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Luke Scaros

Teaching Artist Spotlight: Luke Scaros

We are excited to have Luke Scaros in the Teaching Artist Spotlight! Whether on film or the stage, Luke’s passion for acting is obvious. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Ohio Wesleyan University and a master’s in Acting from Regent University. A man of many talents, Luke is an actor, singer, director, writer, and production artist. In 2019, he became the founding Artistic Director at the Organic Theatre, a Maryland-based theatre company dedicated to inclusive art and ego-less theatre. ArtStream is lucky that Luke has shared his talents with us as a Teaching Artist and Assistant Director for nearly three years.  

We caught up with Luke to learn more about why he loves ArtStream.  

Tell us about yourself. What is your background, and how did you get involved with ArtStream? 

I grew up in a beach town in Connecticut. I would do a bunch of church plays and had a knack for acting, so I got a theater scholarship at a University in Ohio. Then I realized that I wanted to learn more, so I auditioned and was accepted to get my MFA at a school in Virginia Beach. Once I graduated again, I looked at cities that I wanted to move to, chose Baltimore, and after a google search for “Assistant Directors in Baltimore,” I found ArtStream and impulsively moved to Maryland!  

How did you first get involved in theatre? 

My sister and I both performed in children’s theatre at a young age, but I think what really got me involved was when we would gather around as a family to watch “The Sound of Music” or “The Music Man” every Friday night. It was those family moments that made theatre special for me.   

Why did you decide to become a teaching artist? 

Honestly, it was my first Super Social Saturday that I realized that I wanted to be a Teaching Artist. I’ve taught Shakespeare before in Baltimore, but it was the love and joy our students expressed on that particular Saturday that inspired me to go all out with teaching. 

What is something the ArtStreamers would be surprised to find out about you? 

Probably my network television experience. I was a part of Investigation Discovery’s “Ice Cold Killers” and “A Haunting,” and I was in a commercial for the YMCA. It was a fun experience, but not as fun as ArtStream! 

What is your favorite ArtStream class to teach?  

I love the scriptwriting classes because I get to see each student’s creativity shine! Every student has their own style, and it’s so cool to spend an hour creating together. 

What do you feel is most important to teach/offer your students? 

The most wonderful thing about anything in the arts is that there are rarely right or wrong answers. With playing by the rules, we wouldn’t have Shakespeare or Picasso, or even Phillip Glass (for the music fans out there). 

Please share an example of something that happened at ArtStream that inspired you. 

Our Shakespeare class was super inspirational for me. We had a class of so many inquisitive and bright students. Every single week was so exciting. Everyone really wanted to know what Shakespeare was like and spent the weekends doing their own research. It was so cool. 

What kinds of changes have you seen ArtStream students make in your classes? 

I get so happy when I see my students explore outside of class. I get so excited when I hear, “Mr. Luke! This weekend I looked up…” That’s how I know that was a successful class. 

So many ArtStreamers look up to you. How do you build those meaningful connections? 

Well, I guess it’s by not trying to be a teacher. My first priority isn’t grades or perfect attendance. All I care about is sharing my passion with ArtStreamers and hearing about what projects get them excited as well.  

What is your favorite play or musical? 

What a difficult question! “Hamilton” is such an amazing musical, but a musical that really speaks to me is called “Once,” which is based on the music of Glen Hansard. 

If you could create a new play or musical about anything, what would it be? 

I want to write a play about my namesake Castle Scaros, which is a medieval fortress in Santorini, Greece. I think it would be cool to explore the life of a young Greek soldier during the time of Ottoman occupation.