‘Ren’ comes to life on stage

Freshman Luke Swearengin fights for his art while playing Ren McCormack in Mt. Hood’s production of “Footloose.”

Swearengin describes Ren as “a Chicago boy who has to be transplanted to a small town called Beaumont.”

“It’s [a] very hick town, the leader there is Reverend Shaw, and Ren doesn’t do very good with authority,” he said.

Ren’s character is one that Swearengin can mildly relate to. “Tragedy definitely hasn’t hit my life too hard, [but] trying to make a living off something that you love, especially with how awful the reception is – it’s kind of a fight you try to live every day like Ren does,” he said.

“It’s a fight for the art.”

When auditioning for the part of Ren, Swearengin wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to play the part, but ended up taking it.

“I was afraid that it was gonna interfere with work and time commitment. On the day of [the audition], I decided to do it. So, I learned the song real quick and showed up at the auditions, and butchered the words a little bit, but they got the point of it,” he said.

Swearengin describes Ren as a “good person at heart, but he just puts on that front that he’s tough.”

“I kind of have a baby face. I don’t look too tough in the beginning, but I have to act that way,” he said.

Playing Ren, Swearengin said that he’s grown in everyday life. “I feel like I’m more confident, just because he’s a confident person, and he really doesn’t care what people think, and I do care what people think.

“If I care what people think all the time, I can never be myself,” he said.

The music itself is the main attraction of musicals for Swearengin. He is a music major who dreamed of rock stardom at an early age. “I was 3 and I saw my dad, and AC/DC was the band back in the day that my dad showed me, and I just wanted to be like Angus Young because he was a little guy like I was,” he said.

While his focus was on guitar and being a rock star, Swearengin’s grandmother encouraged him to play the piano. “(It) actually was a good idea because piano is a big part of being a music major. She didn’t tell me not to play the guitar, but she said, ‘You should try piano, too,’ ” he said.

Musicals are Swearengin’s preference, but he also acted in one play, titled “Anatomy of Gray.” He joined a musical group his sophomore year of high school, with which he performed “Little Women.” He also played a part in an adaptation of “Les Miserables.”

Swearengin played baseball at east Portland’s Centennial High School for three years, but quit when he decided to perform “Little Women.”

“[I] slowly gateway-ed into actual musical[s] at my school.”

Performing in plays and musicals has given Swearengin a boost.

“You have no nerves,” he said. Acting has helped him to converse with others easily, “and speeches – they become so easy, I do well on them because it’s just talking to people, it’s not a big deal,” he said. “(I have) a lot more confidence as far as choir goes, and singing in front of people.”

Aside from acting and singing, Swearengin enjoys driving.

“That’s probably one of my favorite things, because it’s quiet,” he said. “(I) just yell, and sing-yell any girl song in the car I can sing, and people won’t judge me. It’s definitely a good one – it’s very relaxing.”