Meet Susana Falcon, the new executive director of Lemon Bay Playhouse. Originally from Rochester, New York, she grew up along the Connecticut shoreline. For the past two decades, she’s called Florida’s Gulf Coast home.
Before landing here, Susana lived in New York City, chasing her passion for acting as a SAG and Equity member. Her career took her from stages across Europe to cruise ships and theaters throughout the U.S., including plenty of time on Florida stages.
Family has always anchored her to this area. Her mother, now at The Preserve in Pompano Beach, kept a house in Englewood for 35 years. Susana has felt drawn to this part of Florida since childhood.
Outside of work, she tries to squeeze in yoga, bike rides, and Zumba classes.
Writing’s another big piece of her life. She’s published 20 works of fiction and spent six years teaching writing courses at the State College of Florida, on both the Bradenton and Venice campuses.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
For me, perfect happiness is being fully present and focused in the moment. Total concentration on “the now” doesn’t allow for extraneous thoughts or worries to seep in, and I’m less bothered by tasks I might otherwise despise. It also brings more joy to socializing; there’s nothing worse than watching folks “check out” by scrolling through texts or social media.
Which living person do you most admire?
I can’t say I admire one person the most because I admire a number of acclaimed artists who still work hard at their craft. Laura Linney and Kevin Kline come to mind since both are fine stage actors who are currently producing their own (terrific) episodic on TV.
What is your greatest extravagance?
My greatest extravagance is a stock of health and beauty products. I take all kinds of supplements and use high-end skin care lines in an effort to stave off the inevitable.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
To me, the most overrated virtue is morality disguised as niceness. Nice behavior can mask hypocrisy, while morality as true kindness may not appear to be “nice” –such as making students earn their grades—and may even be anonymous—as with charitable donations.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I dislike the extra ten pounds I’m battling with age.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Words and phrases I overuse: Awesome. Cool. Fabulous! End of story.
Every edition, Englewood REVIEW spotlights someone who stands out in the community. We ask each person to tackle The Proust Questionnaire; a classic set of questions created by Marcel Proust, the French writer.
