Scott Rivera can be credited for keeping the grounds of Elon University pristine and nationally acknowledged, but his true passion lies somewhere else: performing with the Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre. Rivera, a gardener who has worked with Elon for 10 years, said he has had an affinity for the theater since his first show at age seven.
When Rivera moved to North Carolina in the spring of 1986, he said he thought he and his mother were visiting friends.
Instead, Rivera’s mother set her son up with an audition at the Institute for Outdoor Drama. After the audition Rivera was called back for his singing abilities. Soon after, he got a job at the theater for that summer.
“I worked that first spring and summer [with Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre],” Rivera said. “The next year, I was asked to come back down to set up and I’ve been here in North Carolina ever since.”
The Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre specializes in promoting the Quaker heritage of the Snow Camp, N.C. area in its productions. Each summer, the theater opens for two specialty shows: “The Sword of Peace” and “Pathway to Freedom.” The first focuses on the Quakers during the Revolutionary War while the latter covers the Quakers’ participation in the Underground Railroad.
The values and lessons from the theater’s plays truly excite Rivera. They have kept him coming back year after year, he said.
“These shows are timeless,” Rivera said. “They are shows about struggling with your inner-self and between what you think is right and what society thinks is right. It is also about the consequences of our actions, even if we’re doing the right thing.”
Rivera said he usually plays the character of General Cornwallis. He also choreographs hand-to-hand combat scenes and helps in other ways, such as with concessions.
Other locals participate, but he said people of all ages and from all over the country and world come to participate in the Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre’s productions. Rivera said the social atmosphere and chance to meet new people entices him the most.
“I like it because every year, there are new people,” Rivera said. “Some people come back two or three years in a row, but sometimes people do it once and we never see them again. You never know who you’re going to meet and where they’re going to come from.”
Though some of the cast members may leave after a summer, Rivera said he still loves that sense of connection and intimacy the theater brings. To him, that social aspect not only leads to new friends but also transforms the performance to grow stronger, he said.
“You get really close with these people,” Rivera said. “You trust them and get to know them, especially after three-hour-a-night practices. You have to get comfortable with them [to work well together].”
But there is one particular cast member Rivera said he enjoys performing with each year: his daughter. She was the youngest performer for the theater: she performed for the first time when she was a couple months old. Now she is 16 but still performs by her father’s side.
Rivera will return to Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre for another year of performing for audiences, as he has for the past 27 years. His years with the theater have taught him a lot about the acting life, he said. He encourages hopeful actors or actresses to try outdoor theater.
“If you’re interested in drama, do outdoor theater once,” Rivera said. “If you can make it there [with outdoor conditions], you can make it in any theater. It’s a lot of work, but it is fun and rewarding in the end.”