Tackling Acting

by Mackenzi Greene ‘17

Senior Matthew Hutnyan spent his junior year making quite a name for himself.

In fact, the football player turned thespian has inspired many with his story of taking a chance and pursuing his passion.

Hutnyan participated in both tackle football and musical theater as a child until the age of 12, when football became his priority. At the time, Hutnyan says, football seemed like the right thing to do, so he dropped theater and truly dove into the sport. When he came to Orange Lutheran, freshman football was his first connecting point.

“I met all of my first friends at school that even now I’m still close with,” Hutnyan said. “Football allowed me to immediately feel the strong community that Orange Lutheran has. As the season went on, I really enjoyed it. I loved the brotherhood and the coaches, and I felt a sense of pride that I was able to represent my school.”

When he came to Orange Lutheran, freshman football was Hutnyan's first connecting point.

But after his freshman season, Hutnyan debated whether or not he still wanted to play, as he did not know if football was truly his passion. Regardless, he wanted to stick with his commitment and not let his team down, so he continued playing.

However, during his sophomore year, Hutnyan became less invested in the sport, and his focus shifted towards school, student leadership, and tutoring.

“At that point, I felt like my life didn’t have a purpose. I know that sounds dramatic, but I just really wanted to find something that I was excited about.”

Towards the end of his sophomore year, Hutnyan attended the spring musical Footloose and felt immensely proud of the cast, and also, felt a pull towards the theater.

“I thought about my times on the stage when I was a kid, and how much I loved it, and realized that’s where I needed to be - performing,” Hutnyan said. “I knew that if I didn’t do something about that urge, I was going to regret it.”

However, Hutnyan knew that he would not have time to pursue theater if still playing football.

“It was tough to know that it would feel like I was abandoning the brotherhood, so I went back and forth on it a lot, and I thought about it and prayed about it a lot. I just knew that I wasn’t going to be as happy playing football as I was pursuing theater.”

Hutnyan finally made the tough decision to stop participating in the sport that had been the primary focus of his entire life. He emailed drama teacher Chelsey Everhart, asking if he could join the program and take a drama class. He told her about his younger experiences, and how he had been inspired after seeing Footloose.

Matt Hutnyan '17

Hutnyan said she was thrilled.

“Matt is my diamond in the rough,” Everhart said. “As a former football player turned actor, he understands the discipline and endurance it takes to perform on the stage. Matt takes direction incredibly well, yet also brings new and interesting choices to each character he plays.”

The support from Everhart went a long way with Hutnyan.

“Now I’d committed to another avenue of pursuit, and felt really confident for the first time in awhile,” Hutnyan said.

At the start of the next school year, Hutnyan joined the Drama 1 class - a 6’3” junior in a room full of freshman.

But from the first moment it began, he absolutely loved it.

Hutnyan auditioned for the fall musical Shrek and felt like he had no idea what he was doing. A theater friend of his helped him prepare music for the audition.

“I surprised myself with how well I did and how good I felt afterwards.”

Hutnyan felt like he was at home on the stage and he landed the lead role.

“When I found out I got the role of Shrek, I was overwhelmed with joy. I felt like then I really knew where I belonged, and that my passion and dream were realized.”

Hutnyan makes his acting debut as Shrek.

Hutnyan put on an incredible performance as Shrek - the lead in his first high school musical. The year’s next two productions, Pride and Prejudice and Pippin, helped him develop further as an actor and refine his skill, and Hutnyan’s love for theater only grew more, and will continue to do so as he enters into his final year at OLu.

From the beginning, Hutnyan says, it was Ms. Everhart’s support and guidance that allowed him to reach his full potential. He also felt incredibly blessed that his former football teammates and coaches were so encouraging.

"It’s a testament to Orange Lutheran that I could change what I was doing and thrive in a new environment - that I felt safe taking a risk, and was able to be successful even when starting something new so late in high school."

Through his experiences in high school, going from football to theater, Hutnyan was able to realize that being adaptable and following your heart are so important to success and happiness in life.

“I could not have realized my true passion without the support of the Orange Lutheran community,” Hutnyan said. “High school is all about experiences; it’s about growing and finding out what it is that makes you feel joy and pride. For anyone struggling to find their purpose and place the same way that I was, I would encourage them to be fearless in their pursuit of passion.”