Sandra Seaton: Helping kids take the stage

Sandra Seaton is a creative person.

If you’ve been to one of her plays at Lake City High, you already knew that.

Whether it is designing a set, costumes or selecting a play for her students to perform, that’s only just a little bit of what makes the longtime Lake City teacher tick.

Her daughters, Kit and Cat, are just like mom — creative, whether that be in books or cartoons.

“Kit is a teacher at Savannah College of Art and Design and just published a new book, ‘Afar,’ that she illustrated,” Seaton said. “And Cat lives in Portland. They’re on their way in September to the Peace Corps in Morocco. They do ‘Kit and Cat’ comics together. They’re just like the Bronte sisters. That’s their goal.”

And speaking of goals, when Sandra met her husband, Terrell, he made the promise to take her to the mountains.

Someday — 40 years later — has turned into home as well, as the couple prepares to celebrate their 40th wedding aniversary in June.

“A long time ago, when my husband and I got married, he said ‘I promise, someday, I’ll take you to the mountains,’” Seaton said.

They haven’t regretted it since.

What was your favorite play to do?

“I’m indulging myself and doing ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ next year. I’ve been thinking about ‘Hamlet’ a lot, so I think we’ll do Hamlet. I just had so much fun doing this last musical, even though I worked myself crazy with ‘Something’s Afoot.’ Doing that one, it’s like doing three plays at once, because you’re doing the music, the acting part and the dance. As a high school theater teacher, you’re building your own set, getting costumes and it’s a one-woman show. And that’s me. It was so much fun to do at the end of it though.”

Has there been a play that you haven’t done that you want to do?

“I always have to think about if it’s appropriate for a high school class to do. There’s probably a lot. Things like ‘God of Carnage,’ which won a Tony. There’s a few that I’d love to do. I’ve done 150 plays in my career, so I’ve done a lot, but there’s a lot that I haven’t done yet. There’s a bucket list that if I had my way, I’d like to take on and try.”

What led to the decision to become a drama director?

“It was terrifying the first time I directed a show. Seriously. But I did high school theater and there was no escaping it. I kept coming back to it and couldn’t get away from it. Every time I would think in college, ‘this is just too hard, and I’m going to major in something else.’ I changed my major three times, and every time I came back it was back to theater. It was just something I had to do. I had a really great high school teacher.”

What do you enjoy about it?

“Teaching the kids the process. Teaching kids to be self-reliant, to be creative and have ownership of their product. My kids are right there with me. Each Saturday, we’re here building sets, painting sets. The whole sense of accomplishment that comes out of something like that.”

Ever acted?

“I haven’t acted in anything at the Lake City Playhouse, but I’ve directed down there. I don’t do much acting. I did in college and I did in high school. I’m satisfied to be behind the scenes. Being the force that drives those forward. I’ve had some great kids come out of the program and do really well in that realm, and in fact, all walks of it.”

How do you relax?

“My guilty indulgence is HGTV. Watching home decorating and moving my own furniture around, and painting rooms. I am a creative person, and I can’t stop being that. The other really fun thing for me to do is hang out with my own kids. They don’t live very close, so it doesn’t happy very often. But it’s nice when it does.”

What is something people might not know about you?

“If you’re talking to my high school kids, it’s that I actually went through what they’re doing right now. I’m usually pretty open with people.”

What do you love about this area?

“I grew up in Missouri, and those are old, old, low mountains. And he said he’d take me to the mountains. It’s that sense of awe and wonder when you’re out in nature. You can experience and see how beautiful this area really is. The whole sense of, wow, what it took to create this setting. I think it’s just the whole outdoors. And there’s a great theater community, and I’ve made some great friends in this community. It’s a feeling of being a part of something that’s bigger than myself.”

Snapshot

Born and raised: Born in Las Vegas, raised in Kansas City, Mo., near Blue Springs.

Education: Graduated high school from Blue Springs High, undergraduate work at University of Central Missouri with a degree in communication; Master’s Degree from Central Washington University in Ellensburg in theatre production.

Favorite play: We just finished ‘The Importance of Being Earnest.’

Favorite movie: ‘Steel Magnolias.’ “When it came out, it had a huge impact on me. All of the powerful women in that movie and the determination.”

Favorite Musical: ‘Into the Woods.’

Quality you admire most in someone else: Tenacity. “The willingness to work hard to get where they need to go.”

Favorite quote: “Did I ever give you a signed contract that promises logic,” Louis C. Catron from ‘Where Have All The Lightning Bugs Gone.’

Family: Husband, Terrell — couple will celebrate 40th wedding anniversary in June — two daughters: Kristen “Kit” (35) and Caitlin “Cat” (27).