David Arquette is bringing Dewey Riley back to the big screen this week, not in a new sequel but in person. The actor is set to appear at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady on Friday, Oct. 30, for a 30th-anniversary celebration of “Scream” that includes a full screening of the original film followed by a live, moderated conversation and audience Q&A.
The event, billed as “Behind the SCREAM,” kicks off at 8 p.m. at Proctors’ MainStage, according to Proctors, which describes Arquette as beloved for his role as Deputy Dewey Riley in the franchise. The theater, located at 432 State Street, is framing the night as part of a broader celebration of the slasher classic that first hit theaters three decades ago. A limited number of VIP tickets are also available, offering premium seating and a post-show photo opportunity with Arquette, per the event’s ticketing page.
Tickets are available through the Proctors box office in person, by phone at (518) 346-6204 Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m., or online, the venue notes. Schenectady is just the latest stop on what has become something of an anniversary tour for Arquette and the film that made him a horror-movie fixture.
A Role That Followed Him for 25 Years
As the Times Union reports, Arquette portrayed Woodsboro Deputy Sheriff Dewey Riley across five “Scream” installments spanning 25 years, a run that has made the franchise a defining thread in his career. He told the newspaper that few acting roles follow a performer for a quarter century, and that his history with the series is complicated by personal experience, yet leaves him feeling tremendously positive about the franchise overall.
Dewey and Sidney Prescott, Arquette has argued, were the only characters who actually hailed from Woodsboro, the fictional town where the killings began. Arquette’s first marriage was to Courteney Cox, who has played television personality Gale Weathers in all seven “Scream” films, and the Times Union notes he said he could not blame his ex-wife for Dewey’s eventual fate in the story. He now has a daughter, Coco, 22, with Cox, along with a wife named Christina and two more children.
From Woodsboro High Schooler to Dewey Riley
Arquette was initially offered a role as one of the high schoolers in the original “Scream,” according to the Times Union’s reporting, but he asked director Wes Craven to let him play Dewey instead. Craven, who directed the first four films in the franchise before his death in 2015, agreed to let Arquette portray the character differently from the jock-like, meathead figure as originally written.
Craven mentored Arquette during the making of “Scream 2,” a period when the actor was struggling as his mother was succumbing to cancer, the Times Union reports. Craven told him he believed in him and considered him a wonderful talent, according to the same account — words Arquette has credited with shaping both the role and his resolve to keep playing it.
Speaking with Cleveland.com earlier this month, Arquette called Craven an exceptional mentor and an actor’s director, someone who encouraged performers to find humor in unexpected places. He said simply being part of the franchise had the biggest effect on his life, giving him the recognizability that opened doors to other film work.
Dewey's Death and a Bittersweet Ending
Arquette’s run as Dewey ended in the 2022 “Scream” installment, when the character was killed off. The Times Union reports that Arquette tried to persuade directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett to kill Gale instead, but ultimately came to view Dewey’s ending as a fitting and bittersweet conclusion to a multi-film arc. He has said Dewey experienced trauma over the years, never got the respect he deserved despite being an authority figure, and never saw his life meet his own expectations.
Even with Dewey gone, Arquette told Collider he would return to the franchise again, saying, “I love playing the role of Dewey, and I’d do anything for the fans,” explaining his comeback for “Scream 7.” Per The Gazette, Arquette says an eighth film is also in the works, though no studio has publicly confirmed either project’s status.
Why Scream Still Resonates
Arquette told Cleveland.com that the franchise’s staying power comes partly from how the movies bring people together, giving longtime fans something to share with a new generation. He also pointed to a growing respect for horror as a filmmaking genre, citing films like “Get Out,” “Obsession” and the work of Ari Aster as evidence the genre is being taken more seriously than it once was.
He put it more simply to The Gazette: “It's a horror film, but there's humor and romance.” Arquette has said that watching “Scream” with live audiences and fielding their questions afterward strengthens his connection to fans — the exact format Proctors is offering Friday night.
The Schenectady stop follows a similar event on Oct. 25 at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids, where Arquette appeared for a Q&A and screening also marking the 30th anniversary, according to The Gazette. Tickets for that Iowa event ran $45, per KCRG, with fans given the chance to ask Arquette questions and hear anecdotes from his decades on the franchise — much like what Schenectady audiences can expect.
Beyond “Scream,” Arquette has pointed to 1996 as a particularly meaningful year in his career, telling Cleveland.com that “Beautiful Girls” and “Dream with the Fishes” stood alongside the original slasher film as roles that mattered to him. Three decades later, it is still Dewey Riley that is bringing him to stages across the country — and, this week, to downtown Schenectady.
