Scott Robertson delves into the intricacies of human-computer interaction and sociotechnical systems as the chair and professor of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Information and Computer Sciences Department. Yet, when the academic curtain falls, Robertson seamlessly switches roles, swapping his educator hat for a cloak of creativity as he embarks on another passion: acting.
“I think it’s really important to pursue something that you love,” Robertson said. “I’m really glad that I brought this back into my life so that my career as a professor and my acting career run side by side. It’s a big commitment, but if it’s fulfilling, you’re excited and you’re happy.”
Child acting start
Robertson’s acting career began before the age of 3, and he continues to act in films and on stage to this day.
Robertson grew up in Los Angeles raised by his grandmother, and his debut in the limelight came in a local baby contest. A newspaper reporter there suggested that his grandmother get him an agent. Soon after at age 3, he landed a Wheaties commercial, followed by several other commercials and appearances in variety shows, such as the Jack Benny Program and the Dinah Shore Show, as well as television series such as Playhouse 90 and Steve Canyon, and the film Period of Adjustment. He may be most known for playing Marcia’s date in the “Brace Yourself” episode of the original Brady Bunch at age 15. He admitted that people still recognized him in college and several years after.
The Brady Bunch gig was the last for a while, though. His grandmother instilled in him the importance of going to college and used the money he made while acting to help pay for his higher education. Robertson earned a BA in social science from UC Irvine, an MA in cognitive psychology from Cal-State Fullerton and a PhD from Yale University in psychology with specialization in cognitive science.
Rediscovering acting while teaching
He worked both in academia and the private sector before landing a professor position at Drexel University in Philadelphia in the early 2000s. There he rekindled his interest in acting and auditioned for local plays. Robertson joined the UH Mānoa faculty in 2007 and worked his way up from an assistant professor to a full professor and chair of the ICS department. While in Hawaiʻi, he also auditioned for acting roles, landing a speaking role in the recent Hawaiʻi Five–0 series.
To kickoff 2024, Robertson will hit the Kumu Kahua Theatre stage playing novelist and poet Robert Louis Stevenson in Aitu Fafine. The play tells the story of Stevenson and his family, who are captivated by two intriguing guests at their home in Vailima, Sāmoa, and amidst dreams, literary reflections and ghost tales, relationships undergo transformative and impactful confrontations.
“Stage acting is really very different from film acting,” Robertson said. “One thing is you tell an entire story from start to finish in a couple of hours. And it’s live in front of an audience so those things are very exciting and dramatic, versus camera acting where you just shoot little scenes completely out of order. It’s the locations that drive the shooting schedule of television and film.”
Aitu Fafine is directed by UH Mānoa Department of Theatre and Dance Professor Lurana Donnels O’Malley. Shows run through February 25 on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons. For show dates and more information, visit the Kumu Kahua Theatre website.
Robertson is truly proving that in the theater of life, the script is never one-dimensional.
—By Marc Arakaki
