Tracy Mitchell enjoyed 25 years as an award-winning film and television producer before moving on to act two, in which she stepped into the role of Executive Director of the not-for-profit Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, Long Island. Today, some 15 years later, Sag Harbor is benefiting from Tracy’s desire to utilize the inimitable ability of theater to strengthen community bonds while presenting live entertainment.
For Tracy, the task of managing the creative, financial, and operational aspects of a venue like Bay Street Theater means interacting with a host of people, including board members, fellow producers, agents, audience members, performers, crew members, stage managers, and individuals working in marketing, ticket sales, and theater maintenance.
Having navigated a non-profit theater through the fiscal crisis, hurricane Sandy, and most recently, the pandemic and its after-effects, Tracy, like most successful producers, knows there is always a new challenge regarding theater. It keeps her ready to take on such challenges while keeping an eye on future offerings for Bay Street Theater.
We met with Tracy Mitchell to find out more about Bay Street Theater.
How far ahead do you try to book productions, and what are the first steps?
We often read scripts with Artistic Director Scott Schwartz years in advance. Each year, through our New Works Festival, we are fortunately inundated with over 300 new scripts from new voices from around the country. This is often an exciting time of discovery—to read a new story with a new vision and perspective. Of course, much happens between that discovery and an entirely produced production, which can take years. As life changes around us, so do the stories we tell, how we tell them, and whose voices are doing the telling.
What does theater bring to the community, and what does the community bring to the theater?
I love this question because theater is so much about the greater community at large. What is happening in the world? How are people feeling? What do they need or think they need now? Perhaps more conversation is required following a complicated story. We believe that the audience is the final piece in creating any production. And the proof of good theater is that it leaves the audience talking and having further conversations about the story.
Who inspired you to get involved in the production aspect of entertainment?
Going back to childhood, I was a singer in a group that performed worldwide for presidents and dictators and across stages, large and small. I’m dating myself here, but I performed with Wayne Newton on the Kraft Music Hall Christmas Special, which used to air every year.
During our rehearsal, a woman came out with a clipboard and was fully in charge—correcting things that were wrong, making sure the team was in place, and that we were all moving in the right direction. It was an a-ha moment for me. I loved that she was making us better, that we all felt safer, and that everyone knew what would happen next.
What gives you the most joy about a production where all the pieces fit together nicely?
It’s triumphant when it all comes together! And it’s usually after much work, many issues having been resolved, solving problems that arise, and just dealing with everything and anything that gets thrown at you—big or small. Does the electricity go out? Better find power. A performer gets in a car accident on the way to the theater. First, find out how they’re doing, then determine if they can be replaced if an understudy does not exist. Many things happen, and one needs to keep level-headed while realizing the show must go on.
The pandemic may be behind us, but COVID is still prevalent. What precautions are you still taking for safety?
We still take COVID seriously, as the last thing we want is our staff, cast, volunteers, or audience members to get sick because they’ve come to Bay Street. So, we do remain vigilant. If someone on the production team has it, then we begin regular testing with the cast and stagehands, as they, too, work in close quarters, and we want to catch it quickly before it spreads. We continue deep cleaning and still utilize hand sanitizers around the theater space. We also encourage audience members to feel free to wear masks as they wish and provide them if they have forgotten them.
For more information on Tracy Mitchell and Bay Street Theater, visit baystreet.org