Broadway BUZZ

Meet Scott, one of the regular theatergoers that was chosen to be a part of the Broadway.com Word of Mouth panel for the 2011-2012 theater season!

How far do you live from Broadway?
I live in New York City, roughly six blocks from Broadway.

What do you do for a living?
I'm the Dean of Liberal Arts at The Fashion Institute of Technology and a book author.

Who first exposed you to Broadway?
I was a theater minor in college in Maine, and always wanted to travel to New York to experience "real" theater. I finally came to New York to see Into the Woods, which was my introduction to Sondheim, and the start of my career as a musical theater scholar.

Any special childhood theater memories?
Only that my mother instilled a love of drama in me at an early age. I remember her going to night school when I was young, and reading to me from Shakespeare, which she was reading in her English class. She always supported my acting in high school and in college, attending every one of my shows...sometimes seeing them twice!

What do you love about Broadway?
I love the excitement of live theater. Having acted a little myself, I love that buzz of adrenaline that hits you as the lights dim and the curtain begins to rise. I love experiencing an audience's reaction, whether it be to a comic bit or a song. I adore the camaraderie of the people around you who want to emote during the interval. I love stepping out onto Broadway after a great show and feeling the palpable excitement of a mutually engaged experience.

Have you ever acted? Had aspirations of being on Broadway yourself?
I have acted since I was in second grade. I played a Captain Cook, the head penguin in a production of Mr. Popper's Penguins. I acted all through college: three to four shows a semester. Who doesn't have aspirations of acting on Broadway?

Who do you like to go to the theater with and why?
I love to go to the theater with my good friend, Greg Kucher. He is one of the savviest theater critics I have ever met; his memory for detail is extraordinary. We have a ritual: drinks before the show; the show itself; dinner afterwards...where we deconstruct every aspect of what we have just seen. Going with Greg is always an adventure.

What are some of your all-time favorite Broadway shows?
Anything by Sondheim, particularly Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods. I also love Porgy and Bess, Kiss Me, Kate, Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Cabaret, Rent and Ragtime.

Why should Broadway.com viewers listen to your opinion?
What I bring to this panel is not only a genuine love of the theater, but a knowledge of theater history that I hope will enlighten spectators so that when they go to see a show, they feel informed and ready to make their own critiques.

What was your reaction when you found out you'd been chosen for the panel?
Utter disbelief. I was afraid that I came off as a bit of an egg-head at my audition when what I was trying to convey is my deep-seated love of the theater, while maintaining my critical persona as the contemporary Clifton Webb. Guess it worked!