“There are no starving artists”: How ORU Theatre’s Hope Mager Views Faith and the Arts
Hope Mager
Hometown: Collinsville, Illinois
Major: Theatre for Healing
The “starving artist” is a poor and overused cliché, one that’s not truly representative
of the diverse careers—some in the arts, some not—that artistic students are prepared
and trained for. It’s a cliché that ORU’s Hope Mager, who’s pursuing a degree in theatre
for healing, doesn’t believe in. She says that as she made more art, she became closer
to God, and in this closeness, God spoke to her about the “starving artist.”
“During freshman year,” Hope said, “God told me, ‘There are no starving artists at the feast table of the Father.’ If I had a soapbox message, this would be it. These words, which have marked my entire life as an artist, mean that I don't have to be starved and deprived. I can step onto a stage but not need it because I'm satisfied by my faith. As an artist, I don’t have to define who I am because I already know who I am.”
A Need for God in the Arts
Hope graduates from ORU this May, and afterward, she’s considering a move to New York, where she wants to pursue acting and writing. It’s a long way from her start at ORU, which began as an International Relations major. That major, Hope eventually discovered, wasn’t for her because it wasn’t her passion, and it wasn’t her dream.
“My whole story,” Hope said, “has been the Lord letting me dream. I developed an intimacy with God, and out of that place, I started creating so much art. He opened a door and invited me to start performing and acting. When I was five years old, I told my parents I was going to be on Broadway. God created a space within me to believe in that dream again.”
According to Hope, following any dream can be scary, but she says, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she’s doing what the Lord has asked her to do. For Hope, this means performing on stage, but it also means being a performer of faith. As an artist, Hope sees theatre as more than a creative expression; she also sees it as her opportunity to bring God to the arts.
“There are Christians in theater,” Hope said, “But I feel like it can be easy for performers to alienate their theatre careers from their faith, making them two separate things. But Jesus never meant for them to be separate. As an actress, I’ve encountered God backstage, and I’ve learned that everything is ministry. In the dressing room, we have Gospel conversations, and when I'm on stage, I encounter Jesus’s presence through words that express humanity.”
“My whole story,” Hope said, “has been the Lord letting me dream. I developed an intimacy with God, and out of that place, I started creating so much art. He opened a door and invited me to start performing and acting."
Finding Wonder and Celebrating Humanity
With graduation around the corner, Hope says ORU Theatre has trained her to not only perform but to do so much more. She mentions her professor, Courtneay Sanders, who describes “acting” as “living truthfully in imaginary circumstances.” These imaginary circumstances, through long hours of rehearsal and practice, have taught Hope how to closely listen to people, build strong relationships, and be present in the moment. And by faithfully trusting in God, Hope has also learned that doors will open in life and dreams can become reality.
“My favorite role at ORU,” Hope said, “was Henrietta Leavitt in Silent Sky. She was a brilliant scientist who didn’t receive the recognition she deserved. The last line in that play is ‘Wonder will always get us there … Those of us who insist that there is so much more beyond ourselves. And I do.’ That’s the line of my life. I love what I’m doing, and as a performer, I get to partner with the Lord in doing what He loves to do, which is celebrating humanity.”
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ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY
ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with 15 years of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor’s level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 151 nations (from 2019 to 2023) to be whole leaders for the whole world.
The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #8 university in the nation for student experience and one of America's Best Colleges (2024). This new category rates the best colleges in the U.S. to have a great experience while attending. This ranking is powered by one of the largest ever independent surveys of verified college students and recent graduates in the United States. Niche recognizes ORU as one of the most diverse colleges in America, # 1 best Christian college in Oklahoma, and # 1 in Oklahoma for diversity. Princeton Review ranked ORU as the best regional college, and College Raptor ranked ORU as a Hidden Gem in the Southwest.
ORU has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as:
- #1 in Undergraduate Teaching
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- #3 in Best Value
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