ABOUT US
Where Imagination Builds Confidence.™
Founded in 2015, AiDa | Academy of Imagination & Dramatic Arts is an award-winning, community-engaged arts organization dedicated to helping children, teens and adults build confidence, creativity and communication skills through the dramatic arts.
At AiDa, we believe the arts are about more than performance.
Through acting, improv, public speaking and creative exploration, participants are encouraged to find their voice, express themselves, think on their feet, collaborate with others and develop skills they can carry into school, relationships, future careers and everyday life.
What We Offer
AiDa provides innovative, year-round programming including:
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Award-winning drama classes for children, teens and adults
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Acting, improv and public speaking
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Seasonal drama and creative arts camps
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Public speaking, communication and team-building workshops
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Customized workshops for schools, businesses and community organizations
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Mentor Leader and leadership opportunities for youth
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Community service opportunities for secondary students
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Summer co-op placement opportunities
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Our programs are welcoming, inclusive and intentionally designed to give participants opportunities to be heard, take creative risks and grow at their own pace.
More Than Drama
At AiDa, dramatic arts are a vehicle for so much more than performance.
We encourage imagination, confidence, communication, creativity, compassion, collaboration and leadership while fostering kindness, inclusion, mindfulness, perseverance and respect.
Students learn to trust their ideas, take creative risks, work with others and discover what they are capable of.
Our philosophy is simple:
Greatness is already within you. Sometimes it just needs a little imagination to bring it out.
We believe the arts have the power to lift the human spirit, strengthen communities and create positive change.
Imagine. Believe. Discover.
With imagination, anything is possible.
Rooted in Community
Community connection has been at the heart of AiDa since the beginning.
Over the years, AiDa has worked with and supported programs and initiatives involving Mohawk College Continuing Education, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Hamilton Public Library, Hamilton Arts Council, Hamilton Culture Days, Hamilton Business Centre, the City of Hamilton and McMaster University, along with other schools, businesses and community organizations.
Through classes, camps, workshops, mentorship and community partnerships, our purpose remains clear:
Build confidence. Inspire creativity. Strengthen communication. Create skills for life.
Meet the Founder
Kaime Sherman
Founder & Artistic Director, AiDa
President, AiDa Arts Initiative
Award-Winning Professional Artist | Educator | Author | Coach | Mentor | 46+ Years in the Arts
AiDa was founded in 2015 by Kaime Sherman, an award-winning professional artist, educator, author, coach and arts advocate who has spent more than four decades working in the arts, education, mentorship and community development.
A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles, Kaime trained in the craft of acting with professional artists and master instructors. Following her move to Canada in 1980, she maintained a longstanding relationship with the Academy, serving for decades as a regional representative and adjudicator and conducting auditions for prospective students for its New York and Los Angeles campuses.
Kaime is the author of Creativity and Flow: A Journal of Ideas and Inspiration and has been recognized throughout her career for her contributions to arts, culture, education, mentorship and community leadership.
Today, Kaime personally leads AiDa’s classes, camps and workshops, bringing decades of professional experience into an environment that is welcoming, encouraging and focused on the individual.
Her approach isn’t about creating the “perfect performer.”
It’s about helping people become more confident versions of themselves.
Through acting, improv, public speaking and creative exploration, Kaime encourages participants to discover their own voice, trust their ideas, take creative risks and develop skills that extend far beyond the classroom.
That philosophy became the foundation of AiDa:
Imagine with all your mind.
Believe with all your heart.
Discover the sparkle within.
A Dream Becomes AiDa
AiDa began with a dream — and the courage and faith to pursue it.
Kaime envisioned a place where dramatic arts could be used not only to develop artists, but to develop people — confident communicators, creative thinkers, compassionate leaders and individuals who believe in their own potential.
That vision became AiDa | Academy of Imagination & Dramatic Arts.
And it continues through every class, camp, workshop, mentorship and community partnership.
Where Imagination Builds Confidence.™
Recognition & Awards
AiDa and founder Kaime Sherman have been recognized for excellence in arts education, entrepreneurship, community leadership and service.
Recognition includes:
Consumer Choice Award
Best Summer Camp — Hamilton & Niagara
Three consecutive years
Canadian Choice Award
Winner — Art School / Acting & Arts categories
Hamilton Spectator Readers’ Choice Awards
Multiple-year recognition
Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Achievement Awards
2026 Finalist — Small Business Award
City of Hamilton Arts Awards
Multiple-year nominee and shortlist recognition
YWCA Women of Distinction
Arts & Culture
These recognitions reflect more than awards. They represent the families, students, mentors, community partners and supporters
who have helped AiDa grow since 2015.
Expanding Access Through the Arts
AiDa Arts Initiative
In 2025, the vision grew again with the creation of AiDa Arts Initiative, a not-for-profit organization established to help expand access to arts education and creative opportunities.
Built upon the belief that arts are a right, not a privilege, AiDa Arts Initiative seeks to reduce barriers and create opportunities for children, youth and adults to experience the confidence, connection and personal growth that participation in the arts can provide.
Through community programming, workshops, bursaries, partnerships and future funding initiatives, the organization aims to bring meaningful arts experiences to more people throughout the community.
Expanding access. Inspiring creativity. Transforming lives.
Sponsor a Child. Change a Story.
Every opportunity to participate can open a door — to confidence, creativity, connection and possibility.
The AiDa Difference
Acting • Improv • Public Speaking
Kids • Teens • Adults
Small classes. Professional leadership. Individual encouragement.
Real people. Real skills. Real confidence.
Confidence for life.
AiDa Location
Drama workshops, classes, seasonal camps and school field trip workshops (excluding Artist in the Classroom and School Workshops) are held at Churchill Park Community Clubhouse, 167 Cline Avenue North, Hamilton, Ontario in the heart of Westdale. Situated adjacent to Cootes Paradise Sanctuary-Royal Botanical Gardens RBG Ravine Trails, The Aviary and Churchill Park minutes from McMaster University campus.