Acting as ministry: Paden Lipe’s story
Trinity Adams, Staff Writer
Many people on campus know Paden Lipe as being in charge of intramurals and the Younts Fitness Center. Other people recognize him for his role as Tony in this spring’s production of “You Can’t Take It with You.” What many people don’t know is that he is an NGU alumnus who began acting during his junior year of college and has continued to pursue it as a career and ministry since.
“Until my sophomore year of college, I had two dreams. It was either to play for the Miami Dolphins or be on the practice squad of the Miami Dolphins,” Lipe said.
Lipe came to NGU as a football recruit in 2016. He was a music major with a very specific plan A and plan B for his life. He did have other interests, but they seemed more like hobbies at the time.
Lipe’s love for music came when his parents attempted to get him to play the piano. They quickly realized that he was too jittery for that, and a family friend suggested that he play the drums. Lipe quickly fell in love with the drums and, years later, learned how to play the guitar after many hours spent watching YouTube videos and writing chords.
He had many people he looked up to musically, but what drew him to music was the “wow factor.” He saw his first musical in person, “Cats,” as a child, and he recalls watching it many times after that, growing up.
“Maybe that is where my musical side came from. It’s a really weird story, because I don’t know anyone who likes “Cats,” but it definitely has a special place in my heart. [Also], seeing people like Hugh Jackman, who is Wolverine but is also Curly McLain in “Oklahoma.” So I always felt like this was the place that I fit into more.
As Lipe went into his junior year, Amy Dunlap, at the time a professor, reached out and asked him to audition for their current production, “Beauty and the Beast.” Through a lot of prayer and encouragement from coaches, Lipe made the transition from musical theatre to football. Lipe had been in small community productions growing up, but “Beauty and the Beast” was an opportunity for him to be in his first collegiate musical.
“Paden auditioned for ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ and I was very impressed with both his stage presence and his singing voice. He has a lovely, expressive voice as well as the physical presence required to carry off a role like the Beast,” said Dunlap.
Once Lipe was in the role, he felt a bit out of place. Since most people had been in the department had been there since their freshman year, Lipe was excited but nervous.
“You go in, and it was like everyone knows what they are doing. So I just felt like, ‘okay, if I work really hard and a lot, things will get figured out and work well.’ What it boiled down to was being willing to work and also being willing to work extra, to push myself,” Lipe shared.
Dunlap shared that although Lipe had minimal theatre experience, she knew that he would put in the effort and dedication needed to play the role well. Opening night came was a shock to Lipe and his teammates, who were both surprised at how well Lipe performed, but Dunlap had the utmost faith in him.
“. . . which he did with excellence. Paden was always a hard-working and dedicated student who showed great respect and a gentle kindness to his fellow students and professors,” said Dunlap.
After his role in “Beauty and the Beast,” Lipe went on to star in a play and musical before his time at NGU came to an end. During his senior year, Lipe started to audition for local productions nearby and booked a few. Like in most modern tales, COVID took its toll, and the productions were put on hold. In that waiting period, however, God called Lipe and his wife Allison to Guatemala.
“While we were there, we started a theatre ministry. It’s another way we use to share the Gospel with people who weren’t open to going to church but would want to be a part of a theatre company,” said Lipe.
The couple began by hosting after-school acting classes. During that time, Lipe was able to help with directing and acting classes as well as set building. In their first class, roughly 25 people showed up. Over the span of four years, they went from a small class to annually having around 200 students in their ministry and doing two to three shows per year.
“The Lord was for sure in the midst of it. That’s the only reason why I think it could grow like it did,” said Lipe.
The Lipes moved back at the end of July of 2024, and Paden’s original plan was to take the first semester to get acquainted with life stateside while taking a more managerial role remotely. He soon realized that God was opening doors for him to act again when he was approached to play in the school’s production of “You Can’t Take It with You.” Lipe began auditioning for a local production.
He has now been cast as Elvis in “The Million Dollar Quartet” at Center Stage in Downtown Greenville after auditioning and attending five call-backs. Lipe has found that this is a completely different learning experience. He has spent close to 300 hours learning everything he can to play Elvis the best that he can. Lipe has shared that he and three of his friends got leading roles in this production and that it is nice to have that boy band-like feel.
Although Lipe did not end up with his first or second choice in career, he found that God had better plans that required him to step out of his comfort zone and into the spotlight.
Feature image courtesy of Paden Lipe
