Scott Savage - Directing

Upcoming Projects

New Kid Fall 2025

Utah Valley University

Utilizing the work of noted theatre practitioner Augusto Boal, this play puts the audience in the experience of being a language learner alongside Nick, the show's protagonist. Nick is from the fake foreign country of Homeland and has to learn how to navigate learning a new language and culture where actors speak gibberish to simulate the disorientation that comes with being the New Kid. The play will be performed by UVU theatre students and tour to schools and community centers.

Beetlejuice Jr. Winter 2025

Empress Theatre

I have been hired to direct a youth (12-18) musical production of Beetlejuice the Musical at the Empress Theatre that auditions in November 2025 and performs early February 2026.

Future Projects

I am open to directing projects that will be mounted in Spring 2026 or beyond.

Shrek Jr.

Tye Norda Theatre Camp - Orem

Working with an incredible team of UVU students, I directed a 2-week fully mounted production of "Shrek: The Musical Jr." featuring a full technical design and two casts of 24 for a total of 48 youth performers ages 11-18. Particpants came from across the country to engage in the production process. Students were given clear and concise feedback and provided with growth goals which allowed them to have an individually focused approach to their rehearsal and performance process. Parents had overwhelmingly positive responses to the educational focus of the work, the personalized attention each child received and the excellent and consistent communication that kept parents feeling engaged from start to finish.

Beauty and the Beast Jr.

Glendale Middle School

My final production at Glendale Middle School was Disney's Beauty and the Beat Jr. During my time at Glendale, the program grew from 4 enrolled theatre students to one in every 7 students in the school participating in acting or technical theatre (nearly 100 students). The production was part of a season that included a competition, a play, musical and a theatre awards night featuring a congratulations video from Broadway's Ali Ewoldt. Unfortunately, cuts at the district level most harmed arts at west Salt Lake schools, but the part time program is in good hands. Working at Glendale was a career highlight and the community will always have my heart.

The Hundred Dresses

Glendale Middle School

The first non-musical play produced at Glendale Middle School was a community effort. I directed The Hundred Dresses by Ralph Covert and G. Riley Mills based on the Caldecott Award winning book of the same name from author Eleanor Estes. The play was the first time that auditions at Glendale were open to all students, and created incredible opportunities for the broader student body. The play was coupled with a dress drive for our neighboring elementary school, Mountain View and allowed us to perform a play and share goodness with these students. Our aim is to continue a pattern of straight plays and community partnership in our plays at least once a year.

Once On This Island Jr.

Glendale Middle School

I directed this Glendale Middle School 2023 production of "Once On This Island Jr." The production was double cast and introduced students and the community to a Tony Award winning musical that brought our community closer together during a difficult year. Our students greatly benefitted from having continuity from year to year and being able to depend on peer support as the program grows. This year also featured a night of Shakespeare, a performance for special education students, improvisation shows and a district theatre festival.

The Lion King Jr.

Glendale Middle School

I directed this Glendale Middle School 2022 production of "The Lion King Jr." The production was the first play any of the students had been in, and was the first production our school had done since the pandemic and just the second musical the school had produced in ten years. It has been a joy building from the groud up with this group! The students were so enthralled with the show that we opted to have 15 minute mystery plays for the end of the year, and the students felt great each having a principle role in their first year.

The End of Summer by Hank Kimmel

ATHE New Play Devleopment Workshop

During the COVID-19 lock down of 2020, this production of "The End of Summer" by Hank Kimmel was produced remotely. I facilitated production meetings and coordianted with the dramaturg (Dr. Janna Segal) and scenographer Jennifer Ivey on how to bring this play to life using only our remote office spaces. Kimmel's play has since been added been selected by Smith & Kraus as one of the Best Short Plays 0f 2022 and has been published in their anthology. It also had its initial production in Sharon, CT.

Other Projects

Several of my directing projects have been new works. In the past 5 years, I have had the chance to direct the following new plays:

"The Magic Pencil" AATE Playwrights for Change Contest Winner 2024
"Triggered" By John Norton for KCACTF Region 4
"Medea" by Elizabeth Brendel Horn, published by Youth Plays

Other NPDW opportunities included the chance to act in new plays "Raindrops and Robots" by Monica Cross and "I don't know yet" by Dustyn Bain.

In 2016, I directed and adapted "the King and the Magician" by Jorge Bucay for a capstone directing project at BYU. Highlights of that production are found here.

I love engaging with new works as a director, reader, evaluator and performer.

From 2018-2023, I had the opportunity to direct summer camp theatre productions with youth. The camps usually consist of 40-50 performers and are two or three weeks long. In 2018 I directed Winnie the Pooh Kids. In 2019 I directed 101 Dalmatians Kids and co-directed Willy Wonka Jr. In 2023 I directed Lion King kids with my two oldest boys. I've had the chance to direct week-long performance camps, consult on stage lighting installation and have grateful to be brought back to work with the kids and a lovely company so many times.

This project in 2020 was a 1-week Zoom-based puppet class with neurodivergent teens and young adults. In the course we developed characters, created puppets and I wrote a story devised from their characters. The work can be seen here.

Sample Director's Materials

Director's Book for "Words, Words, Words" by David Ives. as a student directing project at UCF.

Pitch for "New Kid" at Utah Valley Univeristy

Many of the hyperlinks above connect to other work samples that may be useful in seeing what I do!