36 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 2-8, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com FACE TO FACE Brian Steen-Larsen and Hunter Powers have been bonding over their love of theater and film since they met, in early 2020, as coworkers at Joby Aviation, where they made training videos. It was the pandemic; with theaters closed, they organized movie nights, but also brainstormed constantly. They wrote a musical together, not unlike Bud and Doug, the main characters of Gutenberg! The Musical! they inhabited in early 2026 for Paper Wing Theatre— an instant and total success. They were the only actors on stage and also directed the show, which received a standing ovation each night. Their first show together at Paper Wing was A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder in 2025, but they have interacted on stage before, in Something Rotten! at Outdoor Forest Theater in Carmel, facing each other in a tap dance battle, as Shakespeare and his main antagonist, Nick Bottom. Since 2025, Steen-Larsen has been working as a scenic carpenter, painter and electrician for Pacific Repertory Theatre. Pacific Grove-based Powers— “a mad scientist when it comes to video editing,” according to his partner-incrime—is still with Joby, and manages to work within his schedule to go for every theater opportunity out there. Weekly: Why theater and how serious are you about it? Steen-Larsen: My dad had me listen to Les Mis [Les Misérables] all the time when I was growing up. Since middle school, I’ve done it all, from ensemble to supporting roles, then bigger leads. The goal for me was to start working in the industry full time, so now I build and paint sets and manage to pay all my bills. The next stop for me would ideally be trying to get more paid acting work. Powers: I used to go to a performing arts school in Southern California. We would do six plays every year. If there’s ever an opportunity to pursue theater fully, I would. But I value comfort in life [laughs]. I go into work at 5am and then I’m out by 3 or 4pm. That gives me two hours to eat dinner, relax and then do rehearsals from 6-10pm, or whatever it is. How did you learn about Paper Wing? Powers: The first time I had heard about Paper Wing was from puppets. I was walking through Cannery Row and there were puppets in the window [during Covid]. They called me out specifically for whatever I was wearing. They’re like, “Hey you,” and they started singing. I remember being taken and I was like, “What? What’s that about?” You brought the idea for showing Gutenberg to Paper Wing. Powers: We wanted to be in a show where we were the main two guys. And the revival of Gutenberg came out, with Josh Gad and Andrew Reynolds, and we had listened to it and we loved it. Steen-Larsen: We went to [founder Koly McBride] directly and we were like, “What do you think about Gutenberg?” She took it more seriously than we thought. They really took a chance, even though we had to audition for the show. The audience loved the show. Steen-Larsen: Standing ovation every night. People seem pretty impressed. It was nice to see a lot of strangers who had never seen anything at Paper Wing before. Powers: They would drive out and they saw it three or four times. It was the most difficult show I’ve done so far, as far as stamina goes, because you’re on stage for two hours, acting and singing and dancing, and you never are off- stage. I realized I was losing my voice during rehearsals halfway through the run and I was like, “Man, I’ve got to let some of these songs just be quiet.” Steen-Larsen: Our mission was to not replicate anything anyone else has done with the musical before. There’s this one bit where we cut holes in the box and we had the boxes dance. It turned out to be one of the funniest bits. Brian, what do you think is Hunter’s biggest talent/feature? And vice versa. Steen-Larsen: I think Hunter is so charming, charismatic and he’s got the best comedic timing. Just trying to catch up with him is a race in itself. Powers: It’s Brian’s commitment to projects. He is pushing the goal everyday. I don’t think that you’ll find a lot of people so headstrong in what they want and believe. Very quickly, without thinking: Your favorite musical ever. Steen-Larsen: Les Mis. Powers: Miss Saigon. In unison: Oh my god, we chose very sad musicals. Perfect Match Two friends take local theaters by storm. Perhaps you saw them in Gutenberg! The Musical! By Agata Popęda Brian Steen-Larsen as Monty Navarro (left) and Hunter Powers as Lady Hyacinth D’Ysquith in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at Paper Wing Theatre in 2025. JUSTIN GAUDOIN We Save Lives. You can, too. Golden Oldies Cat Rescue www.gocatrescue.org 831•200•9232 Adopt Volunteer Foster Will you join us? Older Cats New Beginnings Breeze Want to meet Breeze? Please fill out our online adoption questionnaire. Things to love: approx. 13 years old - 8 lbs - male - Shih Tzu/Poodle mix Breeze lives up to his name. This calm, gentle Shih Tzu/Poodle mix has an effortless charm that wins people over instantly. He gets along great with other dogs and is just as happy curling up for a cozy nap nearby. Mellow, sweet, and adorable, Breeze brings peaceful energy wherever he goes. If you’d like sponsor our next ad, give us a call. 831-718-9122 | www.POMDR.org P.O. Box 51554, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 Ad Sponsored by C & C Repair Inc. German Car Specialist www.CCRepairMonterey.com In Memory of Dirk
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