By Brooke Strickland //September 12, 2025
A new fellowship named after the late Ari Keever, left, has been awarded to Jacob McGaughey, right. PHOTOS/U OF I THEATRE ARTS
Ari Keever, who was a beloved actress in Idaho, is being remembered through a new fellowship in her name.
The University of Idaho Theatre Arts Department and Boise Contemporary Theater (BCT) recently announced Jacob McGaughey as the inaugural recipient of the Ari Keever Trajectory Fellowship, which is made possible through the support of Trajectory Consulting and Solutions, LLC, and in collaboration with BCT and the University of Idaho College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.
Keever suddenly passed away in 2020 and not only left an empty space on the stage, but also in the hearts of those who knew her, loved her and worked alongside her. Today, her passion for theater will live on in other actors and actresses. The fellowship is $6,000, broken into a $2,500 stipend, $1,000 per diem and $2,500 for housing. This is the first time BCT has partnered with other organizations to bring a visiting artist in.
“Ari was an absolute gem of a human, and an incredible actor,” shared Ben Burdick, producing artistic director for Boise Contemporary Theater. “The Ari Keever Trajectory Fellowship is a way to give other young artists from the University of Idaho their first opportunity to work professionally in theater in her honor.”
Daniel Haley, SC/P Trainer & Consultant for Trajectory+Solutions, said that he had the honor of sharing the stage with Keever and when he and his family learned of her passing, they wanted to find a way to remember her and pay it forward. The company and the Haley family have donated $22,500 in total to help the fellowship reach the maturity threshold.
Burdick said that the fellowship will have a huge impact on young artists from Idaho getting their first professional opportunities.
“It is incredibly hard to find local talent due to the lack of opportunities,” he explained. “If this provides them with that, then our in-state artists population grows. BCT is constantly looking for designers, actors and other theater artists from other places.”
Burdick also spoke of the economic impact that arts and culture has in the Gem State. He said that a recent study led by Professor Steven Peterson and his team in the College of Business and Economics at the University of Idaho found that BCT contributed $2.7 million in total output (sales) and $723,000 in total compensation (wages and salaries) in its 2024-25 season.
As the fellowship’s first recipient, McGaughey is thrilled about what’s ahead. He will serve alongside Burdick as an assistant director for BCT’s season opener, “Eureka Day” by Jonathan Spector, and perform in a 5X5 (five new plays read over five months) reading during their 25-26 season, “I have the privilege of honoring Ari Keever and her legacy through this fellowship by creating theatre in her name, as well as by helping to define what this fellowship means for future recipients,” McGaughey said in a press release. “I am very excited to start working down in Boise, and I am so grateful to the University of Idaho, Boise Contemporary Theatre and Trajectory Consulting and Solutions for creating this honor and allowing me to inaugurate it into something special for students, artists, families and the community now and for years to come.”
Donations from individuals, businesses or other nonprofits who believe in furthering arts and culture in Idaho are encouraged to support the Ari Keever Trajectory Fellowship and keep it growing.
“Ari was a radiant light both on and off stage,” Haley said. “Where distance and dissimilarities can be divisive, storytelling can help strengthen our shared identify as Idahoans. We encourage our neighbors throughout the state to contribute in celebration of art, of storytelling and to ensure that Ari’s trajectory, her joyful story, continues.”
SOURCE: IBR, Idaho Business Review https://idahobusinessreview.com/2025/09/12/ari-keever-idaho-theatre-fellowship/