Betsy Bisson

Betsy Bisson (provided by Betsy Bisson)

“Go back and do it again,” she said calmly. I took a deep shivering breath and stated my name and monologue once more. It was 9 o’clock at night and we had been working since seven. I was tired and was starting to doubt I would ever become a good actor! The rest of the baggy eyed theater students probably thought the same thing. I ran through the piece again and ended it hurriedly; she stared at me and gave me a smile of knowing. I looked at her hopelessly and whined, “I’m tired of doing this monologue! I just can’t do dramas!” She shook her head and spoke reassuringly, “You can do whatever you set your mind to do Emmanuel. You just have to practice! Don’t give up on this monologue. Come back next week and we will do this again, alright?” I slightly nodded, and sat down amongst my other theater comrades. The next week I came back ready to give it another shot, and as I started, Betsy winked at me. My heart rate shot up, and I put all I had into it, knowing that no matter what, Betsy still believed in me. “Yeah, better than last week,” she said very nonchalant as I finished, “All right, who wants to go next?” I was happy as I sat back down, because even though she made it seem like she didn’t care, I knew she was proud of what I at least tried to do.

I met Betsy Bisson in 2005, at auditions for “Charlotte’s Web” at the South Carolina Children’s Theatre. She was directing the show. I remember my first impression of her being, “Oh, she’s really nice!” This impression has stayed with me since that day, and it has only grown over time as I’ve worked with her more and gotten to know her better. She has changed my life in such a way that I believe if I hadn’t met Betsy, I would not be the same person I am right now. She has not only affected my life though, but the lives of many other people also. When interviewing her, I asked what she thought her biggest accomplishment was and she responded by saying, “Impacting lives. Making students think independently and strive for their own personal goals rather than doing what is necessarily expected…” I believe this statement to the fullest extent, and all I need do is point to her accomplishments to prove it.

Betsy is a woman of amazing talent and not just because of her ability to direct and act, but also because she is so amazing with children. “The kids can’t help but to listen to her,” says theater mom, Teisha Houston. That is absolutely true, because when Betsy is working with kids, she works with kids. YouTheater, an award winning theater program in Flat Rock, NC was started by Betsy. She says “The kids needed the challenge.” It did challenge them! It challenged them to become better performers, determine if they wanted to become actors, and to “find their own voice and have no fear of expressing it.” These kids/teenagers that she took in and taught, looked up to her, and she became whatever they needed her to be: Mother, sister, friend, consultant, teacher, advisor, comforter, and the list goes on and on.

Recently, Betsy has moved to South Carolina to work at SCCT (South Carolina Children’s Theatre) as the Executive Artistic/Education Director. Along with directing shows and teaching classes, this is a full time job for her. She has brought about so many changes and introduced many ideas to SCCT since that time. “What do you do in your free time?” I asked when she told me her work schedule, “Hmmm,” she replied, “I spend 10-12 hours a day at the theatre, typically 6 days a week. So pretty much, I go home, hug my dog and sleep. When I have time, I read, try to cook and garden, hike, go to movies. Pretty average stuff.” That does seem all very average, but to many people Betsy is not the average ordinary woman. She is a fairy godmother! She believes that if it is a goal of yours, it can be done. Never say I can’t do it in front of her, she will just ask “why not,” then disprove all your theories. She will also try to help you reach your goal, no matter what. Yes, Betsy can be seen as a fairy godmother!