Ed Scutt's Second Act It would be a mistake to say Ed Scutt of Greece has retired. But, what he did after teaching high school English for nearly 30 years is change the emphasis and location of his work. Where once he performed in a classroom, now he writes, directs and acts in a variety of regional community theaters. Some would argue that acting, teaching and preaching are all careers built on the foundation - show business. Ed Scutt's vocations and avocations give credence to that idea, he's done them all. Growing up in Poughkeepsie, Scutt first thought he might be a preacher, an idea that stems from his fundamentalist Baptist background. When his parents divorced when he was eleven, his church became a surrogate family and it was in his mind to study for the ministry. But, theater appealed to him even then. He appeared in high school plays, "Our Town" and "Charlie's Aunt." He started college still thinking he'd be a preacher when a fellow student in a study group sparked his teaching career with an off-hand remark, "Ever think of being a teacher? You'd be a good one." With that commendation, Scutt switched his focus and aimed to be a teacher. He had a long (1972-1998) and distinguished career in Hilton as an innovative English teacher, taking what was then an unorthodox approach to teaching using what he calls the "bottom up" approach whereby the student initiates and chooses what he or she will read and write about instead of the more traditional "top down" approach where the teacher determines and judges what everyone reads and writes. While he was able to dabble in theater nights and weekends at the beginning of his career, the last decade, with the intensity of his integrated learning teaching style, he stayed away from theater work to concentrate on teaching. So, when the opportunity came in 1998 to retire from teaching at Hilton he jumped at the chance to make theater a full time job. Within a few months of retiring, Scutt appeared on stage in "The Real Inspector Hound" by Tom Stoppard, mounted by the Penfield Players. He's continued acting, directing and writing for drama groups throughout the region, becoming a familiar face in many community theaters. "I think community theater in the Rochester area has always been exceptional. My opinion is that there are two or three tiers and the top tier of community theater, for me, is Shipping Dock, Blackfriars and JCC-Center Stage at Jewish Community Center," Scutt says. "Then, there's a big middle tier with a lot of them doing really good work, people like Penfield Players, Greater Rochester Reparatory Companies, and Pittsford Musicals - even though they do just one production a year." Scutt is also a member of Rochester Institute of Technology's Athenaeum where he teaches an occasional class. In 2000 he started a series of classes on what he calls America's B-list of late 19th century writers like Steven Crane and Ambrose Bierce. The experience led him to write a monologue for a one-man show based on the writings of Ambrose Bierce. "Ambrose Bierce was a satirist, in the manner of George Carlin or Bill Mahar," Scutt explains. "He made fun of society - he was an equal opportunity offender; he made fun of everything in society that he thought was hypocritical - where people were saying one thing and doing another. He takes off after war and religion and politics and people treating other people badly because of race and that kind of thing." Scutt first performed his Ambrose Bierce one-man show at New Life Presbyterian Church under the direction of Maria Sanguadolce. It subsequently was scheduled at RIT and St. John Fisher. "I'm interested in seeing other people perform it now, I'm not finished with the script, but I've gone on to other things," Scutt says. One of those 'other things' was serving as leader of Downstairs Caberet Theater summer program where he taught a class for serious young actors and dancers in the 16-24 year-old age range. Most of the summer students were from the inner city, including Rochester's School of the Arts. In addition to acting, directing and teaching, Scutt says he is always writing. In addition to the Ambrose Bierce show, he has written "Coffee Card," a satire on the 2000 election's controversial punch cards and hanging chads. Scutt's work in the theater is truly a labor of love, but it is also recognized and honored with prizes and awards. His writing and acting in Ambrose Bierce, for instance, won an "Outstanding" citation in both categories from the Theater Association of New York in 2003. October 23, 2005 |
