Quite the Character

“Once on this Island”, a one-act play performed by the Children’s Musical Theatre Group (CMTG) in 2003, held a lot of importance for one young boy new to Bend—it was his first show.  “Honestly, it was a bit…overwhelming,” he later admits.  

Shaking with nerves, Scott William Carroll stepped onto the stage, and has not stopped acting since.

Five years later, Carroll, a senior, is practically a fixture in local theatre. 

 “As I moved on, it just became like clockwork to me,” said Carroll.  “It just feels natural… it’s a part of me.”  

Since he found his niche, Carroll has “grown immensely” as a performer.  Just how far?  In his words, from “here to London.” 

“[Scott] is heading for Broadway and probably could land a role now. He’s that good,” said photography and journalism advisor Karen Rosch.

This March, he will appear in the Bend premiere of “Into the Woods”, the mixed-up fairy tale musical, as the Baker. It will be Carroll’s last show with CMTG. “It will be an emotional time for me, but at the same time I have to remember all of the wonderful times I had with the company!” 

Carroll has performed in 21 shows in the last five years (starring in most), playing everything from Troy Bolton in “High School Musical” to Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof”.  

“Beauty and the Beast” claims the title as his favorite show, even after he has performed in three productions of the musical, twice as the Beast, his favorite role. “It was a new dynamic [playing the beast again]. I was older and had more experience.” 

Someday, Carroll hopes to replace the character of the Beast with a new favorite—his dream role—the Phantom.  

“[‘Phantom of the Opera’] was the first professional Broadway show I saw… I was mesmerized the minute I sat down in the theater. It captivated me so much at 11 because the story is so powerful, the meaning and the music.”

Brad Little, the Phantom in the production Carroll first saw, is his idol– the man he attributes his love of theatre to. 

Of course, some local personalities have been memorable to Carroll, as well. “Thank you to everyone who has supported me- I’ve learned something from everyone,” he said. “The person who has really helped me is my vocal coach Nancy Engebretson. She expects a lot out of me and makes me work hard for the goal.” 

Engebretson is the artistic director for CMTG as well as the voice teacher who helped Carroll hone his voice into the operatic tenor he showcases with Obsidian Opera Company. Engebretson’s husband, Jason Stein, is his longtime acting coach. 

The memorable actors he  has worked with include Danika Golombek and Trey Hansen, his longtime cohorts in the local theatre world, as well as Lila Mensing and the entire cast of Summit’s last musical, Bye Bye Birdie. 

“Scott’s quite the character,” said Hansen, who attends Mountain View High School. “He showed me that I needed to work hard to be on stage.”

His parents have also been instrumental to his success by driving him to and from rehearsals and paying for voice lessons and tuition. 

Soon, it will be time for Carroll to enter the big leagues. 

First, he plans to attend the University of Oregon to pursue a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance. He chose the U of O because he wanted an education close to home. “For my masters degree,” he said, “I’ll probably go somewhere more prestigious.” 

Naturally, he plans to make a career out of his singing and acting talents. 

“Mainly, I want to go to New York and try Broadway,” he said, adding that he would love professional opera and cross over into musical theatre.  

He understands that it may be a hard road, but that risk does not bother him.  “It’s just a part of me,” he said of his passion—he will take the advice of the crew from ‘The Sound of Music’, in which he played Uncle Max last winter, and climb every mountain till he finds his dream.

So far he has labored hard. “Working with Scott, I learned a lot about goals. Ever since our first show together when I was in the third grade, he’s always wanted to be in the business and set a high bar for himself,” said Hansen of Carroll’s dedication.

 Already, Carroll has shown that he holds the key to success.  Aside from starring in a vast number of productions, he has competed in prestigious singing competitions and collected many accolades.

Last year, he had the honor of traveling to New York to compete in the New York Classical Singers competition. He advanced to become a general finalist.  Carroll was one of 600 elite vocalists across the country. This number was narrowed down to 200 in New York. 

“It was such a rewarding experience, and I learned a lot,” said Carroll.  He had the opportunity to work with opera professional Sherill Milnes, who appeared with the Metropolitan Opera for many years.  “He gave me so much insight on stuff I never realized was out there.”  

Carroll has also been in the Top Ten showcase for the Sunriver Music Festival Young Artists Program. He won scholarship dollars toward voice lessons for the past two years. He begins the process of auditioning for both competitions again this March. 

If forced to choose between singing and acting, he would pick singing, no contest.  “Although,” he said, “You’re always acting when you’re singing.”

Carroll also possesses an extensive list of conducting and technical experience.  Lighting design and operation add to his resume, and he currently holds the position as a musical director for Children’s Music Theatre Group.  

Directing is another great love of his.  “The hardest part for me in directing [is casting]… It’s hard for me to tell people no.”  

But even casting has its perks.  “It’s like a matching deal,” said Carroll, which makes the process enjoyable. 

Carroll is directing “And Then There Were None” alongside Jordan Smith.  This Agatha Christie murder mystery opens in February. 

Nowadays, it is rare to attend a community theatre production without seeing Carroll involved in some way.

A local celebrity, people recognize him for shows as far back as last year (he starred in Cascade Theatrical Company’s widely attended run of “The Fantasticks” last March) when he ventures to the grocery store.  

“It’s fun,” said Carroll of his fame.  “It’s nice to have people remember you, because when people remember you, then you know you’re doing your job.” 

Having to give autographs to eager young fans is not an uncommon experience anymore for Carroll.  

“It feels good,” he said, to have his work appreciated.  

“One time I came out [as the Beast after a performance] and I walk out into the Tower lobby, and this whole group of kindergarteners jetted away from me.  Then I took the wig off and they came back!  They said, ‘You played the beast. You’re really scary.’ I guess I was doing my job, then!” he added. 

Carroll understands that Broadway musicals may require dancing, but as for that, he simply laughed and said, “We’ll have to see.” We can be sure it will be worth our time to watch his progress.