From College Wrestler to College Actor: ORU’s Alexander Hemberger Discusses Life on Stage
Hometown: South Carolina
Theatre Arts - BFA Acting
“You have so much potential Alex. I don't want you to waste it. I don’t want you to
keep it locked up.”
—Professor Courtneay Sanders, ORU’s Director of Theatre & Dance
When someone invests in you, it can transform your confidence, your outlook, and—in some cases—your future. Alexander (Alex) Hemberger, a junior theatre major, says he owes a lot to ORU Professor Courtneay Sanders and her investment in him. It’s an investment that brought Alex to the stage and has him thinking about the need for Christian artists.
“When I feel like I’m not giving the best of myself,” Alex said, “I remember that conversation with Professor Sanders. I remember that I still have the potential to do bigger things. She’s taught me that it’s not enough to ‘just do enough.’ As a performer, I'm grateful because Professor Sanders is always challenging me to get past myself when I'm acting. She makes you to give 100% in everything you do. You can't give half of yourself. She expects you to go full out and all out.”
Taking a Better Stand for God
Acting wasn’t always Alex’s passion. He started at a different university, not as an actor but as a college wrestler. But during his first year, the Christian campus he chose wasn’t the campus he thought it would be. Rather, it was, as Alex describes it, “Christian only if you wanted to be Christian.”
“The whole thing,” Alex said, “felt like Christianity on a free trial. When I started to question it, I asked my mom, ‘Do you want me to go to a school that takes a better stand for God?’ She said ‘yes’ so, we visited ORU, and I felt the presence of God everywhere. There wasn’t a place on campus that was hidden from God. He was with us wherever we went.”
Eventually, Alex transferred to ORU as an exercise science major. But once on campus, God told him this wasn’t what he was supposed to do. It forced Alex to ask himself, “Do I continue down a path where God doesn't want me to go?” Faced with this question, he auditioned for ORU Theatre’s production of “As You Like It,” a play by William Shakespeare.
“It’s crazy,” Alex said, “but the part I got was the wrestler, and I’m actually a wrestler. It was a big moment for me because that part made me realize that I wanted to act. After the performance, I told my mom I didn’t want to do something God didn’t want me to do. She said I should switch my major and reassured me that God would be with me wherever I go.”
“Faith-based actors and actresses, should be taking the entertainment industry by storm. And Christian entertainment should be everywhere because that’s where seeds get planted."
Alex Hemberger playing the role of Giles Gray in "The Crucible"
A Performer Who Welcome Challenges
Since switching majors, Alex has been growing as a performer at ORU. To him, growth happens through challenge, specifically by taking on more and more difficult roles. After “As You Like It,” Alex performed in “The Crucible,” “Into the Woods,” and “The Sound of Music.” But his biggest challenge came in Pearl Cleage’s “Flying West,” the story of female pioneers who settle together in the all-black town of Nicodemus, Kansas.
“The character I played, Frank, is a bad person,” Alex said, “which was emotionally draining. I did a lot of research for the part, and it created a lot of emotional turmoil. Like me, Frank has a white dad and a black mom, but he hates being from two cultures. Me, personally, I love it so I had to dig deep into why Frank was like this.”
After graduation, Alex is considering a move to Broadway or London, where he wants to pursue a career in professional theatre. As an actor and a person of faith, he says the world of entertainment needs more and more Christian artists. He also believes movies, theatre, and plays are an ideal way to share God’s message.
“Faith-based actors and actresses,” Alex said, “should be taking the entertainment industry by storm. And Christian entertainment should be everywhere because that’s where seeds get planted. Once you plant a seed, sometimes that's all you need. God might not be expecting you to water the seed, but He’s still expecting you to plant it.”
Alex Hemberger playing the role of Cinderella's prince in "Into the Woods"
UNIVERSITY BRIEF
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 in the last four years 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 top 25 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
- #2 in Most International Students
- #3 in Best Value
- #6 in Best College for Veterans
- #7 in Best Regional Colleges in the West
For more information, visit www.oru.edu.