Just a natural-born comedian

A young actor is delighted to be using his innate ability to amuse onstage, writes Sharu Delilkan.
Scotty Cotter is convinced that acting is his calling after attending Manchester's International Youth Festival in the UK.
He was in the Massive Company's cast that toured the UK last July with Up Close Out Loud.
The play is a bold and intimate 60-minute journey through the hearts and hopes of the eight young cast members.
The cast and crew have been workshopping intensively for the last eight months, weaving fragments of personal memory and experience into a theatrical montage of story, music and wild physicality.
The Up Close Out Loud cast includes a range of Aucklanders - Scotty (Mt Wellington), Jack Haldane-Willis (Muriwai), Kitan Petkovski (Hillsborough), Misiarona Puni (Otara), Winston Harris (Glenfield), Dominic Ona-Ariki (Papatoetoe), Ashley Jones (Howick) and Tainui Tukiwaho (One Tree Hill).
Scotty says when the audience in Manchester gave them a standing ovation he realised he had to follow his dream. He says, ``They seemed to get our message even though it had a very Kiwi flavour.''
The 21-year-old actor, who's in the throes of rehearsing for a relaunch of Up Close Out Loud, says his passion for acting dates back to his childhood years where he ``loved attention''.
``I've always liked to show off and, being youngest, was able to do that easily. I decided to put that urge to good use by acting.''
After playing the lead, at 16, in Howick College's production of Two Weeks with the Queen, Scotty's drama teacher recommended he try his hand at stand-up.
The natural comedian won first prize for Class Comedians at the 2000 Auckland Comedy Festival. Although he excelled in stand-up, a few stints at the Classic Comedy Club made Scotty realise he wasn't cut out for the task.
He says, ``I found standing up in front of an audience trying to be funny too humiliating. I just like being funny. I don't need to stand up in front of people to do that.''
Although not formally trained, Scotty says he's managed to get work consistently since he finished high school.
Besides theatre, he has had a guest role in local dramas Orange Roughies, Ride With The Devil and Shortland Street.
He's also been a member of the core cast in Whanau, in which he played Heremaia.
Up Close Out Loud, Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall, April 30-May 5. Tickets: Ticketek, ph 307 5000 or see www.ticketek.co.nz.