Neshannock soldier's work in Iraq leaves time for play

A theater professor had to overcome some obstacles to stage a production.
By GUY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Scott Mackenzie, an Army Reserve infantry major and assistant professor of theater at Westminster College, has made history in Iraq by producing and directing the first English-speaking play since the war began three years ago.
Opening night for "Bigfoot Stole My Wife" took place Feb. 17 in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, which now serves as the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The audiences comprised members of the international community, both military and civilian, who live and work in Baghdad.
Maj. Mackenzie said the production has been playing to full houses of 75 to 80 people.
"Bigfoot" is a set of monologues taken from Ron Carlson's 1987 story collection "The News of the World." Several of the stories have themes based on tabloid newspaper headlines such as "Bigfoot stole my wife," "The time I died" and "I found Hitler's golf clubs." Carlson is a professor at Arizona State University.
Mackenzie, 47, a Neshannock, Pa., resident and Michigan native, arrived in Iraq last August and is scheduled to leave in August.
Overcoming obstacles
Staging a production in a war zone posed some unique problems for the major.
"The Army doesn't make doing theater easy," Mackenzie said via e-mail. "Normally, I get all wound up when actors miss rehearsals or don't learn their lines on time. Here, I have just had to accept that we have several limitations on time. Many a night, I sat waiting for an actor to come to rehearsal only to be stood up. Rather than being offended or frustrated I just had to figure that something came up."
The play has a cast of about 25.
Mackenzie said he also had to lower his standards for scenery and costumes.
"We have one piece called 'The Table Cloth of Turin' in which a guy tells how he has come to discover the table cloth of the Last Supper. Normally, Mike Slane [Westminster theater instructor] would design something way cooler than I could, with every spot and dab having an artistic purpose.
"I wound up mixing up some Gatorade and instant coffee to make something that would look like a wine stain and dabbing it onto a sheet. It works, but is not as cool as what Mike would have done."
Why he did it
Mackenzie said he decided to stage a play because he wanted to stay active in the theater and do something for the international community in Baghdad.
And he also just wanted "to be the real me once in a while. I play the role of Army major here, but I don't really feel that is me," Mackenzie said. "I am an actor, director and teacher. At rehearsal, I get to slip into a familiar role, like an old shoe. I remember telling my wife after the first audition, 'I feel like me again.'"
Mackenzie is part of the Army's CPATT (Civilian Police Assistance Training Team), whose mission is to rebuild the Iraqi Police Service and Ministry of Interior. He has been at Westminster College since 2001.
dastolfo@vindy.com