Scott Ellis Interview

A multitalented man
Interview
by Scott Bolohan
Staff Writer

Since walking out of the Theater School in 1978 in his cap and gown, Scott Ellis was a determined actor with a dream. Now Ellis, whose play "Twelve Angry Men" runs through Feb. 11 at the LaSalle Bank Theater, returns with over 20 plays under his belt, four Tony nominations and as one of Broadways most respected directors. But Ellis is quick to attribute his success to his experiences at DePaul’s Theater School.

"I had great teachers and I was able to learn to get a backbone for having a career in the theater and that all came from the teachers and the classes and what they taught. I was able to walk away with that backbone that was able to serve me over the years. It’s a tough business and there are a lot of ups and downs, but if you have a strong base, which I got from going to DePaul, it makes things a lot easier," Ellis said.

Ellis grew up in Washington, D.C., but he was drawn to DePaul because of its prestigious theater school.

"The theater department was considered one of the best in the country and I auditioned for several schools. I went there for a day and I loved the audition and working with the instructors. With the school and Chicago, I thought that would be a great place to go," Ellis said.
As a student, Ellis described himself as being "very work-orientated." After graduating and working as an actor for about 10 years, he switched to directing.

"I got an opportunity to direct something in New York, something that I wanted to do, and it was successful. So I thought this would be something that I would be interested in exploring. I’m fortunate that what I learned as an actor served me well as a director, and hopefully a better director by understanding what actors go through, what the process is. I love actors and I think that is one of my stronger points."

As the associate artistic director of Roundabout Theater Company, Ellis has directed other plays such as "1776," "She Loves Me" and "Entertaining Mr. Sloane" starring Alec Baldwin. He says that his time at DePaul also helped him form his approach to directing.

"Part of it, I very much learned from the Theater School, which is really starting from the beginning and trying to find the truth of the character and the situation that the character is at. That’s the base of all good work and all good acting, and that’s where I always begin."

"Twelve Angry Men" was originally on Broadway, and earned Ellis a Tony nomination for Best Director. He is now touring the country with stars Richard Thomas from "The Waltons" and George Wendt from "Cheers."

Ellis was faced with a number of challenges bringing the classic story to life.

"It was a challenge to direct the play for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest was that I had to do it in a single room sitting around a table. So how do you get 12 people in one room and stage it in a way that is still interesting? A large part of the challenge is to explore that and find how to move 12 people in a room that still makes it theatrical and interesting…I think with something like ‘Twelve Angry Men’ there is certainly some expectations, whether it is from the film or a production of it that someone has seen, or an idea of what it is or should be. So you have those challenges too, to make it fresh and seem like you are not repeating something from another production."

Over his career, Ellis has also directed for television, including such shows as "Frasier," "30 Rock" and "Hope and Faith."

He says directing for television is a different world than theater. "Television is very, very different. First of all, it’s extremely fast. The storytelling is all out of order. You can shoot the final scene on the first day and the first scene on the last day. I think the biggest part is you don’t have the time to make strong choices about the characters and inspiration, you have to just hope they are right."

"Also, dealing with cameras, you learn that the camera can help tell a story. You’re going to tell the audience where to look. On stage, you don’t have a camera telling you where to look. It’s how you light it, it’s how you stage it, how you focus it."

Ellis is currently in rehearsals for "Curtains," a new Broadway musical opening on March 22 starring David Hyde Pierce. It was one of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s last musicals, who also wrote "Cabaret" and "Chicago." He also says that he’ll be doing more television, working on a film and then opening "Twelve Angry Men" in London before fall. However, Ellis says that he’s not overwhelmed by his projects.

"You realize when the work comes, you take it if it’s something you want to do. You have to balance a lot of things because that’s what you do in the profession. I’ve become involved with the DePaul Theater School because I’m very passionate about helping them and helping the students that are coming after me. I would like them to build a new Theater School because I think it’s a great school and a great university and I want them to get a better environment to create in a building. I’m very passionate about trying to make that happen."

Although Ellis has been nominated for four Tony Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, three Outer Critics Circle Awards, and was the winner of a Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Choice Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical, the accomplishment he is most proud of is much more humble.

"I think I’m most proud of continuing to work. I’m still doing what I love to do. I have this thing where I sometimes wonder about my career like, ‘What am I doing?’"
"Not in a hundred years would I believe that would have happened. That would have been beyond my wildest dreams as that kid walking out of that school. When I remind myself of that, I’m very grateful of the opportunities I’ve had, and I’m still happy to have the opportunities to work and do what I love to do," Ellis said.

As a famed graduate of the Theater School, Ellis offered up some advice for current and future theater students.

"There’s absolutely no guarantee for anybody for success or failure. No one knows who’s going to succeed and stay in the business. I remember when I auditioned for DePaul, the one thing that was said was that if you would be happy doing anything else, then you should go do it. I didn’t quite understand that at the time, but I do now. It means that it takes so much passion and work to have a career that you have to want to do it more than anyone else. I always tell students you should do it until you are not happy doing and if you want to do something else, you should go do it. The main thing is, it takes a lot of perseverance and it’s a lot of work. There are many highs and many lows, and you can’t look at it like that, you have to look at it more as the whole picture."