Break a Leg: Benjamin Hansen's Life After High School

​Ashlynn Morgan
Social Media Manager
  Seniors graduate every year, each embarking on a unique path. In a recent interview, Hansen discussed his experiences after high school. Hansen was involved in numerous productions at Bonneville High School and continued after graduation in Utah to follow his love for the arts. Currently, Hansen performs with the cast of 'Harmony: A New Musical' as well as the BYU A Cappella and Jazz ensembles.
   Following graduation, he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although originally assigned to Uruguay, pandemic-related travel restrictions resulted in a reassignment to Arizona. While he initially enrolled at BYU as a psychology major, he eventually returned to his roots in the arts, shifting his focus to audio engineering and music production. Hansen misses Bonneville High School because he misses his friends, saying it is different having friends as an adult because “you have to be more intentional about making friends and… making time for them.”After leaving high school, something he has learned is that life is not set in stone after high school and it can change, and to value time. Hansen has learned to remain authentic and resist the "pressure to change" for the sake of others. He has been in ‘Annie Get Your Gun’, ‘Oklahoma’, ‘The Ballad of Car Blue’, Flat Stanly in ‘The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley’, and several others. His overall favorite musical he has performed was “Crazy For You”.
  The musical he is currently in, ‘Harmony a New Musical’, is based on real life events. It is about a group of men that live in 1930s Germany that get together to make music during the struggles of the time. The musical “has a sadder ending but the message is really powerful and it's a really beautiful show.” Hansen credits his development as a performer to Mr. Dresen and Mr. Nichols, who fostered his passion for acting and vocal performance during his time at Bonneville.