Meet Artistic Producer of The Dolphin Show, Bailey Sutton!

Name: Bailey Sutton

Age: 21

Year: Senior

Major: History & Political Science

Hometown: Garden City, NY

1.     What has your history with The Dolphin Show been? What are the different roles you’ve had with the show (acting, production, crew, etc.)?

This is my first year working on The Dolphin Show! I started really getting involved in theatre at Northwestern my sophomore year as a stage manager and have been working my way through arts administration since then. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to get involved in the organization before I graduate and feel so lucky to have done so in such a large capacity.

2.     What sparked your interest in theater?

I’ve been involved in theatre for as long as I can remember. My parents put me in theatre camps as a kid as an outlet for my energy and I was always forcing my friend to write plays with me when we’d hang out. I was in all the school plays growing up and my senior year of high school I was the student director for our musical, which was half assistant directing and half assistant stage managing, and then directed our Shakespeare play. When I got to Northwestern, I originally didn’t think to get involved in theatre, but went to an info session during Welcome Week and signed up for the newsletter and listserv. After getting rejected from all the student groups I applied to (in typical freshman fashion), I saw an ad in the newsletter for The Freshman Musical and interviewed with them. They signed me on as the assistant stage manager (a position I had never heard of until that point) and I went on from there stage managing, then joining a board, and finally producing. 

3.     How did you all come up with the show “Little Shop of Horrors”?

When we first met, Janie, my co-producer, and I both expressed a desire to push the boundaries of what The Dolphin Show could be in terms of the organization and the show. To us, this meant choosing a show with very relevant and poignant themes and we were lucky enough to find a director, Maggie, who wanted those same things. The three of us went through a very extensive show selection process with that in mind and ultimately settled on Little Shop of Horrors because of the way it approaches class, race, domestic violence, and the American Dream. Especially following the election, this show feels more relevant than ever and has been very cathartic for me to work on and invest myself in.

4.     What was your part in the show this year (what did your job as producer entail)?

The easiest way I’ve been able to describe my job to people is that I am in charge of overseeing everything you see on stage. I did all the budgeting for the production itself, working with designers to facilitate and help execute their designs, and managing all of the people on the artistic team. A lot of what I do it communication based – working through problems with the team and sending emails – while also looking ahead at the bigger picture and trying to balance all of the details of putting on a broadway-sized show with that. Since we began build at the end of winter break up until we finish striking and loading everything out of Cahn, this is a full-time job for me. 

5.     The whole, main production crew is made up of women; that’s amazing! Has that ever been a thing before at The Dolphin Show?

It has been, but it’s still very uncommon. The last time there was an all women leadership team was 2002 when Dolphin did “Damn Yankees”

6.     How did that impact the making of the show or the way the show went?

I think it definitely affected how we approached the show. Something that Maggie felt was very important from the beginning was portraying Audrey without the typical stereotypes she’s given – huge blonde hair, tight outfits, very thick Brooklyn accent. The way Megan Orticelli plays the character gives Audrey much more depth and instead uses her femininity as a way to protect herself from the violence she face. We also chose to have the plant played by a woman, which is atypical of the show, and incorporated the trio much more prominently in the production as narrator figures. The women overall really stand out in this production and I think that our perspective as an all-female team contributed to that. 

7.     Were there things you all did that would have different than if it were a male led show?

I think that because we were an all woman team and one that was committed to making a statement with our show, it was at the forefront of our goals to make women a prominent part of the production. I’m not sure that would have happened if it were a male led show. 

8.     What was one of your favorites scenes/lines from “Little Shop of Horrors?”

One of my favorite moments overall is the transition into “Da Doo” – when Alex Schneidman, playing Seymour, steps off the edge of the shop the lights change instantly into the lighting for the song and for some reason I think it’s just the funniest thing every time. 

9.     Where are your plans for the future? Does it involve theater?

Right now, I’m hoping to pursue politics, specifically human rights and non-profit work, in D.C. Theatre is not out of the realm of possibility, but I have a lot of passion for foreign affairs and human rights advocacy that I want to explore professionally. 

10.  If you could rename the play, what would you call it?

As uncreative as it is, I think “Audrey II” would suit it nicely. 

11.  What is your current theme song/anthem?

So I’m currently rediscovering my alt rock/pop punk phase (which I’m not totally sure I ever left) and am obsessed with the Spotify playlist “I’m an Emo Kid.” “Miss Murder” by AFI and everything by All Time Low are my current go tos. 

12.  What is your favorite show you’ve ever worked on?

At Northwestern, I really loved working on Arts Alliance’s “Assassins.” I was going through a lot personally while I was working on it and the show itself was a massive undertaking, which provided me a lot of distraction from everything that was going on in my life. But as a history major and true crime lover, the story itself was so exciting and interesting and I love the score. The team was also really amazing and it was the first time I stage managed a musical. It was a very memorable experience and taught me a lot about myself. 

13.  What is, currently, your favorite Broadway/theater show?

I saw “Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812” over winter break and was absolutely floored. I really love when theatre pushes boundaries in terms of design and the immersive nature of the set and the show itself was incredible. I was sitting at one of the on-stage seats and was inches away from ensemble members and Josh Grobin, who is playing Pierre. It’s also a super fun show and since a lot of my academic focus has been Russian history I just loved every second of it. 

Anything else you’d like to add? 

Part of why i love Dolphin as an organization is the inclusivity of it. As a non-theatre major who came from a very minimalistic high school theatre program, I’ve taught myself almost everything. Part of Dolphin’s mission is to give everyone a position who wants one and finding a group on campus at the scale of The Dolphin Show with that as a core value means so much to me. Janie and I also tried expanding that this year by restructuring the business team and executive board to try and make the organization function better and be more transparent as well as instituting an open call as part of our auditions process. The open call in particular was very important to me because I know how difficult it is to get into theatre on campus if you’re outside of the department. We had 28 people attend and ended up casting two of our ensemble members from it. I think that’s my proudest accomplishment of this year and I’m excited for it to be a part of The Dolphin Show in the future.

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