Exclusive: Susan Goulet Is Upholding the CHICAGO Legacy One Stencil at a Time

Forget about painting the town. Susan Goulet, House Electrician for Chicago, is painting the alley. With the help of a few cast members at the Ambassador Theatre and the permission of the Shubert Organization, she has revamped the alleyway that leads from 49th Street to the stage door, filling the brick walls with names from the revival's almost-30 years on Broadway.

She recently checked in with BroadwayWorld to tell us all about the project!

What inspired you to do this?

After the pandemic, Chicago opted to keep the backstage visitor policy very strict until just a few months ago and when it changed back to allowing guests. I thought it would be really nice if the alley area welcomed people and created a sense of being “backstage” as soon as they came in off the street.  

I first approached the Shubert Organization to get permission to paint the Chicago logo on the wall that people see as soon as they enter and they were really helpful. The Shubert painters, headed by Joe Pastor, not only assisted but they gave all the walls a fresh coat of white paint which then inspired me to tell a story as people entered. The history of the show is something visitors always ask about so the timeline is there to answer all of those questions. When the show opened, which theaters it played, who won Tonys…it’s all there.

Next I spoke to several members of the company, including Drew Nellessen and Barrett Martin, to think of ways to pay tribute to all of the amazing performers who have literally built the legacy that is Chicago show by show 8 times a week. We considered an autograph wall like Rent had when it played the Nederlander... and then I thought of the tradition that Wicked has of putting the name cards up on the walls.

I realized that the chronology of when the performers were in Chicago was equally as important to the history of the show. I went to work researching through IBDB, press releases and reached out to past company manager Marion Taylor as well to put together the most accurate and comprehensive list I could of every performer in the principal roles and the ensemble in order of the first date they began. Some performers are on the wall twice because they began in the ensemble and went on to play principal roles for a week or more.  If I discover that I have missed someone I quickly repaint and make the correction! We also added two really great red benches that were donated by Barrett so that people can sit and enjoy the vibe we created while they wait to see their friends.

How long did it take you to complete?

It took a few weeks to paint the logo and get it just right, then another week or so for the timeline. I borrowed a small projector from a friend to help position the artwork which helped a lot.  For the names project I researched for a couple of months and started cutting out the names (with a Cricut!) so that when I was ready to begin painting much of the prep work was complete. I spent about a week finding the right font that would work as a stencil but not look like a stencil and found a great one through an individual designer on Etsy who reformatted his font so it would work with the Cricut. The stencil works really well, but I do go back over each name with very small detail brushes to make sure everything looks as perfect as possible on a very uneven brick wall!

Do you intend to add to the lists as time goes on?

I will absolutely add as each and every new performer joins the company.  When I retire I hope to leave the project in the hands of someone who will continue the tradition- as I expect Chicago will outlast my work at the Ambassador.

What kind of response has it gotten for the Chicago family?

The response has been overwhelming and so positive.  Cast and musicians often stood with me as I painted and encouraged  me daily. At first I think people were not optimistic that I could pull of the names project, but as it started to take shape people became so invested.  So many people have said, “This is truly so beautiful and means so much to all of us.  We feel so seen and so appreciated.”  That is the best…to know that I have brought joy to people who bring so much joy to others.  I have heard from cast members I have known for years who are no longer with the show like my dear friend, Donna Marie Asbury, who I have known since I was 19 years old as well as people I haven’t met who were in the show before I began at the Ambassador in 2017.  For many of the people I’ve heard from they say, “It is such an honor to be on that wall. Thank you so much for doing this.”  What could be better than creating something to honor each of those beautiful performers who brought their best so that Chicago could become the legacy it is today.