Whether he’s a fast-talking music salesman, an infamous serial killer, or the meek owner of a carnivorous plant, Brennen Ohlemann, junior, is constantly reinventing himself through theater.

Ohlemann has acted in a total of 15 shows, making his debut as a seventh grader at North Junior High when he was cast in Oklahoma! Jr. as Curly McLain, the lead role.

“I was terrified at the audition. They made me sing ‘My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.’ I had the sheet music, and I knew the song, but I was just shaking. I could not handle that,” Ohlemann said. “But after [the audition], everything was fine, and everyone got to know each other. I have so many fond memories of [that cast].”

From then on, Ohlemann dedicated himself to theater, eventually earning the supporting role of The Wolf in Into the Woods, an HHS production, in ninth grade. Acting in a high school show as a middle schooler, however, was intimidating at first.

“It felt like I was a gazelle, and everybody else were big league actor tigers, and they were going to eat me alive,” Ohlemann said.

Despite his initial fears, Ohlemann found HHS actors to be very welcoming, and he continued working with them once he began his high school career.

“Once I got to the high school, they accepted me even more,” Ohlemann said. “They were very welcoming.”

In addition to school shows, Ohlemann is also heavily involved with Blue Water Theatre Company, a community theater in Wayzata that mainly stars high schoolers and middle schoolers.

The main director is Charlie Leonard, who also directed Ohlemann’s first show.

“[Blue Water Theatre Company] is like Hopkins theater, but it’s just a melting pot of a bunch of kids from different communities. [Blue Water Theatre Company] puts [actors] in a fantastic situation where they get to make something amazing,” Ohlemann said.

Acting outside of school is a very different experience for Ohlemann when compared to performing in shows at HHS with students he sees every day.

“I like to do Hopkins shows because I feel like I grow more as an actor, and I like to see all the people that I get to see around school in a different spotlight,” Ohlemann said. “It changes how you perceive a person when you see them acting and just having a good time with other people.”

Acting and singing often intersect for Ohlemann in theater, and both have played a large part in Ohlemann’s life since he was very young, as he sang in his church choir. In ninth grade, he joined his school choir after leaving orchestra.

“In [an orchestra], it’s only one director, and he has to look at all these instruments that work so differently, and he has to make them work, and there’s never enough time for that. When you’re in choir, you’re always using your voice. It’s much easier for the director to get a good response out of their students,” Ohlemann said. “I’ve always strived to be a better singer and be more diverse in the type of music that I can sing.”

Ohlemann is now a member of Geoff!, the top male choir at HHS, and he sings in the MMEA All-State choir, a prestigious choir for high schoolers in Minn.

Ohlemann also finds great enjoyment from blending his passions for music and theater together by participating in musicals. However, musicals only occur once per year at HHS, which is a large reason for Ohlemann’s participation at Blue Water Theatre Company, which puts on at least four musicals per year.

“Sometimes, I miss the music,” Ohlemann said. “When you can take something like music and put it into a physical form, it creates a new landscape to work with.”

Currently, Ohlemann is rehearsing for a play called The Man Who Couldn’t Dance for the Winter One Act Plays in Jan. He plans to remain involved in theater for the rest of his high school career.

“It’s a growing family bond. Theater people always like to say [theater] is a family,” Ohlemann said. “It draws together some of the best people I’ve ever known.”