Love Wins Interview: Alex Wright

Our next interview in our series comes from the snotty mean girl we all knew in high school, Mitzi Lewis, played by Alex Wright.

Enjoy!!

Writing on the Wall: How many plays have you been apart of before Love Wins?

Alex Wright: I have been apart of a few small church plays all through out my childhood, but "Love Wins" was my first actual major drama.

WOTW: Who do you play?

AW: I play the role of Mitzi Lewis.

WOTW: Tells us a little about Mitzi.

AW: Mitzi is a melodrmatic teenager whom everyone in the school hates. She thinks she is the best and she is not afraid to tell you that. Someone I would not want to make mad that's for sure! Mitzi has the attitude and the greater than thou self esteem, but at time you will see she is willing to stick up for her friends whenever she needs too.

WOTW: Do you think she's a bad person?

AW: I do not think Mitzi is a bad person. I just think she is not afraid to tell you how it is.That does not make someone a bad person, it is just simply their personality. So when you add in the fact that she is a teenage girl, full of drama, plus her strong personality...all of that equals one rude young lady!

WOTW: Did you have any challenges playing her?

AW: There are always some challenges when you are trying to master the charcter you have been given. For me it was just maintaing the "Mitzi" attitude. Sometimes being rude is harder than you think.

WOTW: What was one of your favorite scenes?

AW: I loved the entire play, but if I had to pick a favorite scene it would have to be the very last scene of the play. In this scene, you see what happens when you put all of your trust in God. No matter how hard things get, as long as you trust in the Lord you can make it through anything.

WOTW: Did you enjoy working with the cast?

AW: I loved working with the cast. Everyone was amazing and put so much time and effort into reassuring that we preformed to the best of our abilities. I would love to work with this amazing cast again. Having an amazing cast makes everything so much better. I am very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with everyone!

WOTW: What was your experience working within an ensemble?

AW: I throughly enjoyed being able to work with everyone. We all have such different personalities and things that make our acting different. When we brought all these factors together it pulled together an amazing play.

WOTW: Will we see anymore acting from you in future plays?

AW: I would love the chance to be a part of any future plays if the opportunity arises.

Thanks for you time Alex!

Love Wins Interview: Hannah Killian

This begins a series of interviews that Writing on the Wall held with some of the cast of Love Wins. I hope you enjoy some of the insights into the actors, their characters, and play.

Today's interview is with the star of Love Wins: Hannah Killian.

Writing On The Wall: How many plays have you been apart of before Love Wins?

Hannah Killian: I have been in a couple of minor church plays before Love Wins. They were mostly small parts in children’s Christmas plays, or the occasional silent “Mary” in the adult plays.

WOTW: Who do you play?

HK: I play the role of a teenage girl Esther.

WOTW: How would you describe Esther?

HK: Esther is a typical teenager going through a whirlwind of emotions. She is a pretty defensive character who struggles with finding out how God is playing a role in her life.

WOTW: What was your favorite part about, Love Wins?

HK: My favorite part of Love Wins was the overall transformation of the characters. You see every emotion imaginable throughout the play. As each character develops you see a different side of them, their true colors show. This transformation was my favorite thing to experience.

WOTW: What motivates Esther?

HK: To me, Esther is motivated by her curiosity. She is trying to find reasoning behind the circumstances that are occurring. She is angry at the situation and seeks God with her curious heart to find the answers.

WOTW: Did you learn anything from Esther?

HK: Esther was a very easy and very difficult character to play. Through learning the lines, and getting into the character and emotions, Esther began to rub off on me. I began to see her transform even through the horrible situation. Esther turned to God and let Him take control. That is one thing that I personally struggle with, letting God have control. Esther showed me that even thru what we believe to be the worst of times, God will never leave us and He will always have control.

WOTW: How did you get along with the rest of the cast?

HK: We got along great! We had so much fun working together. Since I’m new at the church, it was fun for me to get to know everyone better. We had several good laughs and I wouldn’t trade that time for anything.

WOTW: What’s it like working in an ensemble?

HK: It was a very enjoyable experience. The cast are all very talented actors and actresses. We used each others strengths and weeknesses to better ourselves. It was really nice to be able to play off of each casts emotions to build the scene up.

WOTW: Did you write the song, Always?

HK: I did write the lyrics and music for the song Always. I had the majority of the song written within a weeks time, and tweaked it for 3 more weeks or so. I so appreciate the opportunity my youth pastor, Jason, gave me when he asked me to write a song for Love Wins. At first it was a huge challenge for me, but God brought me the words and He ultimately deserves the praise for this song. I hope this song was and will continue to be a ministry to people.

WOTW: Have you ever written a song for a play or another event before?

HK: No, this was the first song I have ever written for something like this. I write songs mostly for fun; on my own time, and about whatever I want. It was quite an experience to have a timeframe and also a story behind the song. It was a different kind of writing and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

WOTW: The outpouring for your song as been fantastic, how have you handled it?

HK: I has been amazing how much everyone has commented on the song. I had no idea that people would like it. I was very very scared that it would get a negative response, and for the longest time I wanted to rewrite the whole thing. I didn’t let anyone hear the song before the play except for cast members. I wanted the song to be a complete surprise to my family and friends and that made me even more anxious. But, I am so grateful for everyone’s support and positive feedback. It has meant the world to me, and is encouraging me to continue with writing more songs.

WOTW: Are you writing any new songs now?

HK: I am working on a few new songs. I have slacked off on my writing lately, but I am inspired and looking forward to some time to begin writing again. I have a couple songs completely written as of now, and several unfinished. I hope to have at least four more songs completed by the end of the year.

WOTW: How would you encourage someone to go see, Love Wins?

HK: I want to encourage EVERYONE to see Love Wins. No matter what you are going through or whatever your situation, each and every person can take something away for this play. Whether you are struggling with separation from your spouse, a previous divorce, as a teenager who doesn’t understand God, or someone who is merely doubting God’s love, this play will bring you closer to God. Love Wins will take you on an emotional ride that you may think is your life. I have had several of my friends and family see the play more than once, because of how it ministered to them the first time. I believe Love Wins is a must see. It can provide healing and comfort for those in need.

Fantastic interview! Huge thanks to Hannah Killian for taking the time to talk to us. We can't wait to see what you do next!!

Join us for another Love Wins cast interview in a few days!

Can you come out and play?

Well, we are just a few days away from the premiere of my play, Love Wins. I'm going to post on the creation process and interviews with the cast in the coming weeks. It's been a very exciting process and as stressful as a 13 year old trying to get on stage with Justin Beiber.

I've always loved screenwriting and I've embraced literary writing, especially through YA (which doesn't consist of angst-ridded Vampwolves or Were-pires). Last year my college was hosting a big stageplay contest. I had never written a play before and I talked myself out of it. How often does that happen with you? Do you discourage yourself out of projects?

It was a few days before the deadline and I decided I would give it a try. I came up with an idea. So I wrote it and sent it off. Oh, how wonderful the feeling of a completed work. It's like jumping in a pool of chocolate without the fear of Agustus Gloot's fate...or hearing songs from the tiny orange George Washingtons. Weeks passed and I received an email that I was one of the winners. I was pumped. It was the first writing contest I had won. The prize was having my play performed for two weekends for a total of six showings. There is nothing better than a win to motivate you on to the next thing.

Since that motivation, I've written, starred and produced a sold out murder mystery play and a couple of dramas. I submitted another play for a contest and was informed that I was one of the winners a couple of weeks ago.

I'm now in the process of opening night of my newest play, Love Wins. I've taken on the role of writer, director, and producer. It features an original song written and performed by the star. This has been a ton of hard work and fun. Tonight is the last practice before the dress rehearsal tomorrow night. There are great things in store for this. I'm already extremely proud of all the actors and the hard work they've put in.

Time to go play...