RAT Q&A: Susan Toppen

Name: Susan Toppen

Grade: 12

1. What is your act?
“For RAT I will [be] playing a song on the ukulele and singing.”
2. How did you prepare?
“I have prepared for RAT by practicing for a good majority of winter break. Every day I would just sit down and play. I just love making music, so it was fun to sit down and simply create music.”
3. What made you audition with your act?
“I auditioned because my friend, Anna Breaugh, told me I should. She is such a supporter to me, not only in music but in life, to be honest. I always wanted to do something for RAT to put myself out there, so this year, with the help of Anna, I decided to go for it.”
4. Tell us the moment you were selected for RAT?
“I originally auditioned with a different song, and Mrs. DeMeester asked me to try something a little different, so I did, and then she told me she wanted me to do it in the show. I honestly love the song I am playing now, and I’m super excited to share it.”
5. How do you feel about cilantro?
“Honestly, we have our ups and our downs. I feel like I give cilantro so much of myself, and most of the time it ends up just using me. Honestly, that is all I want to say about that, and I would appreciate some privacy during this rocky time.”
6. Money, power, or good looks: which would you rather have an unlimited supply of and
why?
“Power. This is obviously the correct answer. With power you have influence. With influence, you can ‘influence’ others to give you their money. Bam. Unlimited supply of money. With influence, you can also ‘influence’ others to believe you are someone who [possesses] good looks. Bam. Unlimited good looks. Also with unlimited power, you could help those in need and make those around the world change to using more sustainable methods in the sense of food, shopping, etc. Therefore, I would choose power.”
7. Are you friends with the stage?
“The stage and I have an interesting relationship. While I love performing in various theatre shows (plays, musicals, and improv), I am human and get really nervous before performing. But once I fight through the nerves and get on stage, it is a thrill like no other. So I would say that the stage and I have some pretty good memories and are some pretty good pals.”