Originally from New York, Susan came to settle in Massachusetts close to 50 years ago with a short interruption of a few years in Boulder, Co. In Boulder, she was fortunate to find a job at the local NPR radio station, which would lead to a lifelong career in broadcasting.
Making her way back to Massachusetts, Susan eventually ended up working as a TV engineer for WCVB-TV, the Boston ABC affiliate. After close to 30 years, she and her husband Geoff retired and moved to Fairhaven, a small town on the Southcoast of MA. In retirement, Susan discovered community theater about 6 years ago at the Marion Art Center. What started as a fluke, has turned into a treasured experience that keeps on giving. She has had several acting parts, as well as being stage manager, assistant director, set builder, etc. Susan is also a member of a local scriptwriters group, where she contributes as a reader. She is grateful to be a part of community theater. It is a rewarding and fulfilling experience.
Among her other hobbies and interests are traveling (complete with travel blog along with travel books), bicycling, kayaking, reading and enjoying life in general.
TFLL: Tell us how you got into theatre.
Susan Sullivan: I think I was always a frustrated star. I started in radio and then moved to television engineering, so I was very familiar with production and lighting. Back in the days of old TV we did real program entertainment. It wasn’t all news like it is now.
The other thing I did was teach aerobic dancing. I would sing and dance and I realized I really liked being the star of my own little show.
After we retired, we moved down to Fairhaven. There is a small theatre, the Marion Art Center, two towns down where a friend of ours lives next door. She would hold these dinner parties and we’d go to the theatre. One day she said to me, “Oh, Susan, they’re looking for somebody for a show and you would be great.” And I said, “Okay.”
The next thing I knew I’m getting a call from the executive director of the theatre telling me to come down and audition. I went down and auditioned. I got the role. But you have to understand that they were desperate. They needed somebody or this play was not going on.
That was six or seven years ago, and from that point on I got a part in a lot of other things, straight up to the lead in one show.
I found theatre people were wonderful. It was a whole other community to be a part of. We had this little biking community and a kayak community, and now I have this theatre community. I was very excited about that.
I discovered I’m very good at remembering lines. That helped a lot on top of learning how to act. With every play, I learn by hearing the feedback I get from people.
That’s how I kind of fell into it. And in this stage of life, it’s kind of cool. It’s something else to do that keeps me alive and keeps my brain alive.
I find that now I look at things differently. When I see a production, I know more [of] what to look for. It’s very similar to working in television. When I see a TV show, I see things that other people don’t see, especially from a technical point of view.
TFLL: What are the details that you notice now? What do you see that’s different?
Susan Sullivan: I watch the acting and how the actors translate themselves into their parts, how they interact with audiences, [and] how the audiences respond. Especially if I know the actors on a personal level. It’s interesting to see the transformation from behind the scenes. How things are staged is very interesting to me as well because I like design.
At one point, I thought I might want to direct but I don’t think I have the patience for it. I’m a perfectionist and you cannot be a perfectionist working with other people. You have to be able to give a little.
TFLL: What are some other projects you’ve worked on?
I’m part of a local scriptwriters group. We read and reread their scripts as they work on them. It’s an interesting group of people and there’s food involved because whoever’s house it’s at hosts a dinner as well, and people bring stuff.
Some of them now are part of my acting community, but I was really the first one in the scriptwriters group to break out into the acting community. They all come and cheer me on.
The other thing I do that is very cool are 24-hour theatre projects. I’ve done two of those as part of the 1440 Project with The Collective NB in New Bedford, MA and that was phenomenal. I really enjoyed that experience because all these actors are all very young and energetic and then there was me. I was kind of like the grandma of the group but it was a great experience.
They do the play two times. The second time around, they call it a stumble through. And at that point, it becomes improv due to a very long day and a bit of partying during intermission.
I loved it. And again, being quick with being able to memorize the play made it much easier.
TFLL: What do you most appreciate about your theatre practice now?
Susan Sullivan: What I appreciate about it is being able to overcome fear, being able to work with other actors and learning from them. I appreciate the people and, for the most part, I appreciate the material. To be on stage and hear applause is kind of cool. The theatre for me has been fun. It does get frustrating sometimes, but it’s very rewarding.
TFLL: How do you think being involved in theatre can help older adults?
It keeps your brain sharp. It keeps you active. It takes a lot of energy to rehearse, and you’re on your feet or you’re in and out moving sets. You’re doing stuff all the time so you’re keeping your energy level up.
There’s a sense of community. It’s another avenue of social communication. I like seeing people. That’s why this pandemic has been really tough on me. I miss people tremendously.
I think theatre helps once your career is over. I was in broadcasting for 40 years. I was one of the original female technicians. When you retire you feel like your sense of purpose is gone. You think, “Who am I now?”
I found theatre and I get a kick out of it. It’s one of the few environments where everybody is on your side. There isn’t anybody who wants to see you fail. You help each other out and that is a wonderful feeling. That doesn’t happen in a lot of places and that’s very cool.
TFLL: What’s a new skill you’ve developed through theatre and how have you applied that to other parts of your life?
Susan Sullivan: I knew I could memorize, but I didn’t know I could still do it to this extent. I’m an outgoing person but I’m a little more self-confident when I’m onstage.
Right before I started [theatre] I was depressed. A lot of it had to do with networking and of that. You go through that withdrawal period. Theatre did wonders for that. It brought me out of it. At times when I’m down, if I get a part in a play, it’s very helpful for my state of mind. Especially now. Getting older is not easy for us. It’s tough. It’s not an easy ride.
In a couple months I’ll be 70, so it’s nice to have something to be a part of that can bring you out of that. Otherwise, you’re just sitting on the couch forever or whatever. It was hard when the pandemic hit for that reason.
TFLL: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received or given about theatre?
Susan Sullivan: The best advice I think I’ve been given was to be as accurate as you can, but it’s okay not to be perfect. When I find I’m not perfect, I beat myself up. I did this on television. If I hit the wrong button, I would replay and replay it, and the same thing on stage. I’d replay mistakes. That’s not why people come to the theatre.
Do not just be yourself. Get into character and be that person you’re supposed to be. I find that accents make that easier. The last play I did was Good People, which is set in South Boston. The Southie accent came pretty easily. When you get the accent, you also get the feel of the person.
I played Cassandra in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. I had two weeks to learn the part because the original actor left the production. I didn’t want to play the part with a Jamaican accent or Eastern European. So my director said, “Well, You’re from New York. Go full tilt New York.” So “Beweah the Ides ah Mhach” came out. I gave it all I had for New York and the audience loved it because they had no idea. There was a whisper from the audience, “Does she really talk like that?”
TFLL: What would you tell someone who’s never been involved in theatre before?
Susan Sullivan: Just do it. I mean if you want to. I could never get Geoffrey on stage. We’ve tried many times, but some people don’t have any desire to be on stage. I don’t get fear. I get anxious, but that doesn’t ever stop me from doing it.
It’s not brain surgery. You do find that you learn. You get better and better if you stick with it. Or maybe you’ll find another niche. It doesn’t have to be acting. You can be a stagehand, stage manager, work on props or sets, [do] set design, direc[t], or assistant direc[t]. It takes a community to put on a play.
Photo Credit: Susan and Geoff Sullivan