Hemet’s Martin starts Harvard Street Theatre Company in her hometown
When Kami Martin was in third grade, her class put on a holiday musical called “Mr. Grumpy’s Toy Shop.” One of the parents worked for a local TV station and some of the students were selected to perform a scene.
“I played Big Doll No. 1, and the rest of the dolls and I were chosen to do our part that day,” she said. “It was a very special experience and I felt like a star. After that, I was involved in anything arts related, from drama class, band, choir and church productions.”
Born in Hemet, Martin was raised in places throughout Southern California because of her father’s work. She attended a private high school that did not have a theater department, although they did produce one musical a year.
“I was mostly involved in choir and I played keyboards and sang in church,” she said. “In 1985 I started attending Mt.
San Jacinto College, which had a thriving and vibrant theater arts program.”
She moved to the Los Angeles area and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
“And then, strangely enough, I just stopped doing theater for about six years,” she said. “I was playing and singing in a rock band for a while and that was filling my artistic tank. Later on, I moved to Riverside and started teaching parttime youth theater and auditioning around town. I was cast in some truly fantastic shows at Performance Riverside and my passion for performing reignited.”
It is her time working with children that Martin counts as among her favorite accomplishments in theater. As one of the founding members of Inland Regional Youth Theatre in Riverside, she has had the opportunity to direct, teach and assist with many productions.
“I have seen so many of those kids go on to do some great work and it just makes theater feel even more like a family,” she said.
Martin moved back to Hemet in 2016 and has become involved in the community. She recently joined the Ramona Bowl Board of Directors and has started the Harvard Street Theatre Company with her friend Debradawn Shockey.
“We are an official program of the Diamond Valley Arts Council and we have produced several cabaret shows with them,” she said. “Our goal is to bring more performing artists to the valley as well as produce and direct plays. What I love about Harvard Street is the wide variety of artists we have, ranging in age from 12 to 80. The pandemic slowed us down a bit but we managed to keep our fires burning with Zoom plays, short films and starting our own YouTube show called ‘Talk Shop.’”
Martin said she believes theatrical training is a great way to gain confidence and learn presentational skills that can be used throughout life.
“Theater can transport, energize, challenge people as well as entertain,” she said. “Good theater can be a mind-opening experience that brings people closer together. Audiences and performers alike can be changed for the better with the right theatrical exposure.”