Seth Hollen, a 23-year-old musical theatre major that works as a scene carpenter at Central, is starring in this year’s musical production of Mary Poppins as Mr. Banks.

From the first time Hollen stepped on stage as an 11-year-old to the moment when he will glide across the stage as Mr. Banks in Central’s production of “Mary Poppins” premiering on May 6, Hollen has always loved the stage.

As a child, Hollen lived a block away from a large children’s theatre company who held shows every summer that would run for six weeks. His mother, a piano teacher, made him audition knowing that his musical background would help him on the stage.

“After a couple years of doing that, I caught the theatre bug,” Hollen said. “There is something magical about it.”

Hollen had to sacrifice his passion for sports for the stage, which weighed very heavy on him. Tired of rehearsals that seemed to last forever, Hollen said that his 13-year-old self would sit there and ponder all the sacrifices he had to make.

“And then the show came and there was something really rewarding doing all that trial and all that error, and you do it for an audience and this is your payment,” Hollen said. “This is your reward for doing it. And over the years since then, it just grew into an actual deeper meaning for me. To the point where I actually chose this as my major.”

Defining himself as a gym rat, Hollen said that he expresses himself through exercise, but music is Hollen’s forte and how he expresses vulnerability in front of audiences.

“I used to express myself a lot by clocking hours in the gym…It is a lot of fun, and it’s great going back home. But something that I have learned is that there is a lot of strength in being vulnerable,” Hollen said. “People eat it up if you have the strength to be vulnerable in front of an audience. Everyone secretly wants to see the strong guy break down and show what he is really feeling and it is really hard to do. Being able to work on that has been really rewarding and a very interesting journey.”

A stage manager that worked with Hollen in several productions—including Les Miserables, two Red Curtain Reviews and the upcoming Mary Poppins—had only positive comments on Hollen’s character.

“I would describe Seth as strong—physically and mentally—determined, intelligent, compassionate and true,” they said.

According to Hollen, the musical follows the books published from 1934 to 1988 and was written by P.L. Travers. Although the movie is what Hollen calls “lighthearted,” the musical is much “darker and has more depth.”

With deep ties to the movie “Saving Mr. Banks,” the stage musical is considered to be a closer resemblance of how Mr. Banks is being saved.

Relating it to shows such as Les Miserables, which Hollen also performed, he emphasized how “engulfing” the music is in this show.

“The music starts, and it just brings you in,” said Hollen.

With his love for theatre and his passion for being able to show a plethora of characters and emotions, Hollen is one of the many gems of the talented group of Central Theatre students.