This story was produced during the 75th Missouri Photo Workshop.
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After a 25-year hiatus, Suzanne Peterson, 51, is back on the stage, this time with her homeschooled sons Tad, 17, and Gabe, 11, joining the company at the Liberty Center Association for the Arts (LCAA) in Sedalia, Missouri.
Suzanne graduated with a BA in theater arts in 1994 from California State Fullerton, but raising and educating her four kids, being a military wife and running a jewelry business pushed acting to the wayside. Additionally, Suzanne's mother wasn't supportive of her acting career.
These days her kids and husband Shawn are Suzanne's biggest advocates. They listen when Suzanne has doubts and lift her up, giving her confidence to take the stage.
When the LCAA announced auditions for Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" Suzanne was hesitant at first. But eventually, she summoned the courage to audition for a role in a show by one of her favorite authors.
"I didn't realize how much I missed this until I did it. The nerves are back. You know, are we ready? Are we not ready? Am I going to forget a line?” She said, especially the camaraderie of being in a cast again.
Her son Tad was unexpectedly called to audition when not enough men showed up for the cold reading. With only two other previous shows under his belt, Tad was eager to perform for the first time at the adult level, with the added bonus of working with his mom.
The two are close; they run lines together at home, practice accents and even occasionally share the same button up shirt used in preshow makeup and hair prep. Their relationship is strong and they aren't afraid to give notes on how scenes went, which lines were missed, and made note creative ad-libs.