One of the main goals for our Theatre
Education Community is to help theatre students and professionals from all over
connect and identify with each other in order to build resources and support
the theatre education field. We shine a spotlight on a different member every
other week by conducting a simple interview.
Our latest
Spotlight Member is Scott Hasbrouck, troupe director of Troupe 1621 at George
Washington High School in Denver, Colorado. Scott was inducted into ITS at
Fairview High School (Troupe 2866) and from there, went on to experience just
about every role there is to fill in the theatre world. Stage manager, actor,
director, lighting/sound/set designer… no wonder he always has such great
advice for other Community members!
Photograph
via Wikipedia.
Ginny: What was the first
play you ever saw?
Scott: My parents took me to see
shows at Heritage Square Opera House and the Bonfils Theatre in Denver. Neither
of those are there now and this was before our wonderful regional Denver Center
for the Performing Arts really took off. The first that sticks out in memory
was Bubblin' Brown Sugar, performed
cabaret style in the basement of the Bonfils. We were so close we could see
their sweat and hear their breathing and I was just enthralled. I can also
blame that show for my love of jazz. We used to see Summer stock in Big Fork,
Montana on vacations and I remember seeing The
Fantasticks. More locally, I saw Oliver
at Douglas County High School and Oklahoma!
at Ponderosa High School. Our neighbors' kids were in these. It was the first
time I saw this as a viable option for myself.
Ginny: What was the first
role you ever played?
Scott: Our sixth grade play was Tom Sawyer, I played Huck Finn and fell
in love with the idea of being someone else. The other boys in lead roles were
popular and well liked. I knew I would never be like them in real life, but I
could be anybody on stage.
Ginny: Tell us about the
moment that inspired you to get involved in theatre.
Scott: In those days we had 7, 8,
9, junior high schools. My next show was the ninth grade play at Parker Junior
High School (which I don't think offers drama classes anymore). I was in I remember Mama.
Somewhere
in all that, I chose a path. My family moved to Boulder, Colorado before I was
in high school. I tried out for the fall play, thinking I would at least meet
some people at the audition. I was surprised to be called back. I really wanted
a part by the time auditions were through. I knew I blew it in call backs and
went home and cried my little eyes out. I was even more surprised to see my
name on the cast list as private investigator, Homer VanFleet, in Ayn Rand's Night of January 16th.
Ginny: Why do you believe
theatre is important?
Scott: These events shaped my life.
I am still friends with my fellow cast and crew mates from high school.
Fairview did 4 shows a year, plus two big music extravaganzas and all the
concerts. I learned lights and sound and set building since we had to do both sides
of the curtain to become Thespians. By my senior year I even stage managed a
show at our rival school and was the go-to lighting guy.
Auditions
at Thespian Conference landed me a scholarship to Casper College where they had
a brand new facility.
This
is why what we do is so important. I was a child with no identity and few
friends. Theatre gave me everything I needed to survive my own self-
destructive tendencies.
Ginny: Do you have any
hobbies or interests outside of the theatre?
Scott: Hobbies? Who has time? I ski
and camp when I can. I write poetry and stories. I sometimes DJ weddings and I
continue to work. I work as technical director and sometimes am a
director for the Jewish Community Center’s summer theatre camp. I do A/V and
stage management for a new age mega-church. I keep busy and the gigs pay well.
I also teach some acting workshops over the summer. I still audition for
community theatre and have had a couple fun roles the last few years. I average
one show a year as an actor. My wife is also a designer and actor so we
sometimes work together and always help each other with whatever projects we
have going on. She is currently directing Twelfth
Night at one school while I am gearing up for Anything Goes at George Washington. We are also both taking school
groups to the state Thespian Conference.
Ginny: What is something we
would be surprised to learn about you?
Scott: What may surprise the reader
is that I left theatre for about five years. I had been designing and acting
for nearly ten years in the community at all kinds of local venues including
stadium concerts. As my kids got older, I needed to be available to them and
took a job at a state-run rehab as a substance abuse counselor for teenage
boys. I fell in love with the idea of working with kids and hence decided to go
back to school and get my license to teach. I'm now in my 9th year as a theatre
teacher.
Ginny: What is the
resource you most recommend to others in your profession?
Scott: My most valuable resource is
other teachers. The EDTA forum has been great for figuring out effects and
developing courses.
Ginny: Where do you see
yourself in the future?
Scott: I don't know what the future
holds. I'd like to teach at the college level someday, but not yet. When I do
one day retire, I will probably still do community theatre. Maybe move to the
Pacific Northwest near my parents and best friend. Who knows? Whatever I do, I
will continue to seek honor by acting well my part.
It seems that being open to
all of life’s possibilities has led Scott down a very fulfilling path with many
exciting opportunities.
If you enjoyed Scott’s interview, add him as a contact in the
Community!
Do you know someone who deserves a moment in the Spotlight? Tell me
their name and why at gbutsch@schooltheatre.org. Want to read more Community Spotlights? You can find them here.