Owen Balman has recently been nominated for best supporting actor in the Wichita chapter of BroadwayWorld awards. The Fall 2024 Wichita State graduate has been into theatre since he was a kid, first acting in elementary school.
“As soon as I was on stage, it kind of just hit me in those weird subconscious moments that you have when you’re really young … you know you like doing this but you can’t explain why,” Balman said.
That moment sparked his love of acting and performing arts, which he continued in college, despite not being a performing arts major. He majored in communications with a minor in theatre.
The Wichita State production of “Twelfth Night” was a big breakthrough, Balman said.
In April 2024, Balman attended the 24-hour play festival, an event hosted by Joseph Urick to help his directing class. Actors were paired with student directors and worked through an acting scene. The event allowed people to get acting experience, and for the student directors, a practice run. Through it, Balman gained more experience in acting and stepped foot into the world of professional theatre in Wichita.
After the event, Balman heard that there would be an upcoming production of “Twelfth Night,” and he said that he knew he had to audition.
“I had been trying to audition every year beforehand,” he said. “But then that one year … I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to take no for an answer.”
His attempts worked, and he was cast as Duke Orsino, one of the lead roles in the show. He worked closely with Kelsi Harris, a Wichita State theatre major, who played Olivia, the love interest of Duke Orsino.
“(That was) where we finally got to actually act beside each other instead of just being community theatre friends,” Harris said.
Harris said Balman’s personality led to them becoming fast friends, and that the door to the world of performing was open for him as soon as he walked in to audition.
After his experience with “Twelfth Night,” Balman said that he had the confidence to go out into the professional scene in Wichita, both acting and on the production side of shows.
“It allowed me to step into a little more professional type of experience that I am able to apply to community theatre,” he said. “I feel like it’s something I was made to do.”
Balman said that not being a performing arts major created difficulties in finding a way into WSU performances, but he didn’t let that stop him, utilizing his skills learned from the Elliott School of Communication.
“I just had to leverage the experiences I was gaining … which all involved networking and finding the right people to talk to,” he said.
In June this year, Balman acted in the Wichita Shakespeare Company’s production of “Love Labour’s Lost” with an 80s spin, set in a college fraternity. In July, he acted in the Guild Hall Player’s production of “You Can’t Take it With You,” as the high energy Ed Charmichael.
“He (Ed Charmichael) was one of the more uniquely challenging and rewarding roles that I’ve ever had to play,” he said.
Most recently, he did a show with Empire House Players, “Clothes Call or Caught in the Fabric of Your Lies.” Balman said the show was a melodrama with a punny twist.
“(Empire House) is such a niche little group of people,” Balman said. “The experience that I got there was unlike any other, we were all there on work days, putting the set together … it was a very last minute show … but we got there in the end, and that’s what made it feel special.”
Balman’s BroadwayWorld nomination was for his role as best supporting performer in a play for his acting in “You Can’t Take it With You.” BroadwayWorld is a review website and forum for regional and national Broadway and off-Broadway shows.
“Owen really deserves it … whatever project that he’s in, he really does bring his all,” Harris said. “He’s such a bright light of energy … there’s never a dull moment, like he gives everything his all … I will gloat about Owen all day, every day.”
Balman said that he hadn’t known he was nominated until someone he knew texted him congratulations.
“I wasn’t aware of BroadwayWorld at the time … (well) I knew it was a forum for Broadway, off-Broadway and retinol and national theatre productions, but I didn’t know they had an awards thing every year,” Balman said.
Nominations are made by the public via the BroadwayWorld website.
“I wouldn’t have been on there if someone hadn’t thought of me,” he said. “I was nominated … alongside some other fantastic actors. It’s a privilege to be considered amongst them.”
Balman said that the fact that one of his performances left a large enough impression on someone to be nominated for such an award made him happy.
“(The nomination) got me sentimental about the production, started thinking about it again,” he said. “I felt very honored … considering I’m very fresh and new to the community … so to leave an impression on somebody so early is truly a great thing.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article wrote that Owen Balman graduated in Spring 2025. It has since been updated to correctly note he graduated in Fall 2024.
