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…

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Filmmaker Chris Diani (Creatures from the Pink Lagoon) caught my attention when he successfully funded the pre-production of his second feature film, “Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits” (LPWBR), using the site Kickstarter. I asked if he would be interested in sharing a bit about his project and his Kickstarter campaign, and he was. We met up downtown, Diani with an easy smile and wearing a furry bunny suit for the occasion. That’s when I knew this would be fun.

AP: Where does your drive to tell visual stories come from? What makes you take on the enormous task of making a feature film? At the end of the day, what do you take away from the process and seeing the final result?

CD: I’ve always been a creative person, writing stories and poems as a young child, then switching to comic books, then novels and stage plays. But I had a hard time finishing projects, and the ones I did complete always lacked a certain something. It wasn’t until years later, when I started film school, that I realized I’d been writing for the screen all along. The first time I stepped behind the camera – at age 30 – I knew the cinema was where I belonged. So I’ve got three decades of half-finished stories, clamoring to be told properly.

I love the collaborative aspect of filmmaking the most: being on set, working with artists and technicians, banding together to create something weird or wonderful. It’s the reward for the long weeks and months spent writing, which I often find lonely and frustrating. But I’m an auteur at heart, so I struggle through the writing to get to the good part: seeing my vision realized on the screen.

Finally, I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit it’s thrilling to watch an audience respond to my work. But it’s also quite educational. I’ve learned more about comedy and pacing by sitting through multiple screenings of Creatures from the Pink Lagoon than I ever did in the classroom.

AP: You first moved to Seattle without knowing anyone there. What made Seattle a good fit for you? Did the fresh start influence your work, and what did you learn from taking the chance on such a move?

CD: I was in pretty dire straits before moving here. I’d failed as an actor, I was in the closet, working too many hours at a job I hated, literally losing my hair from the stress of it all. I had no clue what I was going to do with my life; I just knew I needed a change. I wish I could say there was some logical methodology behind choosing Seattle, but the reality was I was a pop culture junkie, and so much of what I was enjoying back then – Twin Peaks, grunge music, Singles, Northern Exposure – came from the Pacific Northwest, that it seemed like a good idea to move here. I was 22 years old.

Thankfully, it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. Not only did I learn exactly how tough and resilient I am – I moved 3138 miles from home to a city I’d never been to, after all – I immediately started to flourish in Seattle’s much more liberal, accepting atmosphere. I came out of the closet. I joined a theatre company. I made some amazing, lifelong friends. Basically, I got my groove back.

As for Seattle’s influence on my work, it’s incalculable. I’m imagining what my films would look like if I’d stayed in Massachusetts – and this is assuming I’d be making films at all – and I’m picturing lots of mopey dramas about unfulfilling friendships with homoerotic undercurrents. And lots of scenes set at the Exit 5 Rest Stop.

AP: You’ve said that Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits (LPWBR) is partly inspired by old screwball comedies, but what made you center it around Furries? What kind of research have you done and what has the initial response been? How do you make a comedy with Furries in it, without doing it at their expense?

CD: The idea to make a modern screwball comedy came to me in 2004, when my then-boyfriend wanted to take a weekend trip to Vancouver and I told him I couldn’t really afford to go. He replied, “I wish you made more money.”

I was furious; here I was, pursuing my dreams, working the graveyard shift to put myself through film school, and he was pouting because I couldn’t skip off to Canada at a moment’s notice? And why didn’t he wish he made more money? I started to think about how difficult it was to negotiate finances in gay relationships, and because I’d recently watched The Palm Beach Story, I thought, “I should dump his ass and go find a sugar daddy!”

I didn’t ditch him (not then, at least), but I did start developing a new script in which a gay couple, both struggling young artists, agree to break up in order to find sugar daddies to support them. Because I was working on Creatures from the Pink Lagoon at the time, I back-burnered this project, adding it to a folder with my other orphan ideas.

A while later, I saw a rerun of the infamous furry episode of CSI and thought it might be a funny twist to make one of the sugar daddies a furry. Then I met a real-life furry, who shared with me a bunch of great stories about the fandom and the various conventions he’d attended. Things were starting to take shape, but it wasn’t until I read an unintentionally hilarious article about a meet-up of lightning strike survivors that I had all the elements to write a truly screwball script.

That’s when I moved into research mode, with a vengeance. I watched furry videos, frequented furry message boards, read furry fiction, studied up on the adverse effects of lightning, read about dating services that catered to gay millionaires, even attended Seattle’s furry convention, Rainfurrest. I pounded out a first draft, workshopped it with my actor friends, and launched our Kickstarter campaign.

The initial reaction has been mostly positive, though there are a few members of the furry fandom who have been critical of the project. Thankfully, I knew to expect this – one of the benefits of doing so much research – so I’ve been able to anticipate most of their qualms and respond to them via Twitter, email, and message boards. And I do get it; CSI and reality TV have sensationalized the fandom and given mainstream viewers the impression that furries are all weirdos and sex-crazed fetishists. That would make me suspicious of any outsider looking to make a furry movie, too. But that’s not what I’m going for with LPWBR. I’m poking fun at a handful of characters who happen to be furries, not taking aim at the fandom as a whole. And just like I did with the characters in Creatures from the Pink Lagoon, I’m starting with stereotypes and filling them out, creating recognizable, well-rounded human beings (who in this case happen to dress like animals). In fact, through my interactions with my furry naysayers, I’ve come up with some great ideas for the new draft of the script, including a running joke in which that infernal episode of CSI is the punchline it so deserves to be.

AP: Using Kickstarter, you successfully raised $12,000 for your pre-production. Why did you go with that approach, and how was the experience? How did you spread the word about your campaign, and would you use Kickstarter again?

CD: Crowdfunding is all the rage in the indie film world right now, and rightfully so. It’s an excellent source of development funds (or post-production funds, if your budget comes up short), but it’s also a fantastic way to float your idea in the market to gauge audience interest. My Kickstarter campaign drew over 170 supporters, most of whom contributed at the $25 level or higher. Aside from being a strong show of support for my concept, that’s a great number to bring to potential investors: I have 170 pre-orders of the DVD and I haven’t even made the movie yet!

I spread the word through social media like Facebook and Twitter, via email blasts to my mailing list, by issuing press releases and doing media interviews, and by dressing up in various fursuits and handing out postcards at film festival parties, gay bars, and Pride events. It was a great experience and I’d definitely do it again.

AP: With your Kickstarter funding secured what’s next for LPWBR? How are you going to put the cash to use, how do you raise what’s needed to finish production? And then what?

CD: Unfortunately, much of what the Kickstarter cash will be paying for is the less glamorous side of moviemaking: development of our business plan & investor packet, legal counsel, web presence… a lot of behind-the-scenes and business development stuff. But I’ll also be working to attach a couple of bankable stars to the project, and once that happens we’ll shoot a teaser trailer to woo potential investors. I’m also planning to partner with a more seasoned producer for assistance in attracting investors, and for the first time ever I’ll be pursuing product placement deals to fund some of the production. I’m really excited about this part of the process – I love producing nearly as much as directing – and I’ll be posting exclusive updates about each new development on Kickstarter, which is one of the great rewards promised to those who backed our project. The next few months are going to be very busy, and – if all goes according to plan – very exciting. I can’t wait!

Find out more about “Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits” on Facebook and Twitter. Follow Chris Diani on Twitter too, and check out his first feature film, Creatures from the Pink Lagoon, also available on Netflix.

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I first met Doug Fahl a little over four years ago, when he modeled for some stock photos for me. I was a struggling photographer, he was a struggling actor. We were able to help each other out back then, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. The Doug that’s in front of me today however, is working harder than ever, and yet strangely he seems both giddy and content. His demeanor reminds me of someone readying themselves for an exciting journey.

It may have something to do with the movie “Zombies of Mass Destruction” (ZMD), which is due to open in 30 cities across the US this January. The movie is classic zombie mayhem, with a touch of tongue in cheek humor and spiced up with a healthy dose of post-911 paranoia.

Being in any movie that gets a distribution deal is huge (especially when it’s with an outfit like Lionsgate, which is the case for ZMD). Having that be your first movie seems almost impossibly lucky. But this is no overnight success for Doug Fahl, who has a degree in Musical Theater and more than 20 years of acting experience, playing characters such as Cliff in “Cabaret” and Gabey in “On The Town”, and working on productions with Broadway legends like Martin Charnin (“Annie”) and Thomas Meehan (“Annie”, “Hairspray”, “The Producers”).

I was thrilled when Doug agreed to answer a few questions about taking this new step, and about his life as an artist.

AP: What is acting about for you? Why do you do it?

DF: I find acting an important force in my life for many reasons. It has driven me forward unlike any other passion or interest I have. As a child, most would have described me as reclusive, withdrawn. I kept to myself, locked away in my room, with very few friends. I lacked a direction.

One of my few friends at the time bet me that I wouldn’t dare sign up for a theater class in High School, assuming that my shyness would terrify me from getting up in front of others to perform. But I took him up on his bet and after getting up to recite a poem in front of the class, I immediately became hooked on the adrenaline rush and the laughter and the applause. I felt courage and acceptance through the process. I immediately had a community to belong to, an interest to pursue and develop and performing has become my life’s blood ever since.

The international poster for ZMD features mr. Fahl in the center.

AP: ZMD is your first motion picture to open in theaters across the United States. How does that experience compare to other firsts in your career?

DF: I feel extremely excited about the release of ZMD. It has far exceeded my wildest expectations, especially it being my first film role. Any time I’ve made progress in my career, it has had a similar effect. It comes unexpectedly, but with years of preparation behind it. It doesn’t ever seem real at the time and you have to wait around forever to see it actually come to life.

In theater, where I’ve spent most of my career, the excitement happens while you work on the project (you get cast, first day of rehearsal, opening night). Then the show ends and you move on to the next excitement. Shooting a movie has all those excitements as well, but the key events are spread out over the course of years. So your work as an actor gets disconnected from the excitement of having the film released. The excitement revolves around your overall career and the possibilities that lie ahead. This experience is new to me and I’m anxious to see where things go from here.

AP: Has the festival circuit and the movie’s distribution deal changed your own perception of ZMD or your performance?

DF: No, I still see my performance the same way as I always have. Being a bit of a perfectionist, I’m pretty critical when I see myself on screen, but I’m very pleased with how it all came out. We all worked hard on making believable character choices and I feel proud of my performance. The overwhelmingly positive responses from the festival circuit, make me feel even more proud. It validates what I already knew was there on screen.

I’m very pleased that audiences enjoy it. I must say that a distribution deal of this size is rare for a film like ours. Back when I first auditioned for the film, I had no inkling that it would ever get to the big screen nationwide. That just doesn’t happen in my life. But, after seeing the movie for the first time, I knew we had a gem on our hands. It turned out great.

AP: You also make music, dabble in photography and many other things. What do you get out of having multiple creative outlets?

Doug gets excited as he talks about the movie and the way his career is going.

Plus, when you work in music, you meet musicians. When you work in photography, you meet photographers. The collaborative processes of film and theater require a network of people from all interests. The more you dabble in other areas, the more connected you become to the entire creative process. Plus, it saves me money on music, photography, and web design when I can make my own.

AP: I imagine there are plenty of distractions, both from your other interests and outside interferences. What do you do to stay focused?

DF: Who says I’m focused? No, seriously. What were we just talking about? Oh, yeah focus. Everyone needs to have distractions. If you stay focused on one thing in life all the time, you miss all the magic floating around out there. One of my college acting teachers once told me that I had the proper technique, that I read sense into the words, and that I had confidence; but that I was just too young to ‘know the experience’. She told me I needed to be deeply hurt in love before I would have the emotional connection to the piece I was working on.

Everyone needs to lose focus on a love interest. Everyone needs to grieve a loss or get depressed. Everyone needs to travel somewhere new. Meet a new circle of friends. Try a new substance. Get lost in a strange place. Come close to death. Giggle until they pee. Run around naked in the snow while someone is snapping of polaroids of you. You need to fail miserably at something. You need to make mistakes. And you have to have fun. Acting is having those experiences and translating them to stage or screen for others to experience through you. Film and Theater are tools to share joy, pain and insight with other humans — to commiserate with an audience. If you don’t have distractions, you’re not doing your job. The key is remembering and utilizing those distractions when you drag your ass back to work.

To learn more about Doug, check out his site and blog, his Facebook page and his Twitter. And don’t forget to check out Zombies of Mass Destruction.