Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Collins.
Susan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been in the acting business for more than 25 years. I have worked in NYC, LA, and IL: acting for TV, film, theater, coaching, running a non-profit theater group Blended Artist Imaginarium, and public speaking.
My first performing experience was in kindergarten where I had to sing a solo from the musical Annie I sang “Tomorrow” and right then I knew I had been bitten by the acting bug and never looked back. Even at a young age, I was struck by how performing felt. I could feel the energy in the room shift and that I had a connection with the audience. It was a transformative communal experience. It was one of the most magical times I have ever had. I still feel it all these years later. From that point on I never passed up an opportunity to perform in any show that I could be in. When I was 14, I begged my parents to help me start professionally in the business. Neither of my parents had a background in acting at all, but they saw my passion and decided to help support making my dreams come true.
I got into the Red Bank Regional High Schools Performing Arts Program in Red Bank, NJ During my high school years, I started out with getting a small talent manager from NJ that helped me get my first commercial print job, some local commercials, and booked an industrial training film for Prudential that got me qualified to join the Screen Actors Guild. That led to me getting a talent manager in NYC and finding a well-known acting teacher named Anthony Abeson who changed my life. He influenced me the most. He taught me how to understand the gifts I had been given as an artist. After coaching with him for a month I got my first real network audition for ABC for All My Children. I called Anthony to ask him to private coach me for the audition. He was going out of town and was not able to. I started to panic but his words of encouragement let me know that I have the ability on my own and to go over all my notes. I made my poor family go over and over the script with me for three days before that audition. My dad drove me into Manhattan to All My Children’s Studio for the audition. After I finished reading the scene with the other actor, the casting director asked me where I had been this whole time. I didn’t know how to answer her and just said Jersey? She got a big laugh out of that. I drove back home with my dad to see my mom standing at our front door telling us to get back in the car and drive back to Manhattan. I got a call back from the producers! My dad drove us back as fast as we could. He held my hand before I left the car and said “No matter what you’ve already made it. Your first theatrical audition and you got called back to producers. So just go in and have a blast.”, and then he kissed me on the forehead. And I did just what he said to do. I had a blast. I came back to the car and we drove back to NJ to see my mom standing outside again waiting to tell me that they wanted to screen test me for the role. Unfortunately, I did not get that role as the network decided to give it to a girl who was on an NBC soap and thought the audience would follow her over to ABC. I was pretty sad about it. But my parents told me, “We will let you cry, yell, get mad and be sad for an hour but after that, you must look forward. It was not your door to open.” But what it did was to show me that if a young girl from Jersey could do it if she really tried then anybody could. Anyone can if they truly want it. About two years later with more print and stage work under my belt, I decided to move to Los Angeles. My representation was now in both NY and LA, so I went for it. I lived in LA for 17 years.
My time in LA blessed me and led me to studying under the well-known teacher Roy London. I only got to study with him for a month before his unfortunate passing. His co-teacher at the time was Ivana Chubbuck who is also one of the best acting coaches in LA. During this time, I really began to understand who I was as an artist and what I had to give. I started booking roles on wonderful shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Murder One, Profiler, Roseanne Barr Movie of the Week, Saved By the Bell, Saved By the Bell: The College Years, Murder She Wrote, and many others. In August of 2021, I had the crazy honor to have my character Tarrana from Star Trek: The Next Generation officially become a trading card. My kids finally thought I was cool for about 15 minutes.
I had a moment of change that slowly unfolded when I was asked by a friend I knew if I ever thought of coaching other actors. She felt that I would be amazing at it. She took me to AIA Studios where she worked, a place where you can take classes with casting directors and acting teachers. You can also be privately coached and guided with your career. The coaches they needed were good with the business of the business and the craft of acting. It was flexible for my auditions, and I found giving back to other artists was such a wonderful gift. From then on, I could see both possibilities of being an actor and being a coach. Both are moving to me in such different ways, and I feel lucky to have experienced both.
After my husband and I started a family and had two children we moved to Brooklyn, NY where we lived for eight years. I was raising our sweet girls and coaching whenever I could fit it in. In 2017 my children had gotten to the age where they were older and more independent, so I put money down to open my ongoing classes. Tragically my husband who was working Visual Effects for TV and film suffered a brain aneurysm and a stroke; changing our world in one heartbeat. I found my family falling apart and my dream of opening ongoing studio classes shattered. My husband made it through and came back to us. Through the emotional journey of that experience, my family and I know what it is to be thankful for life. We found ourselves needing more help and more hands-on-deck support for my husband’s recovery. We ended up moving to his hometown of Hillsboro IL. I made a promise to myself and my family to live life. Teaching my girls that life doesn’t always go your way; that tragic and devastating moments will happen to you, but it is how you get yourself back up with and move forward that truly defines you. The area we moved to is very rural. With very little arts in the community and no theater outside the school program. I continue to coach my clients from NYC and LA by video. Living in Hillsboro is a very different way of life from living in the city as I’m sure you can imagine. I told myself that if acting and theater was not in the area, I was going to create it. Acting is such a part of who I am that to not have it fully in my life would be extremely hard. To not be able to teach it in person would have been tragic to me. I was given the opportunity to join a local group called Imagine Hillsboro 2018 where I began getting a group of artists together and made a theater group. I taught the craft and we started performing for the community. We performed an improv and monologue night, and a murder mystery dinner both to sold-out audiences. Then I branched out with other members of my theater group to create our own non-profit theater group in the area called Blended Artist Imaginarium (www.blendedartists.org) on June 2, 2021. I want to teach the people interested in acting the technique I was taught by some of the biggest acting coaches in Hollywood and NYC. I want my theater group to learn the craft of acting. After some time in Hillsboro, I was approached to give keynote speeches for the University of Illinois Extension Office. I loved it and now have added these speeches to my repertoire. It is another medium of storytelling. I also worked on giving an introduction to acting class to the kids in the Hillsboro school district. I donated a free class for 4th grade through 12th for the 2018-2019 school year. In 2019, The owners of Hillsboro’s Orpheum Theater, Jeff and Julie Eisentraut took interest in my group and bought a building that resides next to the current movie theater.
We are working to develop/fundraise for the space to turn it into a luxury movie theater and performing arts theater. I love teaching and acting and helping people understand what is unique, special, and extraordinary about themselves through the craft of acting. Knowing who one is can unlock unseen job and life experiences. Our Group’s mission statement says it beautifully: “Providing opportunities to foster community engagement in the performing arts while inspiring and developing future artists.”
I am currently teaching actors in LA, NYC, and now IL.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As I mentioned before the journey has been far from smooth but that is what makes me so thankful for the gift of time to watch any of my clients reach one of their dreams, from getting them into that first audition to guiding them through their first role or job. It makes all of the hard work, and long hours worth it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My clients call me the “starter” because I take new actors and unlock their potential. I help actors bring their talent to the forefront and develop the skills and wisdom to navigate the increasingly complex and competitive acting industry. By working with me, you will jumpstart your career and create a plan for fulfilling your short- and long-term dreams. I believe in developing the whole actor, meaning that my clients hone their craft, establish life goals, and gain the business savvy to thrive as an actor.
Keys to success:
CRAFT: Together we will discover your acting skills and talents and find out what techniques work best for you. I will also help you develop your instincts so that you can define your authentic voice as an actor. I trained in many disciplines, from Method to cutting-edge Hollywood techniques.
LIFE: To survive as an actor you need to know a lot about yourself and what you ultimately hope to achieve. We will work together to find ways to use your life experiences to enhance and build your acting career. And we will set goals to help you move forward to have the acting life you want.
BUSINESS: Entering the acting business can be daunting. But with guidance and support you can gain the skills, focus, and confidence to succeed as well as the savvy to deploy and protect your financial resources so that you don’t go broke in the process. I will help you save time and make smart financial decisions as you make your dreams come true.
What I am most proud of besides my family is watching a client breakthrough something that was holding them back and watching them learn that they have the ability to succeed. And then they do it. They realize their own power. That makes me most proud.
I specialize in working with actors in a holistic capacity, that is I start with developing the strengths that the artist possesses, hone those skills towards the first goal, which is usually the auditioning process, or working towards building a professional team of agents or managers to handle businesses matters and selling the services that the artist can provide for clients.
I have the added asset of understanding this side of the business, through many years of learning it in the trenches and can use this as an asset for my client. An asset that many other coaches may not be as knowledgeable on.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Like most of the country, Covid-19 has certainly put the brakes on our momentum. Live shows fundraising or otherwise have been difficult to realize. But our group is nothing if not resilient. We spent a good few months in 2019 working on a digital short while maintaining social distance; Our actors filmed their scripted parts on their phones and these were all edited together to make a comedy to bring some much-needed laughs to the folks in our area. We are not going away and have been making future plans for some outdoor performances in the spring of someone acts in more nontraditional areas in town until the performing arts center is realized. We need to play the long game with the pandemic going on.
Pricing:
- One-on-one coaching on the craft of acting and auditions $60.00 per 1-hour session
- One-on-one acting lessons 4 sessions $150.00
- One- on- one acting lessons 10 sessions $500.00
- One-on-one acting craft/life/business package 11 sessions $600.00
- Ongoing classes & Keynote Speech inquiries: Contact Susan at susantcollins@gmail.com.
Contact Info:
- Email: susan@theinnovativeactor.com
- Website: www.theinnovativeactor.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The.Innovative.Actor, https://www.facebook.com/blendedartistsimaginarium
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusantCollins
Image Credits:
Kaitlin Jachino
Pictures taken at The Coop & Blackrabbit Coffee Company
