PSU Magazine Fall 1987

. . . in "Buried Child, " SFI'C, 1986 but in this role, Scott spent most of the play immobi lized on a couch, covered by a blanket. "It was a real challenge and exciting. I felt very good about how it came out." Scott likes doing dramatic roles. "It's tougher for me. I sweat a little bit more because, like most comedians, I look for the feedback that laughter provides. You know, you have to ask yourself, 'Are they crying?' You can't hear crying." Eventually he will trip on the rug, raise a questioning eye– brow . . . and you know that events will overtake this man. "Buried Child" was directed by his former wife, Victoria Parker, another Portland actor, director, teacher and writer. They share custody of their two children, Melanie, now 13, and Domeka, 9. Melanie has appeared on stage in Portland and had a support– ing role in the movie "The Quarter– back Princess," filmed in Oregon. Having a family, Scott says, is one of the factors th at has kept him from , .. . in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, " The Musical Com– pany, 1985 leaving Portland for a try at Los Angeles or New York. But, that time may be coming as it h as for many of Portland's most popular actors. "You know," he says, "there just isn't a point where an actor says, 'Boy, I've got to go to LA now or it's too late'. You can go any time." A t age 38, some might say Scott Parker may already h ave waited too long to make a major career move, but he says that is not the case with acting. "With acting, you don't retire. In fact, you get some of your better roles as you get older. Because I have toughed it out here it has h elped me get more roles. But, I've been doing the same thing for ten years. I do these plays and do them well, and I'm scraping by. But I'm running out of excuses." Meanwhile, Scott wants to spend more time working with an improvisa– tional comedy group, "Waggie and Friends," which includes Victoria Parker and several other Portland actors. "We want to find a regular place to play and be there every week– end for a wh ile to see if it can go somewhere." That kind of commitment, though , would limit the number of acting roles PSU MAGAZINE PAGE 15 . . . and in "The School for Wives, " SFI'C, 1987. he could accept a nd, financially, it may be no more successful than straight acting. " It is the very rare exception wh o can make a living in Portland as an actor," Scott says, addi ng, "and that's all relative, too. What is a 'living' for a 22-year-old is not for a 38-year– old with two kids." So Scott Parker, who has played so many characters pushed about by cir– cumstances - nice guys and fools alike - is looking carefully at his real life circumstances and the potential for reacting to them. "This life," Scott says, "can be very hectic and taxing because there is nothing regular about it except that I am working just about every night, either rehearsing or performing or teaching here and there. It's very inse– cure. Some people look at my life and say, 'Wow, it must be exciting,' but at times I wonder why I con tinue to do this." T h en he remembers a bit of stage business that brought down the house in "The Schoo l for Wives," his most recent PSU production, and he thinks about the 14-year-old who sold his 10- speed for a tape recorder to do comedy bits, and he answers his own question. rsu