What do you want to be when you grow up? You could become a world traveler, a famous Broadway director or a valiant warrior.

Burien native John Bogar has done all of the above and is currently undertaking a new role. With a rose in his lapel and a cravat around his neck, the tall and handsome rogue is beguiling the ladies, bribing the law and managing a criminal empire.

It's all in a day's work for Bogar. He is a prominent Seattle actor who has inhabited many lives thanks to his characters in classics such as "Brigadoon," "42nd Street" and "Macbeth."

His current leading role is Macheath, better known as "Mack the Knife," in "The Threepenny Opera." A Seattle Shakespeare Company production staged at the Intiman Theatre (playing through March 6), "Threepenny" is the latest performance in an acting career that began in Burien.

The youngest of seven children, Bogar grew up in Gregory Heights.

"There was a great burst of creativity in my generation of the family," says Bogar, whose siblings include a brother who sings in the Seattle Opera chorus and a sister who performs in Las Vegas tribute shows.

His parents still call Burien home and Bogar himself frequently lives in the area since returning from acting in New York.

Bogar attended Gregory Heights Elementary School and those early experiences helped determine his course.

"I remember being in first grade, on the cafeteria stage playing a jackal," he says. "I got a really big laugh and from then on I acted in plays as often as I could."

After attending what was then Sylvester Junior High School, Bogar's love of theater blossomed as a student at Highline High School.

"It was a huge turning point which I didn't realize at the time," says Bogar.

In addition to the high school drama club, he participated in Hi-Liners and the Highline Summer Stock program, which staged musical productions every summer.

"We did "Oklahoma," "The Crucible" and even Noël Coward plays. In hindsight, it was a bit ridiculous for us to be pretending to smoke and drink martinis, but it was a huge amount of fun!" he laughs.

Like many young people, he describes his adolescent self as somewhat "socially awkward," but the stage helped him find his voice, literally and figuratively. Bogar's baritone is used to great effect while performing.

"I was comfortable when I was on stage," he says. His gratitude remains strong for the "terrific teachers" who mentored him and he hopes that the next generation will have similar opportunities.

"A program like Hi-Liners (now in its 45th year) does great work with kids and I suspect that a lot of their funding still comes from community support," he says.

It does with the majority of funding derived from ticket sales and fundraisers such as the Hi-Liner's upcoming Rummage Sale, March 12 at the Burien Community Center Annex.

Bogar hopes that communities will continue supporting the arts even during the difficult economic times.

"If anything, it's the struggling communities that needs the arts even more," he says.

He believes that "The Threepenny Opera," written in 1927 by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill as a commentary regarding political corruption and economic depression, is an example of how theater can be both entertaining and meaningful.

"It's a thought-provoking piece that is really relevant to today," says Bogar. A line about banking corruption particularly elicits knowing laughter from audiences.

For his part, Bogar could be Burien's hometown ambassador for the arts. "The arts give people hope," he says. Whether he is commanding the stage as "Mack the Knife" or in roles yet to be seen, Bogar is a testament to supporting the young artists of today who will become the featured players of tomorrow.