July Volunteer Spotlight: Scott Davis
We sat down with one of our newest volunteers, Scott Davis, to get his perspective on stepping way out of his comfort zone and onto the QCT stage!
Tell us a little about yourself!
I was born and raised in beautiful Quincy, IL. I graduated from QU with a B.A. in Management. I’m the Dealer Counselor at Little Jess Motor Company. I’ve been in the auto industry for almost 30 years and LOVE Jeeps! I have two sons, Cody and Cole, I’m a health and fitness nut, and I have a one-eyed rescue kitty (and best friend) named Ernie.
What made you want to audition for LEGALLY BLONDE?
I’ve wanted to dip my toe in the theatre for years, but have always been too scared to do it. During my long tenure in the auto industry, I have been on hundreds of TV & radio commercials. As a kid, I secretly wanted to be a news anchorman, so it only seemed fitting to eventually try out for something at QCT! The tipping point for me auditioning was a nudge from my friend, Lindsey. She knows I’ve been single for many years, so she wove this tale of how she met her fiancé during a show at QCT, that there would be countless single women involved, and that I was destined to meet the love of my life! What we didn’t realize is that the majority of this cast would be younger than 25 (I’m 52). But, in an unexpected turn of events, Lindsey introduced me to Pichi, the Marketing Manager at QCT, and my happily ever after.
Has your experience been what you expected?
My time at QCT has far exceeded my expectations. Not only did I meet the love of my life, but I have made friendships that I feel will last a lifetime. I had always heard that once you join QCT, you immediately become part of a family, and it’s true. From the moment I walked through the door at auditions, I immediately felt welcomed by everyone involved. The experience of learning about all the intricacies involved in putting together a musical has been incredible. The director has such an eye for detail and has guided our group of 28 hand-picked cast members from our first meeting, to the show as you (will soon) see today. Brandon is a brilliant and talented director. The cast and crew for this production have the same goal of bringing the community the best show possible. Brandon and the rest of the production team I’m sure have felt at times like they were herding cats, but everyone has worked together to overcome any challenges all while having a smile on their faces. I have seen so many members of the cast blossom into incredible performers and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this production.
What has been your biggest triumph and your biggest challenge since joining this cast?
One triumph for me was being involved in a musical when I don’t know how to read sheet music! Plus, I am not good at singing… I mean not good at all. During my audition, I told Brandon that I didn’t know how to sing. He said, “Scott, let me give you a piece of advice; if you’re trying out for a musical, the first thing out of your mouth shouldn’t be that you don’t know how to sing.” Nevertheless, Brandon and the casting committee must have seen something else in me that I didn’t see, because he cast me to sing a solo, during Legally Blonde the Musical. And guess what? After several weeks of rehearsing, I’m actually not that bad!
However, my biggest triumph has been overcoming some personal challenges. All my life I have battled depression and social anxiety. I have spent a good majority of my life trying to push myself out of my comfort zone so that I could live life to the fullest. If you have these similar struggles, you know exactly what I mean. Sometimes, the happiest people have the toughest internal battles. Being involved with QCT has helped me with my struggles and pushed me out of my comfort zone. This experience has helped me grow as a person for which I am forever grateful.
The biggest challenge for me has been time management. My typical work day is 11 hours minimum, 6 days a week. The dedication involved in being at the theatre five nights a week, for three hours each night has made it challenging for me. But even with all the hours put together, the pros of being involved in this production have far outweighed the cons. If you are ever considering trying out for a QCT production, I strongly encourage it! I promise you won’t be disappointed as it has been a truly amazing experience.
When you’re not at QCT, what does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day for me is getting up around 4:00 or 5:00 am because I love to walk. There’s a good chance that sometime in the last 10 years you’ve seen me walking down Maine Street. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful Historic District here in Quincy! I also love taking yoga classes at The Kroc, YMCA, Domingo Studios, or Quincy Park District’s Fro Flow Yoga in the Park. After my morning workout, I get ready for work at Little Jess Motor Company, where I lead my team and help the tri-states with all their transportation needs (littlejess.com). After work, I go home and meal prep for the next day and get my chores done. In my free time, I love to go boating on the mighty Mississippi. But now that I have a beautiful new girlfriend, I will be allocating a good majority of my free time to her.
Now that you’ve had some on-stage experience, are there any other off-stage volunteer opportunities at QCT you’d be interested in trying?
I would be interested in learning more about volunteering to be a part of the production team. I’ve always been a natural leader, I have a positive attitude, and plenty of energy! I’ve learned over the years that to be successful in any group endeavor, it’s better to focus on “us” and not just “me”. I see this in the current production team and it’s inspiring.