We recently connected with Susannah Hough and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Susannah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I first knew a life as an artist, particularly an actor, was for me when I was six years old. My mother took my sister and me to the YWCA twice a week. They had all sort of after school offerings for kids such as swimming, basketball, gymnastics, crafting, and plays. I wasn’t interested in anything athletic, even though I eventually joined the swim team. I simply was not competitive and did not enjoy sports. I enjoyed the act of learning how to perform them. But then I tried acting in a little play that the kids put together and oh my god — this was for me! I didn’t want to do anything else. I loved creating the story, putting together costume pieces, my mother painted the backdrops (she was an artist), we rode a school bus to perform at retirement homes. All of it was the most fun I could think of ever having! I never looked back.

As I got older, I harbored the desire to act professionally but had little support from my parents. Ironically, we lived in Los Angeles and my father once worked for Universal Studios. It’s a company town! But they did nothing to encourage me beyond high school plays. I knew several people “in the business” who offered to help guide me, but when you’re a teenager it’s pretty hard to start a career when your parents don’t support it. When it came time to go to college, I spent my entire freshman year trying to find a major. Nothing appealed to me, every class bored me. I couldn’t figure out what to be when I grew up that I would actually enjoy doing. The only thing I liked was acting and the theatre. So, I auditioned for the Drama major and was 1 of 200 students selected for the newly-established BFA program at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The threat of little to no income didn’t stop me. It was a “cut” program back then. They whittled down the class until there was only 12 of us left. Each semester they cut students from the program. It was agony. You had to look on a bulletin board that was hanging in the quad. If your name was on it, you were still in. Talk about public humiliation!

Anyway, 3 years later I graduated with a degree in Drama, no understanding of how to get a job, and feeling like at age 22 I was already too old for Hollywood. I got accepted to a graduate program but I felt like if I was going to have a career I needed to step on the gas. I packed my things and headed to New York where I spent nearly 3 years slogging away. I am glad I went there, even if I never got a lucky career break beyond Off-off Broadway. I learned so much about the business, about how to cobble together a living, and I had many great adventures. Eventually I moved back to Los Angeles, and also had a brief stint in San Francisco studying at the American Conservatory Theater.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve been an actor pretty much all my life. I have worked in New York, L.A., San Francisco, and now I make my home in North Carolina. I perform screen work as well as live theatre. I have taught acting and continue to coach other actors. At this third act in my life I find that directing is my true love. When I was younger, people would suggest that I direct and I always thought that it wasn’t for me. The truth was, I was scared to do it. I didn’t have the self-confidence that I could “be in charge.” I had the desire and the vision for sure, but I lacked someone to believe in me. Well, it only took one friend, who is now also my business partner.

My great friend, David Henderson, and I are Co-Artistic Directors of a small, professional theatre company called Honest Pint Theatre Co. in Raleigh. Our name stems from the UK concept of an honest pint of beer: a 16-fluid ounce pour—no foam, no skimping. Exactly what the drinker paid for.

Our mission is to give audiences exactly what they pay for—the highest-quality storytelling that we can bring them—and the opportunity to experience it with peers in a safe, welcoming environment. We are committed to ensuring these experiences reflect the community and world we live in.

Theatre brings us together, to sit near one another, to hear stories, to lift our voices in joy or sorrow. Theatre creates worlds like no other. Its immediacy cannot be duplicated. Its intensity cannot be matched. A playwright’s miraculous words, directed with insight and acted with passion, elicit laughter, sadness, astonishment, enlightenment and inspiration. Suddenly, we are not alone. Theatre is communal. An actor speaks a playwright’s words. Another answers. Dialogue begins; melody rises. The audience adds its own energy, rhythm, breath; harmony emerges — all of it entwining together in a shared experience of power and exhilaration.

We believe that experiencing theatre is essential for communities to thrive. Since our inception, we have offered theatre in many formats, always mindful of ways we can spark dialogue and meaningful interactions with our audience.

In the age of Netflix and other streaming platforms and in the aftermath of Covid, the importance of simply getting people out of their homes and interacting with fellow humans is a worthy goal. We are deeply proud of the Raleigh theatre community that we are a part of, and we love the interpersonal moments that happen before, during, and after shows. That moment in the lobby where you run into an old friend or exchange a thought with someone you don’t know is as much a part of our mission as the show we’re producing.

We produce intimate theatre, not big, brash Broadway shows. We leave those to the larger stages in our area. Our shows are Off-Broadway gems, highly praised by critics and audiences. The shows that played to enthusiastic crowds in New York or Chicago but would otherwise be missed by Raleigh-area audiences. This is what sets us apart from other local companies. And we are so proud that all of our shows in the more than 10 years we have been producing have been critical successes!

And while I direct and act for Honest Pint shows, I also am directing shows for other theatre companies around town and still act occasionally on other stages and on screen. Honest Pint has pretty much been my full-time job for the past decade. Creating theatre in this new era certainly presents its challenges but I love it. And I feel proud that we are part of the local arts ecosystem.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Well, I had to make a huge pivot about 25 years ago. Both of my young (at the time) children were diagnosed with autism. This was at a time when the incidence of occurrence was 1 in 1,200 children. I think now it’s 1 in 36 children. There were very few resources available to us and no one understood exactly what the disorder is or how to educate my kids in school. I had to quit my day job (where I was making really great money) in order to care for them. I would take them to preschool and elementary school and then drive around the Triangle area every day getting speech services, occupational therapy, social skills therapy and mental health services. I put 100,000 miles on my minivan in 5 years.

This left no time to pursue my interests or career. I stopped acting for more than 10 years so I could devote my attention to my children. Plus, my husband and I had to be there for each other for support. Theatre and screen acting went away during that time. And I was ok with this — no regrets. My kids are incredible adults now. They are thriving and have accomplished so much in their lives. Experts told us they shouldn’t be mainstreamed in school, may not graduate from high school, certainly college would not be a part of their lives, and may never live independently. Well guess what? They did all of that and more! And I am proud of them and proud of my husband and me for getting our kids to the places they are now.

Theatre may have left my life for a period of time but I was born an artist. I knew I would come back to it when the time was right and I did.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The one book that has driven me, inspired me, and that I come back to again and again is The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path by Julia Cameron. This book is hugely popular with artists of all kinds. It’s an invaluable guide to living the artistic life and is recognized around the world as a seminal guide. It has inspired support groups and helps artists foster confidence and maximize creativity.

Another book that I keep on my shelf and re-read is Big Magic (Creative Living Beyond Fear) by Elizabeth Gilbert. I think Gilbert is an amazing writer. I have read all of her books, but this one is not a work of fiction. It is a kind of self-help book or a guide that helps creative people embrace their work without judgement or fear. Gilbert says “Living a creative life isn’t about striving for fame or dedicating your mind, body, and soul to your craft. It simply means living a life led by curiosity instead of fear.. In a creative life, your passions coexist with your fears. Your fears are more than welcome to come along for the ride and give their input, but they should send you on detours or grab the wheel. Fears are nothing more than passengers in the backseat who keep you company and remind you of the things you care about.”

And this is how I am living my life now. Acknowledging fears but taking risks anyway knowing that public humiliation or financial ruin aren’t the worst things that can happen. I’ve already lived through the worst things that can happen (death of family members, my kids being intellectually disabled, etc.). So I live my life and pursue my work in total faith that the universe has got my back and I will be ok.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.honestpinttheatre.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honestpinttheatre/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honestpinttheatrecompany