Many students in the BYU theater department have big ambitions that could throw them into the epicenter of the entertainment world.  But as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, many struggle with the task of reconciling their faith and standards with the demands of Hollywood.

Three BYU students majoring in acting offer insight into how they plan to tackle their profession while taking a stand for their morals and standards.

Nina Jonassaint
Sophomore from Orem

“I have certain lines that I am learning about myself that I am not willing to cross and that is kind of what the [BYU acting] program is geared toward,” Jonassaint said. “It is not only helping us develop our skills but also showing us what kind of things are going to be presented to us.”

Jonassaint said she has been in performances where people have walked out and demanded their money back because of offensive material, but she stuck by the show because of the message.

“For me personally, the lines that I define for myself are if I am comfortable with the message that the show is portraying then that is what I am willing to work with,” Jonassaint said. “If it is portraying that [premarital] sex is a good thing or that drinking or promiscuity is OK then that is where I will morally step back and not participate.”

Jonassaint is planning on moving to New York after graduation to ultimately pursue a life on the stage of Broadway, but she would also like to open a performing arts studio with the help of two friends.

Graham Ward
Junior from Boston

“I think every LDS actor would agree that it’s hard to strike the balance between artistic freedom and censorship,” Ward said. “I believe strongly in uplifting entertainment and art, but to be totally honest I think there’s a lot of value in things that might make us uncomfortable.”

Ward said he does not see value in performances and movies that force the audience to participate in the sin being displayed, such as pornography; however, other productions that show sins like suicide and murder don’t necessarily cause the audience to sin and can get them thinking about important philosophical and moral issues.

“Sheltering people doesn’t create righteousness, it only creates ignorance,” Ward said.

Drawing the line between immorality and artistic expression is a personal decision, and many LDS and non-LDS actors are going to be offered roles that they feel uncomfortable with, but they have the right to say, as Ward put it, “I’m not going to do that.”

“I’m sure there’s a level to which those people will need to understand my job as an actor, and they might see me swear or kill someone on screen,” Ward said. “If I explain it to them and they still choose to judge me, it’s not on my head.”

Ward hopes to move to Los Angeles after graduation and begin acting in film but he would like to eventually start his own production company so that he can bounce between actor, producer and writer.

Rachel Baird
Senior from Garden Grove, Calif.

“I feel completely fearless about taking on any challenges that are brought up about morality,” Baird said. “I am not in this to be famous, I want to help people and be the best artist I can be.  I am confident and I don’t even feel tempted to perform that material.”

Baird said she felt fully prepared by the training she received at BYU for the acting program she attended at Yale University this summer. She enjoyed her experience so much that she plans to audition for their grad school in February.

“BYU has helped me see acting as a spiritual medium where I can exercise faith, hope and charity,” Baird said. “It has given me the desire to understand people’s pains, joys and sorrows and to really love them.”