As the World Turns actor Van Hansis (Luke Snyder) wrapped up his stellar run as Lance Sussman in New World Stages off- Broadway theater production of Die Mommy Die! on January 12th.
Die Mommy Die! is a "cross-dressing" comedy written in 1999 by Charles Busch. Originally a movie, it was re-worked as a play, opening for its first run on October 21st, 2007. The cast included writer Charles Busch, Hansis, Bob Ari, Chris Hoch, Ashley Morris and Kristine Neilson. After his mother poisons his father's suppository, Hansis' character sets out to avenge his death. Twists and turns eventually reveal multiple surprises.
"Die Mommy Die! was truly a gift," blogs Hansis. "I sort of, as actorish as it might sound, rediscovered my roots."
Armed with a fine arts degree from prestigious Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Hansis set his sights on the New York theater world, and did everything he could to make it happen. He waited tables for a year until he earned the role of gay teen Luke Snyder on CBS's As the World Turns.
"The irony was never lost on me," he says. "I choose not to go to Los Angeles for theater and I end up on television instead. I'm not complaining, I have learned so much on the soap and would love to continue on television for a long, long time."
Hansis is greatly touched by the support his ATWT fans show him, many of whom showed up to see him perform on stage. Some brought gifts and tokens relating to his touching and groundbreaking soap storyline.
Other fans, moved by a blog post Hansis made in November about the sad commercialism of the Christmas season, organized a truly moving holiday fundraiser. The result, Project Holiday Spirit, raised money for AIDS patients in honor of Hansis and his on-screen acting partner, Jake Silbermann (Noah Mayer). The campaign exceeded the $600 "Nuke" fans hoped to raise by far, ultimately topping off at a whopping $6,575.00.
