On March 27th, we celebrate World Theater Day. Care2Rock is fortunate to have some of the best theater teachers around; one of them being the multi-talented Scott Mulligan, who just finished a 7-month long stint as “Tarzan” in Disney’s Broadway Musical “Tarzan” at Tuacahn Amphitheater. He’s now working as a recording artist (check out his Soundcloud). If you want to gain confidence or have Broadway dreams, Scott is your guy. Book with him today!

Playing Tarzan for Disney at Tuacahn Amphitheater must have been such an
exciting experience! I know that theater can be incredibly busy; how do you
create a healthy work-life balance in Broadway?

Like any profession, in order to become a master at what you do, they say it takes
10,000 hours. With the number of rehearsals it takes to put up a show that has a
million dollar budget, along with special effects like stage flooding, flights, and
fireworks, it sure feels like 10,000 hours. Most days consisted of 12-hour
rehearsals, but after the first few months of putting up the show, you are able to
relax during the day and just do the show at night. At that point, you have more
personal time for yourself and you feel more balanced. During that time I would do
things like songwriting and recording that would fill my personal artist void. You
kind of have to suck up that rehearsal period but it pays off in the end when you
have all day to tend to yourself and just do a show at night. In the end, a
healthy balance is created and everything pays off.

During Tarzan’s 7-month run, did your acting/singing change throughout the
season? Did you ever try new things per show?
Absolutely! There was so much cardio during this show, and I was continually
flipping, running up and down stairs at full speed, flying 70 feet in the air and
hooking and unhooking flights for myself and other characters. I was doing all this
while having to sing at the same time. At first, I would often find myself out of
breath during rehearsals so it took a while to adjust and build up the endurance to
sing and move like that at the same time. By the end of the run it was second
nature, but something that took time to build. I was in the best shape of my life at
5% body fat, so the experience definitely paid off.

Not only did my voice change
endurance-wise by being able to be extremely physical and sing at the same time,
but my range, ear, and vocal quality grew over time too by having to be able to
adjust to the 2,000 seat amphitheater, live orchestra and sound system.

Did you ever start off having stage fright? Do you still get nervous anymore?
Of course! That’s something that is human nature and happens to everyone from
time to time. But the way to overcome those nerves is preparation, preparation,
preparation! When preparation meets opportunity, success happens. So the more
you practice and are ready to audition or perform, you may still feel the butterflies,
but that fear will become replaced with excitement!

What are some tips for those who still struggle with stage fright?
Breathing techniques and yoga…but in all reality, if you feel ready and prepared, nothing can interfere with that kind of confidence!

Now, what about auditions–how does a Broadway audition differ from a TV/film audition? How can one prepare for either?
There are two totally different techniques when it comes to theatre and television
auditions. TV/film auditions, the acting is way more inward, small and intimate. For
Broadway, it is, of course, theatrical and bigger but both still need to be grounded in
truth! It takes a while to adjust to and often theatre actors have a hard time toning
it down and being smaller, but one has to master both crafts in order to be
successful at each type of audition. You can prepare for these auditions by taking
classes from professionals who have worked or are working in the business!
These people are mostly found in LA or NY but I’m an exception because I have
the big city experience but currently do not live in the city. I can’t stress this
enough because most drama and acting teachers only have limited theatre
experience and are not up to date with the fast world of tv and film acting and the
specific audition skills it takes to walk into an audition for Broadway. There are so
many specific things you need to know to succeed at these auditions and not be
seen as an amateur, and someone without this training and experience cannot help.
They may be able to help with basic acting fundamentals but if someone has not
been in these audition rooms, there is no way to teach what is expected.

Do you have a goal you’re working towards?
As of now I am mastering the art of being a recording artist and solo musician. I
love theatre and acting, but it has always been my dream to be a singersongwriting
and recording artist. Therefore, I’m working on honing my skills in the
studio, releasing my own music, and performing it live!