, with a firm policy that no child is turned away due to lack of funds. The Summer Arts Enrichment program gives 450 youth per season a fully immersive, free theatre experience — including a ticket to a live professional show, a private backstage tour, and a Q&A with the cast and creative team. Pop-Up Workshops bring professional singing, acting, and dance instruction directly into Boys & Girls Clubs and Shoshone County Schools. And programs like Theatre For All and the Princess Performance ensure that cost is never the reason a child misses out.

Ethridge was candid about the financial reality behind all of it. Ticket sales cover only 37% of what it costs to run the organization. Every program for kids lives in the other 63% — funded entirely by grants, sponsorships, and individual donors. He closed by extending an invitation not for money, but for partnership: “The children we serve today are the artists, the leaders, the collaborators, and the community members of tomorrow. What we invest in them now — in their confidence, their creativity, their sense of what is possible — is an investment that this community will benefit from for decades. We are grateful to be doing that work. And we would be honored to do it alongside you.

Photograph: (left to right) Chuck Ethridge, Freda Campbell