Veteran Edmonton actor Julien Arnold dies during a performance at the Citadel Theater

Edmonton actor Julien Arnold died Sunday night after a medical emergency during a performance of A Christmas story at the Citadel Theater.

The Citadel’s executive director, Jessie van Rijn, and artistic director, Daryl Cloran, said in a statement Monday that Arnold was a beloved performer and valued member of the Edmonton theater community.

“His presence brought joy, heart and depth to every role, and his artistic contributions – and his warm embraces – will be greatly missed,” they said.

On Sunday they thanked the theater’s reception team, the medical professionals from the audience and the paramedics “for their quick action”. The statement did not provide information about Arnold’s cause of death.

Kerry Williamson, a spokesman for Alberta Health Services, said paramedics attended the theater Sunday around 8:28 p.m.

Despite attempts at resuscitation, Arnold died in the theater.

According to the Citadel’s playbill, he played the roles of Marley and Mr. Fezziwig in the play.

Cloran and van Rijn said there will be minor changes to the schedule for future performances and the box office will contact affected ticket holders.

“We ask for some privacy and patience as we focus on supporting family members, the carol society, staff and patrons during this time,” they said.

According to a profile of Arnold in the Canadian Theater Encyclopedia, he grew up in Edmonton and graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1989. In 2006 he earned a Master of Fine Arts in directing there.

Arnold was a founding member of Free Will Players, the theater group that produces the Freewill Shakespeare Festival.

David Horak, the festival’s artistic director, said Arnold has been an integral part of the Edmonton theater scene for many years.

“He just had the ability to create characters with the biggest hearts in the world, and he was like that as a person,” he said.

Horak also said Arnold had the gift of making complex and difficult texts conversational.

“There is no one, no one like him,” he said.