Director Oz Scott

Oz Scott on Directing Daniel Beaty’s Resurrection

Interviewed by Joel Markowitz 
Recorded August 21, 2008 

Oz Scott was once a kid with a broom sweeping the set at Arena Stage when someone said ‘Hey, kid, you want to stage manage?’ He went on to direct Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf , has written and directed for television and film as well as theatre, and now he is working his magic with Daniel Beaty’s new work Resurrection at Arena Stage in Crystal City.

It was early in the rehearsal process when Oz Scott took time to talk with Joel Markowitz.    “Resurrection looks at the lives of five black men and one young boy. Each of the characters has a flaw, like we all have flaws ..  Resurrection for me is finding life within ourselves finding that thing that makes us move on – live – and put the past behind us.”   

And his directing style? “I live through my emotions, I live through the actors’ emotions, through the writer’s emotions. I try to get inside of all of them…I direct from my heart..”  

He talks about finding common ground with playwright Daniel Beaty, about composer DBR – Daniel Bernard Roumain, violinist extraordinaire – and breaks down the six characters and what they represent. He gives us his views on the state of black men today and talks about Beaty’s message to the black community: “Stand up black man, stand up for yourself, stand up for your family, stand up for your community, stand up for the world. He’s asking us to all take responsibility.”

Joel asked him to compare for colored girls...and Resurrection: “for colored girls… is not about men, it’s about women. Resurrection is about men, about  growing and learning about themselves. Both shows are about finding that in yourself and loving it…”