Scooter Thomas Makes It
To The Top Of The World
by Peter Parnell
About
”With so many of my peers graduating university and preparing for the next step in their careers, face to face with difficult decisions, feeling stressed, confused - I thought what better story to tell. Because the truth is, growing up can be hard to do. The play follows Scooter Thomas and his best friend Dennis Wright as they navigate their different world views about growing up. In other words, the show unpacks what it means to be “successful”. It wasn’t until I saw the reaction on people's faces after opening night that I realized how necessary this show was. It resonated with so many people, of all ages - it’s profound, relevant, and timely. Regretfully, due to the developments of COVID-19, after opening night, all remaining performances were cancelled.”
The Team
Director: Ben Smith
Producer: Theatre St. Thomas
Sound Designer: Michael Doherty
Lighting Designer: Chris Saad
Stage Manager: Mallory Kelly
Production Manager: Patricia Saad
Lighting Operator: Beatriz Cordeiro
The Cast
Scooter Thomas: Madigan Donovan-Downs
Dennis Wright: Tom Woolsey
A Theatrical Ode to Friendship
My vision for the play distilled into a single concept: baggage. A potent symbol of both moving forward and the profound metaphor of carrying our past. Childhood, with its lessons, relationships, and experiences, shapes us inexorably. I aimed to illuminate the playful and imaginative essence at the heart of Parnell's poignant memoirs. Staged in a Black Box theatre, our intimate setting immersed the audience deeply. In a thrust configuration, characters seamlessly transitioned between past and present, deftly weaving a kinetic world around them. Through choreographed chests, bags, and cases, classrooms, forests, and even moments as mundane as a toilet unfolded before our eyes. Michael Doherty's evocative sound design stitched these scenes together, enhancing every shift in setting, time, and mood.
At its core, the play resonates with the timeless theme of friendship, epitomized in the bond between Dennis and Scooter. Their journey, marked by divergent backgrounds and aspirations, reveals how personal hardships shape destinies. Sound Designer Michael Doherty crafted original compositions, each a thematic thread guiding our swift traverse through memories, past and present.
Listen to a cut of Michael Doherty's original composition below!
In 2020, director Benjamin W. Smith was one of 80 artists recognized by the National Theatre School of Canada’s #ArtApart Program.
