FAIRMONT, W.Va., July 26, 2017 — When Brady Dunn took his first acting role and stepped on stage 12 years ago, he never expected theater to become his life’s passion.
Now, the 22-year-old Fairmont native proudly calls himself one of six young actors in the nation to accept a spot in the Serenbe Playhouse Apprentices Company in Serenbe, Georgia. (Serenbe is a professional theatre company committed to producing bold new works and reinvented classics that connect art, nature and community, according to its mission statement.)
“I honestly didn’t expect to get a job right out of college,” Dunn said. “I thought I was going to have to do the grind for a couple of years where I just work a minimum wage job and audition at places. Being able to jump straight from college to being directed by a professional Broadway personality in a matter of a couple of weeks was super rare and something that most people don’t get to do. I’m super lucky to have this opportunity.”
Dunn began acting when he was just 10 years old as part of a family hobby, along with his parents, Shawn and Kathy, and his brother, Clay. In his first role, Brady wowed the crowd as Winthrop Paroo in Fairmont State University’s production of “The Music Man.”
Shawn Dunn said that, while Brady had quickly adapted to the world of theater, he never expected his youngest son to make a career out of it.
“We thought he would probably do community theater and maybe do stuff in high school or maybe even college, but we didn’t imagine that he would end up majoring in theater and make it his profession,” Shawn Dunn said.
The family began acting together as a bonding experience of sorts, but always knew that Brady had it in him to achieve greatness on stage.
As Brady grew, so did his love and passion for art. In high school, he developed a Youtube channel that has gained over 3,500 subscribers and has received 1.4 million views and has recently released two full albums under the name Schizoid Enthusiast.
He continued his acting studies through high school and college, attaining a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies of theater and music from West Liberty University earlier this spring.
“The art of storytelling is more important than anything else, especially in the world of theater, because theatergoers don’t realize that they’re being taught these important lessons,” Brady Dunn said. “They don’t realize that they’re being exposed to this world view that they wouldn’t get anywhere else but in the theater.”
In his senior year at Fairmont Senior High School, Brady Dunn even connected with his current fiancé, Sarah Lemley, through the theater program.
“We started to become friends with each other through these shows,” Lemley said. “Ultimately, one summer, we just started to like each other. Basically, through these shows every year, we would get to know each other more and more.”
Now, Brady works long and often grueling days in the Georgia heat, setting up or taking down stages and studying lines when he isn’t at rehearsal. Although he’s only been in the program since May, Brady has already taken on roles as Little John in “Robin Hood” and a soldier and Ross in “Macbeth.”
Brady is also now deep in the process of preparing for his role as Max in “Cabaret,” his third role of the summer.
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