A Campus View — Nolan Henningson
photos by John I. Baker III
(left and below) Last year in the Emerging Directors’ One-Acts, Nolan played the male lead in The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet.
photo by Shannon Leinen
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tories can heal. Stories can teach. Stories can unite, inspire, and effect change. Stories define us. When we seek to be known, stories are what we share. President’s Scholar Nolan Henningson has a passion for stories. The sophomore from Oberlin, Kansas says he loves hearing about others’ experiences and perspectives and exploring how those stories created the person. He loves sharing stories—his own and others’—that move, amuse, and enlighten. That enthusiasm for story has led Nolan to a double major in vocal music performance and theatre. He hopes to tell stories professionally on stage one day. As a student, he is involved in theatre, the speech team, choir, and Celebration Singers. He’s also a Songfest rep for the Sig Tau social club, tasked with the creation of the club’s spring show. Nolan is drawn to performance art for the special interaction that happens between the artist and the audience, the story that is shared between them. In understanding stories we can better understand others, our Creator, and ourselves, he says. York College is shaping Nolan’s personal story. A recent YC arts trip to New York City had a deep impact on this small town boy,
who had only 25 students in his graduating class. He wasn’t overwhelmed by the Big Apple. Rather, he was inspired. During the week-long trip, he drank deeply from the artistic well, taking in 10 shows and visiting several museums. “I wanted to stay in Manhattan for the rest of my life!” he says. Processing all of his experiences after the trip, he had a light bulb moment: the only thing standing between me and the life that I want is a lot of hard work. It’s not about “dreaming big” and hoping for a lucky break. It’s about taking the training he’s receiving at YC seriously and giving all he’s got to make those dreams come true. “York College is giving me the education I need to do what I want to do someday,” he says— and that’s something he is not taking for granted. Acting is not just his passion. Nolan feels that it’s his spiritual calling. “It’s impossible for me to experience art and not feel the presence of God,” he says. “Art is a very spiritual thing…We’re given these talents and passion for a reason. The question is how can our art glorify God? God gives us a purpose in life. It’s our job to live it out.”
WINTER 2013 |
Heritage | 23