Chris Campbell

Hands-On Career Experience is Priceless for Future Theatre Professionals

Chris CAMPBELL

When Chris Campbell hit the stage in Puerto Rico in January as an ensemble member in the national tour of Hamilton: An American Musical, it was the culmination of years of theater experience which started right here with The Naples Players.

“If it weren’t for this place fostering that passion and drive I don’t know that I’d still be doing it,” he said.

Campbell, who grew up in Naples, now begins a national tour of the Broadway hit, under the direction of Playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, who reprised his title role as Alexander Hamilton.

Campbell, a former Palmetto Ridge High School student, first got a taste of acting as a young boy when he played the part of Dandy Dan in KidzAct’s Bugsy Malone Jr. He would go on to perform in the musical Oliver! as an orphan named Mungojerrie, and later in a production of CATS as a teenager.

His talent and work ethic were always apparent, but during his first production on The Naples Players main stage as Warner in Legally Blonde the Musical, it became obvious he was destined for success. “That was where I immediately recognized his potential. His dancing was always impeccably sharp and precise,” said Jessica Walck, The Naples Players’ Associate Artistic Director.

The Naples teen would go on to graduate from Interlochen Arts Academy, a boarding school for the arts in Michigan, before enrolling at the University of Michigan.

He later returned to KidzAct during summer breaks to help as an assistant choreographer for KidzAct productions.

“Without The Naples Players, I don’t think I would have know this career would have been a tangible option for me, just because there is no other program like The Naples Players here in our community,” Campbell said.

The 23-year-old learned of his acceptance as an ensemble member of Hamilton’s national tour while rehearsing for The Wiz in which he played the Scarecrow.

Without KidzAct, Campbell isn’t sure he would have been able to explore his passion for theater.

“Quality theatre education is imperative for the future of our creative children,” said Craig Price,

This is where I got my passion and my love for performing.

– Chris Campbell

Director of Community Education and Wellness for The Naples Players.

“KidzAct is a perfect environment where children from Pre-K to High School can learn to grow and develop artistically under the wing of a nurturing professional staff. Chris was that young, inquisitive, and naturally talented student with unwavering drive.”

Campbell joins a growing list of KidzAct students who have gone on to Broadway, including Whitney Winfield, who has taken a hiatus from the national tour of Shrek and will be returning to KidzAct, this time as a teacher, leading an acting workshop.

Campbell also had the opportunity to return to Naples recently and remember where it all started. He credits KidzAct with fostering a sense of camaraderie and teaching him how to work together to create art for the good of the community at large.

“We all turned into this big, crazy family and it just kept growing and growing over the years,” he said. “This is where I got my passion and my love for performing.”

Chris Campbell in Les Misérables