HOT PURSUIT

The significance of Trinity Lutheran’s Good Friday service may be providing more than spiritual fulfillment. For Vitaly Bauer, it has put him on the path of possibly becoming a professional actor.

The Owatonna junior portrayed Jesus in the annual kids service that provides people with the hope of Easter, including Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection. This wasn’t Bauer’s first experience in the Trinity service. In the past, he’s played Peter and the Roman guard.

Jesus is involved in every one of the 11 scenes during the service, which culminates in the sanctuary with Jesus rising from the dead. Jesus is one of about 80 actors and volunteers, mostly teens and younger children, involved in the

Bauer admits there weren’t many lines for him to memorize with acting out Jesus. However, he gained some experience with learning physical parts of acting.

“It’s very refreshing,” Bauer said of being Jesus.

Bauer said he is especially intrigued about the longstanding tradition Trinity has in putting on such a performance ahead of Easter. Trinity has been doing it for at least 32 years. “It’s something I haven’t seen a lot of churches do,” he said, noting he lived in Georgia for six years before coming to Owatonna. “We came here and saw the Good Friday service and it blew me away.”

He credits the Good Friday gig in part for whetting his appetite for a potential acting career. Bauer plans to major in musical theatre. “I love acting,” he said.

Bauer is performing in the upcoming spring musical, “An Inspector Calls,” at Owatonna High School next month. He said the storyline is quite heavy about a girl who commits suicide. His initial pass through the script made him emotional where he shed some tears.

He said his love for the new auditorium at OHS has also played into his decision to pursue acting. “It has made me realize how cool it’s to be on a stage.

Besides acting, Bauer is also involved in pep band, marching band, concert choir and cross country. He also teaches Sunday School at Trinity.

Some delightful news came his way last week when he learned he has been chosen to participate in the All-State Honor Choir. He will attend training in Moorhead in July and August in preparation for a performance in February.

All the experiences both at Trinity and OHS, he said, have helped shape him into who he is.

He is a shining example of our teenagers doing positive things both in school and in the greater community. Perhaps being in hot pursuit of performing on Broadway in the years to come isn’t out of the question for Bauer.