Introducing Bryan Hill as "The Pastor" in The Christians

Welcome back to our Debuting Artist blog series! OpenStage is home to many incredible artists, some who have worked with the company for years and others who are brand new. This week we introduce Bryan Hill, playing The Pastor in The Christians

 

Tell us about yourself! Where you’re from, your hobbies, past work, fun facts, or anything that comes to mind!
I'm a happily married father of 4 (yes, that's not a typo) and after being born and raised in Oklahoma, and with a 17-year sojourn in Houston as an educator, we moved to Fort Collins and I was lucky enough to find a place to hike, educate, and act! On that acting front, I've been a stage hog since I was five, and for a brief time (about a week) I was the highest-paid actor in Oklahoma (that doesn't mean what you think it means).
What made you decide to audition for The Christians? What was the audition like?

So, funny story, I had the audition date completely wrong and only realized that on the same day and rushed over to the audition with about 5 minutes left. I think that auditions are a moment of trepidation for most actors, but it's also nice to stretch those muscles and read from a script that, as a performer, you may not have read before. In that way, it's a bit like a moment of discovery.

What were your first impressions when you read the script for The Christians?

I remember reading through the whole thing just a day or two after I had the part and thinking that the play is far more a story of people and perception rather than simply the fallout of a particular message. As you move through this performance, there's more and more of a sense of people thinking they have answers and then having to reevaluate those answers when they're presented with a moment of dissonance.

How has your experience with OpenStage been so far?

It has been absolutely wonderful! From the constant contact, helpful information, common-sense precautions, desire to create and maintain a safe space, and personally, to have a place to go play make-believe, it's just spectacular!

What is your favorite thing about acting?

I think that there's an element of every character you play within yourself. Acting not only allows you the opportunity to find that piece of you but then to work with a group of dedicated people to bring it forward and hopefully give an audience a moment of joy, clarity, sadness, analysis, or even just an escape is "the juice" for me.

What can audiences look forward to in The Christians?

I think that people can expect not to be told what to believe, but hopefully to be provided with a story that will allow for a deep conversation about belief. I sincerely hope that it will give people the space to think about their own beliefs and relationships, and how those create the complexity of our lives.

Do you have any upcoming projects after The Christians?

It is my sincere hope to be able to say "yes!" to this question in the near future!

Come see Bryan and the rest of the cast in The Christians, opening May 20th!

The Christians

Directed by Jack Krause

May 20 – June 11, 2022

Twenty years ago, Pastor Paul’s church was a modest storefront. Now it’s a gleaming megachurch. Paul is about to deliver a sermon that will shake the foundation of his parish to its core. Certainty and doubt come to a head as his stunning revelation just may convert his congregation of thousands into a congregation of one. A compassionate nuanced look at faith in America—and the trouble with changing your mind.