This lecture will celebrate Cal Lutheran’s Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival; focusing on “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” and “King Lear,” the plays to be performed at this year’s festival. The first hour of the lecture will focus on the origins, production histories, and challenges presented by each play. In the second hour, Michael Arndt will be joined by members of the company for an interactive discussion of Kingsmen Shakespeare and the plays.

Michael J. Arndt has been a Professor of Theatre Arts at California Lutheran University for the past forty years and is the artistic director of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company. As a theatre director, he has directed over 200 theatre productions. Among the awards he has received are the Cal Lutheran President’s Award for Teaching Excellence, The Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival, Region VIII-Outstanding Theatre Educator, and the Alliance for the Arts’ Exemplary Arts Educator Award. He was named a “local hero” by the Ventura County Reporter and “Patriotic Citizen of the Year” by the Conejo Valley Chapters of the Military Order of the World Wars and The Military Order of the Purple Heart.

A Vietnam combat veteran, Michael created Under Fire: Stories of Combat Veterans Across Generations. He is currently co-authoring a book: Making Contact: The Way to Healing from the Trauma of Combat.