Few recent developments on the local theater scene make me happer than knowing that Terry Scott is directing again. Scott, a provocative artist with a taste for classics, had an incredibly fertile period in the late 80’s and early 90’s performing in shows like Six Characters in Search of an Author and Les Liaisons Dangereuses. He was also directing, designing, and even composing a bit of music now and again, when the need arose. Then one day he left the theatre, became a family man, went to law school, and started playing guitar for The Bouffants. Now he’s back behind the scenes directing Agatha Christie’s country house mystery The Hollow for Germantown Community Theatre.
Intermission Impossible: You used to direct quite a bit but then you took a long hiatus while raising your family. What made you want to start directing again?
Terry Scott: I did not stop directing to raise my family. I became involved with The Bouffants, and the success of that band made it difficult to commit to a directing gig. Additionally, I found the rush of performing with the band to be a superior high to the rush of watching a polite audience applaud (politely) during a theatrical production. In the end, I found that I missed the directorial process.
Intermission Impossible: Obviously GCT chose The Hollow—an Agatha Christie— because people love stories about horror and suspense, especially around Halloween. What, in your opinion, is the most terrifying, gruesome, or suspenseful moment in The Hollow?
Terry Scott: For me, the most suspenseful moment occurs when Gerda decides to drink the drink—you’ll have to come to the show to find out what that means.
Intermission Impossible: You’ve cast your wife Christina. How does that work? Does rehearsal stay in the theater or does it follow you home?
Terry Scott: Are you trying to get me in trouble?
Intermission Impossible: Yes, it’s what I do.
Terry Scott: Kidding. Of course it follows us home. Christina is my confidante and she has a keen sense of what makes a scene work; we act as a sounding board for each other. We come home from rehearsal and stand around in the kitchen trying to solve this problem or that—I hope to work with her more often.
The Hollow is at GCT through November 7.
