Faculty Feature: Beth Peterson

Beth Peterson is often found in the theater in
Baker 120, chatting or working with acting students.

A lover of stage fighting, guilty pleasure TV shows, and bringing out confidence in students, drama instructor Beth Peterson has had a passion for theater since she was a child. Many years of acting eventually led Peterson to teaching, something she always knew she would end up doing. 

“I was kind of a bit of a vagabond” said Peterson about her post-college acting career doing Summer Stock and Rep Theater performances. “Those were really exciting times.”

Now, Peterson brings the excitement with her to EvCC. Students taking Peterson’s classes learn by doing. It’s all about playing and creating.

“It’s experiential,” said Peterson about teaching acting. “There’s just a lot of play involved and I don’t think that there’s enough attention paid to playing and the importance of playing. In my sketch classes especially, we get to create and we create in the moment and I think that that’s a very important thing that people need to do.” 

"I always knew that I wanted my 

theater to have an impact on the 

people that I was trying to reach."

Most important in Peterson’s teaching style is her connection with students. She knows how to work with students of all types of acting experience, from the stage-frightened to the skilled-thespian. Part of Peterson’s philosophy is challenging all of her students to grow. 

“I think one of the things that is exciting about having a performance class is that you really see the growth that happens from the beginning of the term to the end,” said Peterson. “I really like being able to see a student who is petrified to go on stage and who is really awkward and just scared to death of putting two sentences together in front of an audience, but at the end of the term have all this confidence and bravado.”

Along with being able to bring out the inner actor in students, Peterson is also never afraid to show her own sparkling personality. She’s known to throw in an accent in normal conversation, sing along to show tunes in her car, and change her outfits based on the latest play she has seen or is directing.

“It’s a calling,” says Peterson about acting. “Recently we had a guest artist come here and one of the things that he said that really rang true was that there are some people that get into theater to find themselves and there are some that get in it to lose themselves. And I think that’s really true. For me it’s always been about finding myself."

Beth Peterson in her natural environment: the stage.

Q&A:

Q: What is your favorite TV show?

A: That’s a hard question, I have a ton of favorite TV shows. If I had to narrow it down I would say my favorite TV show right now is either Game of Thrones or Justified. But I watch so many TV shows.

Q: What’s your favorite food?

A: Fudge.

Q: Do you have a favorite place?

A: My favorite place I’ve ever been is London, England.

Q: What’s your favorite outdoor activity?

A: If I have to go outside, probably outdoor theatre. Which is the expected answer.

Q: Favorite music group?

A: I mostly listen to show tunes, so that’s a hard one.

Q: Do you have a favorite play or musical?

A: Right now it’s Les Mis because of Hugh Jackman. That’s in my car CD player, it’s been in my car CD player since I bought it. And I just bought the extended version which is going to replace that one.

Q: What is your favorite class to teach?

A: I like all my classes for different reasons. Sketch is always really fun, but I think Intro to Theater. What I like about that is that we explore a lot of different time periods and I really get to expose people to things that they’ve never encountered before and that discovery is really exciting to me.

Q: What’s your favorite color?

A: It used to be purple, but now it’s red.

Q: What is a favorite role that you have played?

A: I have two favorite parts that I have played, one is Rosalind in “As You Like It” and Hannah in “Night of the Iguana.” Those were two plays that I didn’t want to end.

Q: If there was anything that you could be doing what would it be?

A: I want to travel. It’s been an itch of mine and I’ve been trying to make it happen. I want to go to Europe, I want to study theater in different countries.

A day in the life of Beth... 

"It usually involves me going and getting my cat Guido. And forcing him to come inside to eat, because I describe him as my bad boyfriend cat. Its love on his own terms… But yeah, usually I go see if Guido’s at the door and I’ll give him food. Then I drive from Seattle to Everett, I live in Seattle so I have to drive.... listening to Les Mis on the CD in my car which has been playing nonstop in my car since I got it, repeating the songs that include Hugh Jackman several times. And if it’s the confrontation scene I’ll take the part of Javert so that it seems like I’m doing a duet with Hugh Jackman. And then I’ll have a couple of classes, my acting class and then my sketch class. Usually there’s at least one moment of utter hilarity that happens where everyone is laughing hysterically at something someone said or did. Which is a great way to start a day. And then I’ll usually get my cup of tea with honey and cream and then lunch. If I can I try to eat with my colleagues, which is fun. Or I’ll grab something from the cafeteria and eat in Baker with the students. And then we start rehearsal. Then I’ll come home and do my homework, grade, whatever, and then I’ll do my guilty pleasure TV watching. Like tonight’s going to be “Project Runway” and I’ll do this little game where I rate the runway in order. And that’s a typical day.”

Story by Lily Haight