The lights flashed overhead as Luke Reimer ’27 stepped onto the stage, his heart pounding in his chest. He could hear the audience rustling, brimming with anticipation. Staring out into the attentive crowd, Reimer took a deep breath, readying himself for the performance ahead.
Reimer was just six years old when he auditioned for his first play at Nolte Academy. Although he had never been in front of a large audience before, he was encouraged by those around him to try out for “Peter Pan.”
“My mom always took me to music classes as a kid, and I was always singing my own little song around the house. Then somebody was like, ‘Oh, [Nolte] is doing ‘Peter Pan.’ Luke should try out for it,’” Reimer said.
After getting cast in the ensemble in “Peter Pan,” Reimer continued to act in City Circle, Nolte Academy and Young Footlighters productions, scoring roles such as Yukon Cornelius in “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and Bruce Bogtrotter in “Matilda.” Although Reimer had always been passionate about theater, he did not secure a lead role until he entered seventh grade at Northwest Middle School. There, he played Hercules Porridge in the play “The Crimson House Murder.”
“It was important to me because it was my first lead role,” Reimer said. “There was no one else at my elementary school that was doing [theater], so I didn’t really have anyone to relate to. But at Northwest, I was doing it every day with people I saw in class. It really showed me, ‘Oh, I have friends in this.’”
Once Reimer entered high school, there was no doubt whether or not he would continue his acting journey. After watching past Theatre West productions like “Anastasia” and “Beauty and the Beast,” Reimer instantly knew he wanted to join the cast of “A Christmas Carol,” Theatre West’s winter play in 2023.
“I got Peter Cratchit, which was a smaller role, but then I had time to help with carols — the music portion of the play,” Reimer said. “Whenever a scene change happened, people would come out and sing a Christmas carol, and I got to be in charge of that.”
After “A Christmas Carol,” Theatre West began working on their spring musical. That year, directors Katy Nahra and Ann Rocarek chose “The Secret Garden.” Due to community theater, Reimer had performed in “The Secret Garden” before and hoped to obtain the same role.
“I did my audition, got called back, and then it was the day that we got out from school for [winter] break,” Reimer described. “At five o’clock, [someone] texted ‘the cast list is out’, and I got one of the lead roles; a bigger role than what I had wanted. It was the best — I can’t remember when I’ve ever been more happy than that.”
Through “A Christmas Carol” and “The Secret Garden,” Reimer was introduced to the supportive community Theatre West offers. Although he was originally intimidated by his fellow actors and crew members, he quickly met some of his closest friends while dancing onstage and getting ready behind the curtains.
“You’re around so many amazing, talented people. It’s scary at first, but then you get to watch them and you get to see what they do [so you can] further your own abilities,” Reimer said. “You stick with the same people and you get to grow together.”
While Reimer has found success in his acting career at West High, that doesn’t mean there weren’t challenges along the way.
“[Acting] is a stressful thing. It is, at its core, competitive, because you’re all auditioning for the same thing. You could get cut out, you could get a lead or you could get ensemble,” Reimer said. “[Additionally, theater] is a big time commitment and I like doing it, but trying to find time to do other stuff like schoolwork can be hard. But in the end, I think it’s all worth it when you get to put on the show.”
Despite the obstacles, Reimer believes that theater has helped him grow not only in his acting abilities, but also as a person.
“I was a really shy kid. I couldn’t be in a loud classroom [and] I had trouble talking to people. Theater has made me more confident,” Reimer said. “I think everyone needs to find that thing that they’re confident in, and then they can take that confidence and use it anywhere else.”
Reimer’s appreciation for Theatre West goes as far back as elementary school, when he dressed up as the character Burt from “Mary Poppins” to see it at the Arganbright Auditorium.
“I still have a photo of me with the guy who played Burt at West and me in costume. Looking back, I’m glad that guy took the picture with me and took the time to talk to me,” Reimer said. “It kind of inspires me. Hopefully I’m in a show someday and I can do that for another little kid.”
Looking forward, Reimer wants to continue performing in Theatre West productions, such as this year’s winter musical, “Chicago,” where he plays William “Billy” Flynn. After high school, Reimer wants to further his acting career by performing on Broadway.
“I like making people happy. I like getting to entertain people. It’s really special to me that I get to be in that little snippet of their life,” Reimer said.
