Mitchel Sommers as Captain Hook and Mike Scoglio as Pirate, Peter Pan 2007.
Courtesy of Micciche Photography
Mitchel Sommers as Captain Hook, Lexie Simerly as Peter Pan, Cooper Dunning as Michael, Ben Smith as John and Regan Heberle as Wendy.
Courtesy of Micciche Photography
Ben Smith as John, Cooper Dunning as Michael, Lexie Simerly as Peter Pan and Regan Heberle as Wendy in Community Theatre of Greensboro’s “Peter Pan”.
By Bruce Buchanan Special to Go Triad
When the curtain goes up on Community Theatre of Greensboro’s production of “Peter Pan,” Mike Scoglio will be doing what he loves. He doesn’t have the biggest role — he plays one of Captain Hook’s pirates — but it is safe to say no performer will be any happier to be onstage.
Scoglio, a 32-year-old special needs actor from Greensboro, has been active in CTG since he was 10. His first show, actually, was “Peter Pan” — he played one of the Lost Boys.
“I love doing ‘Peter Pan,’” Scoglio said. “That’s one of my favorite plays — and movies. This is actually his third time performing ‘Peter Pan.’ Eleven years ago, I didn’t have any lines. This time, I have some lines.”
Scoglio also gets to sing, which he loves to do. He sings while walking the family dog around the neighborhood, he said, so singing onstage isn’t something that makes him nervous.
“I’m very proud of him,” said his mother, Pam Scoglio. “People’s reactions to him just make our day. He is using his talents and gifts, which is all any parent asks for.”
He auditioned for his first role after seeing a newspaper ad for “Peter Pan.” He said he was a little nervous at first, but the audition went great, and after the first show, he had found something he wanted to keep doing.
In addition to taking part in a number of CTG productions, including “The Wizard of Oz,” Scoglio also has participated in CTG’s “Onstage and Inclusive” program for the past five years. This summer program gives special needs performers a chance to learn theater skills and perform.
Pam Scoglio said participating in theater at CTG “has been a tremendous benefit” for her son. “He’s got a confidence he never had before,” she said. She credits the confidence and personal skills he learned with helping him land two part-time jobs.
And like any performer, Mike Scoglio has a wish list of roles he would like to play one day:
“I want to try ‘Amadeus’ and play Mozart!” he said. “I’d also like to play Frankie Valli in ‘Jersey Boys,’ because I love to sing.”
Based on the 1904 play by J.M. Barrie, the musical version of “Peter Pan” tells the familiar story of Wendy, John and Michael Darling. The three children accompany the magical Peter Pan and Tinkerbell the fairy to Neverland. There, they make friends with the Lost Boys and encounter a gang of pirates led by Captain Hook. After a series of adventures, the children return home — perhaps a bit more grown up than when they left.
The musical production adds well-known songs such as “I’ve Gotta Crow,” “I Won’t Grow Up” and “Never Never Land.” But unlike Wendy, John and Michael, Scoglio isn’t lost in a strange land.
“Community Theatre is like another home to me,” he said.
Contact Bruce Buchanan at brucebuc@bellsouth.net.
This News & Record arts coverage is supported by contributions to ArtsGreensboro’s Arts & Theatre Media Fund.