Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Thornton
Hi Susan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The road to completing my first independent feature film has been long and circuitous. It started by attending Wright State University’s P.A.T. program, (Professional Actor Training,) with the intention of working in film. As a young acting student, I had a desire to be in front of the camera; age, experience, and a passion for storytelling changed that view, I’ve comfortably found my place behind it, calling the shots.
Ohio was still home for two years after graduation, putting everything on hold to help my brother through a protracted cancer battle. After he passed, my husband and I headed to the east coast and I started my acting career with a coveted ensemble role in the play, a Map of the World, at Center Stage, in Baltimore, MD. The leads, who were brought in from NYC, were kind and supportive, all of them told me I needed to move to the Manhatten to get an agent. My husband was on board, so we rented a room in the city and commuted to see each other on the weekends. After seven years of marriage, (tied the knot as a freshman in college,) I was only in the city a few months and discovered I was pregnant. Plans to work as an actress came to a screeching halt. Moved back to Baltimore and raised my family.
During the years of being a stay-at-home mom, I started writing screenplays at night. Stockpiled quite a few before I went back to work at a Public Access television station, as the Community Liaison for local government. The kids were older and involved in activities they enjoyed, so I took the opportunity to immerse myself in the functions of a television station, eventually working my way up to being the Station Manager. A producer’s job for an education channel followed, it gave me the opportunity to learn the production skills I needed; every move was made with an eye on ultimately making movies. Funding was slashed and that job was gone. Several years passed in the limbo of the pandemic, everything dried up. By the time the world found its footing again, there was no work. It was time to make my own, time to hit the stockpile. Retirement from a job long gone came with a lump sum and there was never any question how it would be spent. I’m living proof, maturity doesn’t mean life is over, dreams don’t have an expiration date. And sometimes they hit with a splash, my incredibly talented cast and crew just made a complex family drama, and it looks phenomenal. TIME APART, is only the beginning.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
A loaded question. Definitely bumpy, but blessed. Every time challenges came along, I was given the strength to get through them, and, no question, always came out a better person on the flip side. Whether mistakes, or losses, heartaches, or tragedies, each struggle brought strength with it too. Had two options, be consumed by the difficulties of life, or learn from them; the lessons made me the person I am today.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Having just completed a feature film on a micro budget and schedule, eclipses any achievements I’ve reached in my life. With a cast of eight people, and a crew of five, we worked our way through an emotionally charged, two-hour drama in nine days. Truly miraculous. By the end, we were exhausted, but euphoric. It was acted and captured beautifully. I’m as proud of this movie as anything I’ve ever done. Proud for all of us, it was an extraordinary group of artists, collaborating as a synchronistic team of storytellers.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The most important lesson I learned during the pandemic is that heroes aren’t always defined by their stature or notoriety. At one point, everyone in our house had bad cases of COVID at the same time, we relied on delivery people for our very existence. Our medicine and food were brought right to our doorstep, they were the unsung heroes of an unthinkable situation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lasooze.org/427710482
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lasooze/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaSoozeThornton/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soozethornton/
- Twitter: https://www.threads.net/@lasooze
- Other: https://crowdfundr.com/72JC29?ref=ab_cCz2v1_ab_4eZkWYYeCRY4eZkWYYeCRY
