by Rita Charleston

Twenty years ago Pastor Paul's church was nothing more than a modest storefront. Now he presides over a congregation of thousands, with classrooms for Sunday School, a coffee shop in the lobby and a baptismal font as big as a swimming pool. Today should be a day of celebration, but Paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the foundation of his church's belief. “The Christians,” written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Matt Pfeiffer, and continuing at Bristol Riverside Theatre through May 19, is a play about faith in America — and the trouble with changing your mind.

Anthony Lawton stars as Pastor Paul. Lawton is a California native who studied at the University of Notre Dame and, being awarded a scholarship, came east to earn his MFA in acting at Temple University. “I hadn't planned on becoming an actor until I was about 21,” Lawton said, “but having been in a number of plays at school, I found I was bitten by the bug. I thought I was better at acting than most and thoroughly enjoyed doing it, and I thought it would be a more rewarding vocation for me than teaching So I switched out of the teaching program and decided to become an actor.”

After finishing his studies, Lawton headed straight to New York to seek his fame and fortune. “But I couldn't even get arrested in New York, so after four-and-a-half years there, I decided to come back to Philadelphia.” Today, Lawton lives in Roxborough because, he explained, he likes “living close to Wissahickon Creek and having a yard.”

Establishing himself here, the first two equity jobs Lawton had were at the Wilma Theatre in 1993.

Since then, he’s appeared at many of the theaters that grace our area. Additionally, he's appeared on TV in “Hack” and “Cold Case.” His work has also garnered him several awards, including a 2003 Independence Foundation grant which enabled him to develop his first musical, an adaptation of George MacDonald’s “The Light Princess.” The play received a Barrymore nomination. and ultimately won in two categories including Best Original Music, for which Lawton shared a credit as lyricist.

In the past, Lawton has also taught acting and directing, but now he much prefers doing rather than teaching. And “The Christians” provides that perfect opportunity for this 52-year-old father of one son.

For Lawton, the joy of acting is derived from “my character getting to contemplate the meaning of our lives and what gives our lives value and making a contribution to a public discussion about those questions. So it seems a lucky coincidence that I might seem to fit right into my character in this play.

“In fact, anyone who makes casting decisions tries to find an actor who is not very different from the character in the play, although in situations where one is very different, it’s our job to bridge the gap between who we are and who the character is. But it’s all just a function of imagination.”

And acting, he concludes, is just a function of complete commitment, “making sure that you're okay with being really poor. The odds are you’ll be unemployed most of the time and that if you are employed, you'll make something just slightly above a living wage. So you have to be okay with that, and you have to have a reason to live under those conditions. Your work has to be important enough that it's worth it to you.”

As for Lawton? “I wouldn't have it any other way.”

For ticket information to “The Christians,” call 215-785-6664.