Holding a Mirror Up

A Bright Room Called Day is just two days away.

Scott McCormick has acted in the following Rorschach shows:
God of Vengeance, The Illusion, Ubu Roi, Master and Margarita, After the Flood, The Scarlet Letter, The Beard of Avon and Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards. He has been with the company since the third show, so he missed seeing the The Hairy Ape and Rhinoceros.

Here are his answers to the questions.

1. Place of birth?

Baltimore, Maryland. Home of the Preakness, H.L. Menkin, the Orioles, birth place of Frank Zappa and hometown of David Byrne.

2. First experience in theater?

I could tell you about playing a fox in second grade but my true theatrical experience was marked by my first high school production of Our Town. After the show a parent came up to the director and said she didn't think it was fair having a teacher acting with the students. I was a freshman at the time. I am not sure if this was a comment on how old I looked even then or how good I was. For the sake of my ego I choose to believe the later, full well knowing it is the prior.

3. Where you went to school?

Woodlawn High in Baltimore County.

St. Mary's College of Maryland, a school chosen not just for its challenging academic life but its world class sunsets over the St. Mary's River. I was a political science major by the way so we see how well that took.

4. What do you do?

Actor, Media Relations, Blogging, Cruise Director, Marketing, Therapist, Patient, Secret Warden, and Game Show Host.

5. What was your first experience with Rorschach?

I auditioned for God of Vengeance at the DCJCC. That night I met Jenny, Randy, Yasmin and Tim all for the first time. It was like the best blind date ever. When I got the role, I spent 20 minutes on the phone with Randy talking about God only knows what, which is pretty much the way our relationship has been ever since. They called me in for a photos the morning after my birthday, so I was hung over and bleary. Jenny then proceeded to yell at me for not inviting her to my birthday party after only having met her twice, which is pretty much the way our relationship has been ever since.

6. Company member you would most like to be if you were not yourself?

I would want to be Jason Linkins, but only for a day, the stress would kill me. I mean the death threats, the constant need to stay up to date on Canadian Rock Bands, the fear of reprisal from guys named Scooter and the almost dangerous amount of hipster speak must eventually take their toll.

7. Some story about working on a Rorschach play that either made you laugh or touched you deeply?

During A Clearing in the Woods, I had talked Jane Horwitz into coming to our new space to write something for her Backstage Column in the Post. I show up to both see the show and make sure Jane gets everything she needs, when Adam Jurotich comes out and says he needs to borrow some shoes because he left his at home. Well I pop off my size 13s and hand them to the man. I then watch the show in bright green socks. At the end of the night someone has to walk Jane back to her car and I have not yet gotten back my shoes. Fortunately it was a warm evening and I only had to walk about two blocks each way. Jane never said anything about it.

8. Where do you think Rorschach will be in the next ten years?

There is a dream I have of a space. It is a tidy black box with enough storage that we don't have to relocate all of our worldly goods every time we mount a production. With offices for all of the artistic partners and Sara Vaughn playing on the radio. By then I will be coming out of prison and they will let me sweep up at night.

9. What is your favorite Rorschach show that you were not in?

Family Stories seems to be the recurring play in this particular category. It may be the simple fact that there were less of us involved in this show than any of the others or it may be that it was important that we did a piece that reminded a lot of people what it is that theater can do in times of turmoil. It can entertain, teach and move you all at once and I think all of Rorschach's shows try to find that balance.

10. Scott McCormick harmless adolescent or world conquering super villain?

Instead of answering this question, I would once again like to remind everyone how much I hate the Da Vinci Code. Not on any moral grounds or for its historical inaccuracies, but because it take a very complicated ideas and reduces them to a purile mystery that anyone who has the attention span of a 5 year old could have figured out in the first five chapters. Do not get me wrong I love it when a country comes together over a book without the intention of burning it, but when more people have read that piece of crud than have read The Great Gatsby, what kind of world are we living in people.

I hope that answers that!