Personal Journey of Ben Hur Actor

“Ben-Hur,” LifeHouse Theater’s epic tale of friendship, betrayal, and redemption, has been an audience favorite in Southern California for over 20 years. But for cast member Shane Prince, the musical has a much deeper, personal attachment. Prince was only 7 years old when the production premiered at the Arrowhead Bowl in 1993, where he played the part of Young Judah Ben-Hur. Prince continued to perform in subsequent productions of “Ben-Hur” since that time, playing Roman guards, galley slaves, and lepers. Now 28, he has taken on the lead role of the adult Judah Ben-Hur. “I’ve been in ‘Ben-Hur’ every time they’ve done it,” commented Prince. In every production of the musical, Shane has been joined in the cast by members of his family. “My uncle, Tedd [Smith] has always done it, and my dad’s always done it, too,” Prince says. “My brother Nathan always did it too, and he’s the assistant director this time so he’s still involved.” In this current production, Prince’s wife, Celina, plays Esther, the love interest of Ben-Hur. “It’s amazing,” Prince exclaimed. “Growing up here, meeting my wife at LifeHouse, and now getting to perform in lead roles with her—it’s awesome and it means a lot.” The Prince family has endured emotional hardships recently, with the death of Shane’s father, David and the continued health problems of his uncle Tedd Smith, which for the first time has prevented him from performing the role of Balthasar. “It’s definitely hard doing the show without them,” Prince says. “My dad always played the Emperor, and every time Denny Peltz [as the Emperor] comes up and sings to me, I have to look away. I have tears in my eyes, because I just picture my dad.” What has helped him heal through the course of the show, however, is the support of the cast. That community is, to Prince, one of the best parts of performing in a LifeHouse production: “LifeHouse has meant a lot to me and my family, and hopefully it will to my kids, too,” he says. “I have my wife here now. Hopefully my kids will come here, too.” He sums up his experience by recalling a conversation with LifeHouse president and “Ben-Hur” director Wayne Scott: “Wayne said the other day that it means the world to him, seeing me grow up from being little Ben-Hur to being big Ben-Hur, and how proud he is of me. That meant the world to me, because Wayne’s really like a second father to me. It meant a lot to me for him to say that.” “Ben-Hur” performs weekends through April 27th at LifeHouse Theater. Performances are Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:15 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:15 p.m. In addition to the weekend performances, there will be a special Thursday performance on April 24th at 7:30 p.m. The performance on Saturday, April 12th will also feature an interpreted presentation for the deaf.