Interview: THE PAST's Brandon Scott Rather Deal More With the PRESENT YET TO COME

InHouse Theatre’s next site-specific production Matt Schatz’ The Past, A Present Yet To Come will open December 4, 2023 at The Artisan Studios, moving over to The Ebell of Los Angeles December 11th. Tom Detrinis directs the cast of Keri Safran, Brandon Scott and Rob Welsh.  After returning from his trip to Mexico, Brandon graciously found time to answer a few of my queries.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Brandon!

What cosmic forces brought you into this InHouse production of The Past, A Present Yet to Come?

I performed in a production of Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero with InHouse back in 2015. The production was staged in an actual lobby on Raleigh Studios. It was fun timing elevators, having mic’d scenes right outside the large lobby glass windows, running around the building to make various entrances and exits… That’s around the time I became a member of the company and have assisted here and there since. But I haven’t tread the boards with InHouse since 2015 and am really excited to jump in the immersive sandbox again. Especially with Tom Detrinis, Rob Welsh (who directed Lobby Hero), and Keri Safran— all artists I have admired for some time.

What would your three-line pitch of this show be?

I’m garbage at these elevator pitches! It’s a fun show that’ll stir up the holiday spirit… The InHouse blurb sums it up rather nicely:

When Fred, a young entrepreneur in Victorian London, sets out to soften his uncle Ebenezer Scrooge’s hardened heart, he seeks the help of a canny theatre impresario and an impoverished, womanizing Charles Dickens to stage an immersive play so powerful that it might just save his family and change the course of English literature.

If you were to submit your character Fred for a dating site, what qualities of him would you list?

Well, Fred is a happily married man. But, if I were to submit him on a dating site, I think his curiosity and energetic idealism would be attractive. He is a lovable dreamer, determined to make the world better for himself and others. Rather admirable, I’d say. 

What flaws would you definitely omit?

On the other hand, Fred, though sympathetic and well-meaning, has a youthful naivety that can lead him to pursue ambitions that far exceed his capabilities. I’d definitely omit that he’s a bit down on his luck. 

InHouse is known for their site-specific, immersive staging. Will The Past, A Present Yet to Come be kept to the stages of The Artisan Studios and the Ebell? Or will the actors interact and mingle with the audiences?

In keeping with InHouse tradition, the locations provide a lot of character and the playing space is intimate, surrounding the audience. There are some cool design elements that help create an immersive world. However, interaction and mingling for this production are minimal.

Are you familiar with any of Matt Schatz’ other plays?

I saw A Wicked Soul In Cherry Hill at The Geffen and I remember hearing about some of Matt’s other plays. But unfortunately, I’m very behind on playwrights these days. I fell in love with this script when I read it though. So when InHouse asked me to be a part of the production, I just couldn’t resist.

If financial compensation were not a factor, which field of entertainment would you prefer to concentrate your talents in: TV, film, stage, voiceovers?

I really love film and look forward to concentrating more there. I’m always in awe of movies that can captivate you, transport you for a couple hours with no distractions or breaks, and then release you back into the wild. From Contact and Interstallar, to In the Mood for Love and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, to Training Day and Good Fellas, to name some of my favorites. 

You earned your BFA in acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. How young were you when you decided you didn’t want to follow in your father’s pig farmer footsteps and become an actor?

I’m from Tuscaloosa, AL. In high school I was very much into math and science. I was thinking about a career in physics, computer science, or following my family into medicine. My junior year, I was in a local boy band and some of the members were in the drama department at our high school. Someone dropped out of a play, and the band mates encouraged me to audition for the play. I got the part, ended up joining the drama department. Senior year, my drama teacher, Caroline Reddick, asked me if I ever thought about getting a degree in Theatre. I hadn’t. But I did know that I really loved to act. There was a whirlwind of stress around admitting to myself and others that I wanted to be an actor. However, when I finally did, my family and friends were extremely supportive. I auditioned for NYU, got in, and here we are.

Who were your acting idols growing up?

I grew up on a lot of action films, especially martial arts movies. My idols were Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jean-Claude Van Damme! I’ve also trained in martial arts since I was about ten years old, so I remember seeing Surf Ninjas and thinking, “I could do that.” Seeing Brandon Lee in Rapid Fire and thinking, “His name is Brandon. My name is Brandon. I could do tha.t” Those were some of the first actors I obsessed over. However, even though I wasn’t aware of the influence at the time, there were other actors I think I was unconsciously studying. Actors like Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Sidney Poitier, Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut, Blair Underwood, Eddie Murphy… My family and I would watch all their movies together. Or those were the films everyone was talking about and imitating at school. Even though I didn’t know I wanted to be an actor at the time, I believe their work and careers greatly influenced and inspired me at a young age.

After The Past, A Present Yet to Come, what’s in the near future for Brandon Scott?

Earlier this year I finished filming a new HBO Max series entitled The Girls on the Bus. It’s a political dramedy that follows four female journalists on the campaign trail during a presidential election. Currently, I’m producing some new music under my pop/soul alter ego, Icarus V, and planning a few gigs for next year. Other than that, I’m really looking forward to the holidays and a nice reset before 2024 gets going.

Thank you again, Brandon! I look forward to experiencing your Christmas story.

For tickets to The Past, A Present Yet to Come December 4th through 7th at The Artisan Studios and December 11th through December 14th at The Ebell of Los Angeles, click on the button below: