Susan Batson

{{short description|American producer, actress, author, and acting coach}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Susan Batson

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|occupation = {{flatlist|

• Actress
• author
• acting coach}}

|years_active = 1965–present

|website = {{nowrap|{{URL|http://www.susanbatsonstudionyc.com/}}}}

|alma_mater = Emerson College

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Susan Batson is an American producer, actress, author, acting coach, and a life member of the Actors Studio.{{cite book|author=David Garfield |title=A Player's Place: The Story of the Actors Studio|url=https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf|url-access=registration|year=1980 |publisher=MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. |location=New York |isbn= 0-02-542650-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf/page/277 277] |chapter=Appendix: Life Members of the Actors Studio as of January 1980}} Batson graduated from Girls Latin School{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Kevin |title=Susan Batson relives her part in 'Creation of the World' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67710779/susan-batson/ |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=The Boston Globe |date=January 16, 1973 |page=30|via = Newspapers.com}} and Emerson College.{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Kevin |title=Susan Batson tells her 'horror story' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67708327/susan-batson/ |access-date=January 15, 2021 |work=The Boston Globe |date=January 12, 1973 |page=38|via = Newspapers.com}}

One of three sisters born to John Batson and Ruth (Watson) Batson (the latter a noted civil rights activist), Susan trained with Harold Clurman, Uta Hagen, Herbert Berghof at HB Studio,{{Cite web|url=https://hbstudio.org/about-hb-studio/alumni/|title=Alumni|website=HB Studio|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-17}} and Lee Strasberg. She has coached notable actresses including Academy Award (Oscar)-winning actresses Nicole Kidman and Juliette Binoche.{{Cite book|title=Truth: Personas, Needs, and Flaws in the Art of Building Actors and Creating Characters|last=Batson|first=Susan|year=2013|isbn=978-0-615-90490-0|oclc=942705299}}{{cite web |title=OBIE Awards website|url=https://www.obieawards.com/?s=Batson |publisher=American Theatre Wing and Village Voice |access-date=January 15, 2021}}

Batson won the 1971 Obie Award for her performance in AC-DC. On Broadway, she performed in George M! (1968) and The Leaf People (1975), and produced the 2006 production of A Raisin in the Sun.{{cite web |title=Susan Batson profile|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/susan-batson-88048 |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115214859/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/susan-batson-88048 |archive-date=January 15, 2021}} Her work in Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for her.