If asked to describe this unique individual in one word, it would be a tough call, but the word “colorful” seems most appropriate. And this would not be an indication of skin color or dress sense, merely an indication of a state of being.

A play on her first name of “Sunnie” would be a good place to start as this lady radiates an incredibly “sunny” personality. Together with her amazing ability to see the bright side of anything, her zest for life is quite infectious and led to her once being asked to be someone’s life coach.

Although she politely declined, changing direction is not new to Sunnie Pennington. Born in Henderson, NC, she received degrees in both theatre and psychology and is two courses short of a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish. Pennington also completed two years of a Master’s degree in Waldorf Education and ended up teaching Spanish in a Waldorf school for several years.

Waldorf education is not a new concept, but not everyone may be familiar with it. Based upon the educational philosophy of Rudolph Steiner, Waldorf learning is interdisciplinary, integrating practical, artistic and intellectual elements, and is coordinated with the natural rhythms of everyday life. Pennington was so impressed with the concept she enrolled her daughter, Celestial, at the age of three and it seems that is where the seeds were sown for another artist in the family.

During her nine years at Waldorf, Celestial was introduced to eurythmy, a form of movement that aids learning by visualizing speech and sound. The technique nourishes children and fosters inner confidence through art. By the time she had done her first play, Celestial knew what she wanted to do with her life.

“I’d done one play – I was a tree,” she said. “I came home and said I wanted to be an actress.” By fifth grade, she knew she wanted to do film and television and her mom never told her she couldn’t. Like Yin and Yang, mother and daughter could not be more different yet be so compatible. Where Celestial knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life and where she wanted to be, Sunnie, although endlessly supportive of her daughter’s choices, never had any ambition or goals.

“I live by my antennae and go by my heart,” she said. “My life comes to me,” she added. That being the case, when Celestial got the lead role in The Little Mermaid here in Wilmington, in the summer before ninth grade, the Penningtons decided to relocate to Kure Beach.
Once settled, Sunnie created her own studio at home and now coaches aspiring actors and actresses. Beyond that, she dips in and out of whatever comes along. She directed and produced Noah’s Ark and re-wrote some of the more poetic parts. Her husband, head of a mission camp called “Galilee by the Sea” that re-models houses for people in dire need, is also a talented writer. He wrote the rest of the play and the music and writes much of the material for her coaching. “We’re planning to do a book together,” said Pennington.
That’s probably the only plan she ever made. “I recently found out I was a good head-shot photographer,” said Pennington. She was first asked by one of her actors who had a decent camera and it snowballed from there. Knowing how important every detail is to casting directors, she brings the subject in really close to focus on the subject’s eye color.

This year, color became a unifying theme for Pennington and herdaughter in the form of the movie Color Blind shot locally this summer. Celestial found the ad and wanted to audition but brought her mother along for good measure. “I talked her into auditioning,” said Celestial. So Sunnie casually asked, “Do you have a role for an old, tired person?” Lo and behold, Celestial landed the role of best friend to the lead and Sunnie was cast as the stunning Spanish teacher that all the young school boys had a crush on.

The movie was written and produced by Carolina Beach author Jackie Brown, based on her novel Blue Eyes Blind. The movie is based on the story of Brown’s high school experiences in the 1960s, focusing on black and white relationships. According to Pennington, Brown hopes to submit the movie to the Sundance Festival later this year.

Meanwhile, life doesn’t stand still for the Penningtons: Celestial was recently cast as Mary-Jane in the Web series of Spiderman and just recently auditioned for two major roles, one of which is a big-budget Screen Actors Guild (SAG) movie; Sunnie continues her studio work which usually involves more than coaching – she fast-tracks her actors to help them get agents and secure independent film roles.

Celestial continues to study hard at school so she can pursue her career with full support from her school. According to Pennington, the principal at Ashley High School is very understanding about the demands of her work because she is serious about what she wants to do with her life. She has set her sights on going to college and maybe studying business with minors in film or theatre. She has taken acting lessons with many different people over the years and realizes she’s still got a long way to go but feels she’s on the right track. “It’s really cool to work with all these people who are so passionate about what they do even though they’re not making a lot of money right now – you’re going to climb the ladder for a long time,” said Celestial.

November 2008

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