About Susan

Susan Scannell Gilbert was born in Lexington Massachusetts.  After attending the University of New Hampshire as a Musical Theater Major she left her studies to begin a career as a model with the Eileen Ford Modeling Agency in New York City.  Her first booking led to the cover of Seventeen Magazine.

 Susan soon joined the cast of the syndicated soap opera Another Life, and soon landed contract roles on shows such as, Search For Tomorrow, Ryan’s Hope and appearances on One Life to Live and All My Children.  Daytime soaps led to a contract role on the prime time hit, Dynasty, and guest roles on episodes of The A-Team and Remington Steele.

 While acting, Ms. Scannell Gilbert kept her love of music alive by appearing at nightclubs such as: Dangerfields, Maxims, The Silver Lining, Carlos & Charlie’s and others, as well as performing her original songs on The Merv Griffin Show.  She also sang the National Anthem at Shea Stadium.

 Taking a hiatus from the performing world Susan entered the world of business, sales and marketing.

After succeeding in the corporate world, she resumed performing and began singing on various cruise lines.  Ms. Scannell Gilbert ’s love of singing and writing led to writing a one-woman musical called “Love Jokes” which received a grant from Queens Public Television.

 As a writer/actress Ms. Scannell Gilbert is a member of ASCAP, AFTRA and SAG.  She is a three-time winner in Joel Selmeier’s New York One Minute Play Competition, which led to her scripts being published in “Rosebud Magazine”.  She is also the winner of DramaLogues 1988 Critics Award for outstanding achievement in theater for her comedic performance in Dream Girl by Elmer Rice.

 From 2001 – 2005 she served as the Founding Executive Director of the award-winning Astoria Performing Arts Center (www.apacny.org) in Astoria, NY, where along with producing popular shows for the public, she was able to create musical theater programs for youth (“Summer Stars”) and Seniors (“Senior Stars”) which are free to all participants (www.apacny.org).   She left APAC in good hands and it is a thriving theater to this day.  Susan can be found on the stage in Massachusetts where she enjoys performing roles that “tickle my mind and heart.”

 In 2022 Susan was Founding President of Senior Smilez (www.seniorsmilez.org) mobile theater troupe dedicated to bringing live theater to those living in senior living facilities.

 Susan is married to Robert Gilbert whom she met at a Gulf gas station when she returned to MA.  They are currently living happily ever after.