Lehman Susan

Susan Beth Lehman

Contributor

BSR Contributor Since January 17, 2013

Susan Beth Lehman, an actor, director, and screenwriter, is assistant professor of TV and film at DeSales University in Pennsylvania. She lives in Wayne, Pa.
Ms. Lehman is a screenwriter, actor, and director who is currently assistant professor of TV/Film at DeSales University in Pennsylvania. She has won the Austin Film Festival, the Set in Texas Screenplay Award, and the prestigious Horton Foote Excellence in Screenwriting Award. She is a recipient of a 2008 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship in Scriptwriting. Her work has also been recognized by the Moondance Film Festival, Cinephile, Best in the West, Writers Digest and others.

Her book, Directors: From Stage to Screen and Back Again, is now available on Kindle and listed on all websites. For more information, click here.

By this Author

20 results
Page 1
Could Josh become another Adam Lanza? (photo via biography.com)

A troubled student on the day of the Sandy Hook massacre

December 14th
Each day a teacher stands in front of another fragile soul, not ignoring behaviors and signs, but often helpless to do anything. We want to support the student and help him or her reach an educated, productive adulthood; we also know that weird is often not wrong, especially in the arts. Would any of us really want to see our 20-year-old selves categorized and judged, again, especially in the arts?
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Essays 4 minute read
What can you do? (photo via Comedy Central)

Jon Stewart: An appreciation

Jon Stewart ate my homework
With a rich history of 20th-century political comedians speaking truth to power, Jon Stewart firmly held a standard of intelligence and hilarity that few have equaled.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Articles 3 minute read
Mild praise was her ultimate crushing dismissal. (Photo of Delia Salvia via themayorsblog.com)

Remembering Delia Salvi
I remember teachers who were nice to me, I even remember teachers who were forgettable. But I revered the teachers who never made a day easy, who challenged me and made me stand up for myself and my art.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Essays 4 minute read
Is it time to kowtow to threats? Franco and Rogen in "The Interview." (Photo by Ed Araquel - © 2013 CTMG, Inc.)

'The Interview' and the Sony hack (two)

Free the film!
If the answer to threats about The Interview is “surrender,” then there is no doubt that more attacks will follow.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Essays 3 minute read
Changing the nature of comedy: Elaine May and Mike Nichols

Remembering Mike Nichols (two)

Expressing the angst of a generation
Of course not every project was a home run, but overall Mike Nichols's batting average was stellar. It’s okay to forget Regarding Henry because we also have Working Girl.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Essays 4 minute read
Is Tracy Morgan missing a teachable moment? (Photo by David Shankbone, via Creative Commons/Wikimedia)

Walmart and seat belts

Tracy Morgan and Princess Diana
If we had learned anything from Princess Diana's death, would Tracy Morgan have been wearing a seat belt when his limo was mowed down by a Walmart truck?
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Essays 4 minute read
Joan Rivers in 2009. (Photo by Underbelly Limited via Creative Commons/Flickr)

Remembering Joan Rivers (two)

Fashioning a persona
The fact that Joan Rivers never reduced herself to buffoon persona is what I admire most. She gave female comedians permission to be lovely and funny.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Essays 3 minute read
The right kind of nonsense (Photo by slgckgc via Creative Commons/Flickr)

Another response to the ALS ice bucket challenge

A bucket of sour grapes
Some people will give and remember it as an experience for a lifetime; some will wait for the next celebrity cause to enjoy. But if they open their hearts with their wallets, even for one evening, a good deed is done.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Essays 2 minute read
Stand back, little lady, we'll take care of this. (Photo by David James - © 2013 - Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.)

Thinking about gender at the movies

Girl guard
Why is it so hard for Hollywood to reflect the diversity of our society? The author calls for a new Hays Office — a Helen Hayes Office — to help moviemakers.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Articles 4 minute read
What will you have engraved on your tombstone? (Photo by Adam Jones adamjones.freeservers.com, via Creative Commons/Wikimedia)

Thoughts on birthdays

Ageless
When we hit a particular birthday, are we over the hill or the embodiment of the wisdom of the ages?
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Essays 3 minute read
Sexisim is no laughing matter, Amy Schumer: Photo by Peter Yang.

Calling out Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer has been breaking down doors in comedy, but there are some other doors that need to be broken down as well.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Essays 3 minute read
Red carpet rolls1

The year I didn't go to the Academy Awards

And the winner is . . .
I truly care that quality films are made. But who actually wins an Oscar makes absolutely no difference to my life.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Articles 4 minute read
As Rusty in “Flawless” (1999). © 1999-Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures, Inc.-All rights reserved.

Philip Seymour Hoffman: An appreciation
Philip Seymour Hoffman was an actor who turned out to be better at inhabiting his characters' skin than his own.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Articles 3 minute read
Ricky (Desi Arnaz) comforts Lucy (Lucille Ball) after yet another of her plots to escape her housewife existence meets an ignominious end.

The return of Lucille Ball

I Hate Lucy
With a new live show and colorization, Lucy is back. Her message was damaging enough the first time — do we really need to revisit it?
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Articles 3 minute read
Will Cape May someday supplant Cannes?

More lessons from the Cape May Film Festival

Cutting students some slack
Jackie Atkins dismissed the student work at the Cape May Film Festival as not worth watching. That perspective ignores the learning curve that all artists experience.
Susan Beth Lehman

Susan Beth Lehman

Articles 3 minute read