Photo by Glenn Ross Photography. 

2015 TRUE WEST AWARDS: 30 DAYS, 30 BOUQUETS

​Today’s recipient: Scott Beyette
BDT Stage

Today’s award presenter: DCPA Senior Arts Journalist John Moore

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Scott Beyette celebrated 25 years at the venerable BDT Stage dinner theatre in 2015 by directing two shows, playing the patriarch of the kooky Addams Family, Buddy Holly’s cranky manager and dancing on air – literally – in Mary Poppins.

That’s the kind of expansive and yet somehow routine workload that Beyette has logged in Boulder year after year after year since 1990, making him one of the rare local artists who have found a single, full-time artistic home over a quarter-century.

 “It’s because of his versatility,” Producing Artistic Director Michael J. Duran said. “He’s a chameleon when it comes to his onstage work. He can be so serious one minute and so funny the next. And then there is his ability to dance. If you look at his work in Mary Poppins or Crazy for You or Singin’ in the Rain, Scott can seriously dance.”

By making himself available to contribute in a variety of artistic capacities, Beyette has simply made himself indispensable at BDT Stage as an actor, director or choreographer. In 2015, he both directed Mary Poppins and played the iconic chimney sweep Bert. In this newest incarnation of the beloved stage spectacle, Bert dances upside down and all around the theatre in a fit of Disney-worthy stage magic. In The Addams Family, he both directed and is playing Gomez (pictured at right). How can he do both? Beyette has an arrangement with Duran so that whenever Beyette directs, Duran will back him up as opening approaches. That way, Beyette then can turn his attention to his own acting responsibilities.

“But by then it’s mostly just for fine-tuning,” Duran said. “The thing about Scott is that he has unbelievable organizational skills. He thinks about everything when he is directing a show so that when we begin rehearsal, he is so prepared, and he knows exactly what he wants.”

Beyette, a Colorado native who graduated from Loretto Heights College, came to BDT Stage in 1990 has performed in more than 60 productions and either directed or choreographed more than 30 there since. He helped start the BDTA Academy for kids in 1990.

Beyette has performed a long list of indelible roles over the years, but he’s understated in style, and sometimes can go overlooked, says his castmate, Sarah Grover:

“He truly is a jack-of-all-trades and a chameleon as a performer,” Grover said. “It is because of that, though, that many patrons don’t recognize him from show-to show.”

One thing is for certain: Beyette’s portrayal of Bert will be long remembered as among his best work. Wrote Beki Pineda, a reviewer for GetBoulder.Com:

“Sometimes a role just finds the perfect person to play it. Such is the case with Scott Beyette in the role of Bert in Mary Poppins. Whether he has the lead or a chorus part, Beyette always creates credible characters, brings his personal charm to a role, and displays a command of any dance style. His work as both performer and director in Mary Poppins is a perfect blend of what he does best — create a casual, warm relationship with the audience, master and lead difficult dance sequences, and inhabit a character with ease. He consistently sets a high bar for performance.”

 
The Addams Family plays through Feb. 27. Call 303-449-6000 or go to bdtstage.com

John Moore was named one of the 12 most influential theater critics in the U.S by American Theatre Magazine in 2011. He has since taken a groundbreaking position as the Denver Center’s Senior Arts Journalist.

Scott Beyette in ‘Mary Poppins’ last summer. Photo by Glenn Ross Photography.

ABOUT THE TRUE WEST AWARDS
The True West Awards began as the Denver Post Ovation Awards in 2001. This year, DCPA Senior Arts Journalist John Moore — along with additional voices from around the state — celebrate the entire local theatre community by recognizing 30 achievements from around the state over 30 days, without categories or nominations. Moore’s daily coverage of the DCPA and the Colorado theatre community can be found at MyDenverCenter.Org

THE 2015 TRUE WEST AWARDS
Day 1: Rachel D. Graham
Day 2: BALLS! A Holiday Spectacular
Day 3: Creede Repertory Theatre’s 50th anniversary season
Day 4: Laurence Curry
Day 5: Bernie Cardell
Day 6: Susan Lyles
Day 7: John Jurcheck​
Day 8: Christopher L. Sheley
Day 9: DCPA Education’s ‘Shakespeare in the Parking Lot‘
Day 10: Man and Monster: Todd Debreceni and TJ Hogle
Day 11: Shauna Johnson
Day 12: Geoffrey Kent and Benjamin Bonenfant
Day 13: Sesugh Solomon Tor-Agbidye
Day 14: Keith Ewer
Day 15: Allison Watrous
Day 16: Jonathan Farwell
Day 17: Bob, Wendy and Missy Moore
Day 18: Emma Messenger
Day 19: Shannon McKinney
Day 20: Mary Louise Lee and Yasmine Hunter
Day 21: Charlie Miller and Emily Tarquin
Day 22: Scott Beyette
Day 23: Augustus Truhn
Day 24: Jimmy Bruenger
Day 25: The Masters of Props: Rob Costigan, Peki Pineda and Becky Toma
Day 26: Jalyn Courtenay Webb
Day 27: Andre Rodriguez
Day 28: Rebecca Remaly
Day 29: Mark Collins
Day 30: Phamaly Theatre Company’s Cabaret
Bonus: Donald R. Seawell