Another Passion » Interview

Susanna Burney’s Acting Life

Doug Fahl — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:27:05 +0000

I first met Susanna Burney almost 20 years ago when we both performed in the booming fringe theater community in Seattle – primarily at Annex Theater. I was impressed by her intelligence, her easy manner and her ability to juggle so many different facets of her career.

Over the years, she’s been a dedicated and busy theater professional wearing multiple hats from actress to teacher to director to artistic director/co-founder of Our American Theater Company and now to marketing director of ArtsWest. Additionally, her major role in John Carpenter’s latest movie “The Ward” and her notable voice-over work have brought her national recognition. I’ve always found her to be a motivating spirit in my friendship, so I was curious to talk to her about how she motivates herself and about the highlights in her career.

AP: You work simultaneously as an actress, a director, an instructor, an artistic director, and now marketing director. What are the rewards of these different career paths? What do you get out of pursuing so many creative outlets?

SB: To me it comes down to a life in the theater. I’ve been doing this since I was 14 – first working back stage, then training as an actress, and eventually getting more involved with directing and the producing end of things. (I come from a long line of salesmen – immigrants from Eastern Europe and Ireland, who would do anything to make a buck.)

When I started directing, it was partly because I was feeling the powerlessness of being a mere actress, always at the whim of others to let me work – and then tell me how to do it. Directing gave me an independence and ownership that opened my mind up about the whole process. I got into teaching artist work first as an intern fresh out of college, and later, as another way to make a living.

I had been enjoying some success doing voice over work, but right when I started building my house, the economy tanked (this was the post-dot-com, post-9/11 tank), and I realized I needed to figure something out or I wouldn’t be able to pay my mortgage. And that’s when I fully grasped the concept of diversification. The more skills you have, the more ways you can use your skills, the more potential income streams you have.

AP: What keeps you focused and motivated?

SB: Paying my mortgage, no doubt. But also, my undying passion for the work. I love acting, directing, doing voice overs, seeing a project through, collaborating with others, sharing theater with new audiences.

It’s all about kneeling at the alter of the art of acting, and how the power of theater can change lives. It can get a little schitzoid some times – this lifestyle [is] not for everybody – but I enjoy the challenge of keeping all the balls in the air. And I do yoga every morning; meditation if I can make the time.

AP: You have a major role in “The Ward”, directed by John Carpenter. How does this project compare with other major acting roles you’ve had in the past?

SB: I was so honored to be selected to play this major role working with a legend like John Carpenter. It’s funny, though, about success, it feels surreal when it’s happening. I would think, “I’m going to spend five weeks on the set of a feature film, directed by someone I’ve admired all my adult life, and getting paid a nice chunk of money to do it.” But it all seemed intellectual to me – like it couldn’t really be happening. It’s like traveling: you don’t really get what the journey was till much later.

While we were filming, I really felt grateful for the skills I’d developed over the years. I knew how to prepare, I knew how to direct myself. In movies, the major direction comes in the casting – they cast you because they see you can do the role. After that, it’s mostly up to you. There may be some rehearsal, but “rehearsal” on the set is really rehearsal for the camera. It’s blocking, not character discussion.

I knew how to stay calm and focused. It’s a lot of pressure, to be in your trailer for hours sometimes, until finally they come and call you to the set, and then you walk into a world that the crew and director and d.p. [director of photography] have spent hours lighting and preparing. They need you to do your job – know your lines, hit your marks, etc., because all that film in the can and everyone’s time is money money money.

AP: What are some of the differences between working on a feature film and performing in the theater?

SB: Adjusting to camera, is much smaller and subtler than stage; a different technique in many ways. You’re still working your character’s truth, you’re still playing intentions and all that. But you’re doing it with your eyes – with your internal monologue – you can never “show” like you might on stage with a gesture. And it’s very quiet. The camera is like a microscope and it picks up everything, magnifying it to 20 feet – when a scene is being shot, you can barely hear what the actors are saying. Even a big action scene is contained and kept within strict boundaries for the camera. It’s really like performing an elaborate magic trick.

AP: How do you prepare yourself for the level of exposure a film like this might bring you?

SB: Well, nothing’s happened yet. The film wasn’t pushed very aggressively, and sadly, it hasn’t seemed to make much of an impression. Which is unfortunate, because it’s a pretty good movie and deserves as much attention as anything else out there. There are a lot worse films that are getting way more attention than they deserve. That said, I try not to give fantasies of fame and fortune too much focus – in the end I think that’s pretty much a mind-fuck.

AP: In a climate where many theater organizations are struggling to keep operating, what motivated you to organize Our American Theater Company? What sets O.A.T. apart from other theater companies you’ve been involved with in the past?

SB: I created Our American Theater Company back in 2005, because I got very excited about the concept of a theater dedicated to American scripts, as thousands of Shakespeare companies around the country are dedicated to 400 year old plays written in England. Why not celebrate OUR tradition? OUR genius? And the huge influence American theater has had on acting and staging styles around the world, especially since the mid-20th Century.

And, yeah, the economy has been a challenge. That and just the rigors of working on a shoestring and doing most of it myself. I do enjoy producing and watching a project coming together, seeing an audiences respond. But ultimately, being that committed, day and night, with little to show for it financially, made me rethink my commitment to do it.

Now that I’ve taken on the role of Marketing Director at ArtsWest, a more established company with a lovely facility just a quarter mile from my house, I feel like it’s the right level of commitment – still very satisfying, but it’s an actual paying job.

AP: Working as hard as you do in the arts and juggling so many roles, there must be times when you have difficult choices to make. How do you deal with big career decisions?

SB: About 15 years ago, after I quit my last day job as a word-processor to work as a full-time freelance actress and voice over artist, I realized that the key was to say “yes” to everything, and let the details unfold. I still think that is generally true. You do have to be careful not to over commit, and that’s where the struggle comes in.

I just came up against that when I took this Marketing position at ArtsWest. It’s part-time for now, but there’s an ongoing commitment to getting the work done pretty much on a daily basis. Seattle Shakespeare Company had just invited me to come back and do their spring educational tour again, which would mean performing Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet from February to May, all around the state. It’s a great gig, and I had a blast doing it last spring, but I had to make the grown up decision, that while I could probably juggle both about 80 percent of the time, there would be some moments where I would be apologizing to everybody and making people adjust their expectations around my scheduling needs. In the end it felt like I was handing off a delicious piece of cake to some other deserving person, so I could enjoy the pie and ice cream I already had in front of me.

Finally, if you’re in this business for any length of time, you begin to realize the cosmic order of things can work out in ways you never could have imagined. I can’t tell you how many times “a door closes so a window can open” has come to mind over the years. So I try not to sweat it too much.

AP: Aside from the performing arts, what inspires you? What charges you up when you’re exhausted? What sparks you during lulls in your career?

SB: I love nature. I love going to the ocean, and walking in beautiful places, like the Arboretum or Discovery Park. I love to garden; wish I had more time to devote to it. I never read as much as I’d like just for fun, but when I do, I’m always grateful for great literature. I also love to cook.

And it’s funny how I’ll finish a huge project and wonder how I’ll survive not doing that show anymore, or playing that role, and the next day I’ll find myself in the kitchen, cooking up a storm – baking bread, making pies, soups, trying new recipes. And I’ll catch myself and go, huh, I guess this is my post-partum therapy.

Check out Susanna’s IMDB page and visit Our American Theater Company and ArtsWest for more…

Another Passion 2nd Print Edition

Rasmus Rasmussen — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:50:03 +0000

After the first six months of last year, I put out a print edition of Another Passion containing all the interviews featured on the site from January to June. Now, just into the new year, the follow up publication is out. I am proud to introduce the 2nd printed edition of Another Passion featuring all the interviews from July to December 2010.

The magazine edition is printed and shipped on-demand through MagCloud (by HP), enabling small fish like me to put out a publication in top print and binding quality. Unfortunately , print-on-demand also means a higher end price, but then there is the digital download version to help balance that out. MagCloud also has an iPad app, where you can find this and many other publications.

For me personally, the print edition is also a testament to the first year in operation for Another Passion. What started as a side project just keeps growing, which is great, and seeing these interviews in print reminds me that. I realize that it’s not just the writing or the photography that makes Another Passion worth the effort. It’s these people, the creative professionals, artists and solopreneurs that I have the rare privilege of talking to. Their drive and passion has become almost an addiction to me, which I hope shows in the interviews as well.

Every time someone orders a copy of the printed edition or downloads a digital copy, it’s one more push towards putting even more time and effort into Another Passion. Which I am. So why not take this opportunity to leak that I am working on a multitude of related projects, including an ebook that will be available for free, a workshop and last but certainly not least an until-now secret event. But you will have to wait a little longer to get any more details.

In the meantime, a huge thank you from me to all of you who have shared your passion, everyone who have been reading along, sharing links, leaving comments and getting stuff off the store page. You all rock more than you know, at least enough to shake up the life and times of yours truly.

Interview: Tracy Record – Seattle’s Queen of Hyperlocal News

Rasmus Rasmussen — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:30:04 +0000

Tracy Record is almost half an hour late to our meeting, but I was expecting that. She apologizes and explains that three stories were all happening at the same time, and that time just slipped away. With her schedule, I’m happy she found time to meet with me at all. Tracy is a busy lady, covering every local event, meeting, accident and yard sale for her own West Seattle Blog, a hyperlocal news outlet that’s taken Seattle by storm.

West Seattle Blog (WSB) is not your average weblog. In 2009 it ranked number 5 on Google’s list of hottest search terms in the Seattle area, beating all the major networks and traditional media outlets. But Tracy Record is no stranger to success. She has a distinguished career behind her in television, newspapers and radio and three Emmy Awards to prove it. Still, Tracy threw all that away for a blog about the goings on of just a single neighborhood.

Today, WSB has a small staff of contributing freelancers, but Tracy and her businesspartner/husband – Patrick Sand – remain in full control over what can only be described as a driving community force. Did I mention that they were awarded a Citizen Appreciation Award by the Seattle Police Department in 2008?

Tracy checks her Twitter, blog and e-mail almost in real time.

AP: What is it about hyperlocal news that makes it worth dedicating your time to?

TR: I have spent two-thirds of my life delivering information to people, in a variety of ways. This is the most meaningful way yet. To be able to directly report on, answer questions for, share information about/from my community, and make a living doing it, is a joy. So much different from all my years in citywide/regional news, when we managers/producers would sit in a room and often wind up having to send someone off to whatever the most shocking crime du jour in the region happened to be, parachute in, parachute out, on to the next Big Story.

We cover crime, of course, but from the standpoint of sharing information that helps people protect themselves and figure out how to fight back, particularly against property crime like burglaries, auto thefts and vandalism. Yet though “hard news” is a huge area of coverage for us, I also adore being able to publish orca sightings, pretty sunsets, parade previews, Christmas Ship video!

AP: What were your considerations before taking the jump from mainstream media to starting on your own?

TR: It was clear by the time we got to fall 2007 that there was a huge need in the community for real-time information and neighborhood-issue coverage, and we had found ourselves trying to help fill it, since the December 2006 windstorm/power outages, when we started getting e-mail from people saying “we can’t find out ANYTHING about when the power’s going to be back, can you guys find something out?”.

The only real consideration was whether we could support ourselves doing this – would enough local businesses and organizations choose to sponsor WSB to add up to what we needed for business expenses and a modest lifestyle. I had absolutely no concern otherwise about leaving my longtime corporate-news-media career – the TV business didn’t interest me much any more for a variety of reasons, and it felt wrong to collect a paycheck for something I didn’t feel passionate about.

AP: In 2007, WSB held a pledge to get a feel for the level of support amongst your readers. That went so well, you turned it into an actual business. Could you share a little about that transition, the plans and concerns you had, compared to how it actually went?

TR: The “pledge day” wasn’t actually a barometer of support for whether we could make a go of it as a business. We already knew from the readership, through site stats and through e-mail and other feedback/communication, that there were enough people finding value in being part of WSB every day. In fact, the percentage of people who chose to donate was relatively low, maybe 3%, and that is one of the reasons I don’t believe an operation like ours could operate on a subscription-only basis, which some have suggested we try.

Of course I’m not downplaying the amazing generosity of the 3% who did choose to give us money; it added up to almost $2,000, which we used to set up the business (licenses, a business-only cell phone, etc.) and buy our first video camera. At the time we had the “pledge day” in August 2007, we still weren’t even sure we might try to take the leap and start selling ads – keep in mind, we not only didn’t sell ads at that point, we didn’t even engage in the common practice of running Google AdSense text ads on the site. We were wholly noncommercial. But there were a couple local businesspeople who actually kept urging us to offer ads, so we did some research and made some plans and Patrick started going out on sales calls in October.

We had no idea if we would be able to sell 2 ads or 20. But after about six weeks, the interest was strong enough that it seemed worth taking the risk to try working on it fulltime. The only financial backup we had was my 401k, and a huge factor in the decision to quit was when I learned that you could withdraw from it as long as you paid a penalty … until then I had thought that money was completely inaccessible. But I withdrew as little as possible — we lived even more frugally than before — and haven’t touched it in a year and a half – our business is 100 percent financially self-sustaining, which is still not that common for independent local news sites.

Tools of the trade: Flip camcorder, battleworn digital camera and a cracked iPhone.

AP: You are constantly attending meetings, markets and other events; you keep long hours and have a family at the same time. How do you keep the energy up?

TR: I have been a night owl all my life and have managed to do OK on five or so hours sleep. These days, three-hour nights are more common than five-hour nights, though, and I tend to nod off in the living-room chair while trying to finish that one last story that it always comes down to around 2, 3 am.

What keeps me going the times the energy just lags, is the fact that people tell us what we are doing – with their help! – matters. But the real hero is my husband Patrick, who not only works full-time as our business development director, but also goes out to breaking-news scenes to call in info and send photos, and to meetings on nights when there are two that need to be covered, and also engages in good old-fashioned community relations, meeting and talking with people.

AP: What have been the biggest obstacles for you, in starting and running this project, and what have you done to overcome them?

TR: I have never been so singleminded about anything. I have been focused, I have been devoted, I’ve done things like work many days in a row on a big project like producing election coverage or a special broadcast, but never before has one job, one task been so all-consuming for so many days, weeks, months. I know that we will eventually get to a point where we will have a paid staff – right now we pay freelancers, which is a start – and then the 20-hour days will just be a memory … we’ll be able to cut back to 16-hour days, ha.

I have also become an even-more serious person than I already was, have just never been the kind of person who could just go out and cut loose anyway, but now even if I was, there is no time. And last but not least, I have lost a lot of fear.

Becoming a mother tends to boost you to a certain stage of fearlessness, because you know you have walked through fire to bring that child into the world and you would walk through fire to protect him if need be … and becoming self-employed takes you to another level, knowing there is no safety net, there is no semi-guaranteed paycheck every two weeks, there’s no big boss looking over your shoulder to tell you you screwed up bigtime or maybe even catch you before you make a big mistake. It’s both exhilarating and terrifying, and each day of it that you survive, you feel a little tougher, a little prouder.

Would you like to know more about Tracy Record? Check out West Seattle Blog, her twitter account (@westseattleblog) or this interview from April 2009.