Scott "Scooter" West trades in his medieval gear for '90s New York City attire as an ensemble member in "Rent"!GCP Girl: Tell me a bit about your character.
SW: I am in the ensemble; the one named character I play is Steve of the Support Group. Steve sings the solo for "Will I," so I see him as a relatively normal person, 9-5 job, apartment-and-a-dog kind of guy. I imagine he contracted HIV from one of the less publicized ways, likely a blood transfusion.
GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows.
SW: I was in and directed a number of shows at the end of high school and early college. The experiences that made the most impact on me were playing Elliot, a lead in a little-known musical called "Journey to Friday"... sort of an angst-y, modern version of Grease, and Charlie Brown in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." As a senior in high school, I was proud to be able to take a drama class mostly made up of students from a cancelled shop class and get them interested in theater by directing the monologue-driven play "Juvie," a topic that was unfortunately all too familiar to the students at my school. Since "Charlie Brown," I have focused on being a member, and eventually a leader, in the Theatrical Combat troupe Thieves' Guilde, Inc. I am currently the group's VP as well as Lead Medic and one of the Sword Trainers. We perform annually at the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire and at other smaller venues around Florida.
GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "Rent"?
SW: The primary reason for my long absence from theater since early college is time. I couldn’t fit rehearsals for a stage show around classes, spending time with my family, and my commitments with the Thieves’ Guilde. During this time, I made a short list of shows that I would just make time to participate in. "Rent" is at or near the top of that list. I was thrilled to be cast and given the chance to solo for this production.
GCP Girl: What is your favorite musical number in the show?
SW: It is difficult to choose a favorite musical number with such a music-driven show. I’d have to say “What You Own” toward the end of Act 2.
GCP Girl: What has been your favorite part of this experience so far?
SW: I would have to say that just being on a stage under lights with other talented vocalists has just been a wonderful experience.
GCP Girl: Why should people see "Rent"?
SW: First of all, 'Rent" is just packed with consistently good, interesting songs and a realistic story that doesn’t pull any punches. Larson takes a group of social misfits and forces you to relate to them and feel their joys, pains and the pervasive fear that existed in mid-90’s New York City. What you will take away would be nothing less than an increased understanding of the human condition.
GCP Girl: Which musicals would you like to see GCP produce in coming seasons?
SW: Of course everyone’s pipe dream would be "Les Miserables," so keep watching for the rights to become available! Other than that, there are some fantastic musicals GCP has not done in a long time: "Jesus Christ Superstar," "1776" or "Into the Woods" would be on my short list.
GCP Girl: What would you tell someone who is thinking of auditioning for a show at GCP?
SW: I think that doing a show anywhere is always a worthwhile experience, but GCP is easily the most professional experience you can ask for in a volunteer community theater in this area.
GCP Girl: Tell me something you'd like everyone to know!
SW: I want everyone to know that "Rent" is being produced for you by a group of talented, genuine individuals who either already loved, or have grown to love, this show. The standards we set for ourselves are extremely high for each individual show and I think that shines through in our performances, so don’t think that a Wednesday night show will be any less energetic and fun than a Friday night show.
Thanks, Scott! Congrats to "Rent" on a packed weekend - let's send the show off this week in style!
xo xo GCP Girl
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