Interview: Mo Bailey On Playing Joyce Byers and Puppet Will in STRANGER SINGS! THE PARODY MUSICAL at Shifted Lens

Shifted Lens opens its 2026/2027 season with STRANGER SINGS! THE PARODY MUSICAL, a hilarious “upside down” take on the hit Netflix series and all its campy 1980s glory. Running weekends October 31 through November 14, 2026 at the brand-new Storyteller Theater in Aurora, CO, the show takes audiences back to Hawkins, Indiana in 1983, when times were simpler, hair was bigger, and unsupervised children were getting snatched by inter-dimensional creatures. Mike, Eleven, Lucas, Dustin, and the whole Hawkins gang are back for a night of adventure, pubescent angst, heavy synth, poor parenting, dancing monsters, and maybe, just maybe, justice for Barb.

Returning for her second production with the company is Mo Bailey, who plays both Joyce Byers and Will, the latter as a puppet. A performer specializing in musical theater, early music, and modern works, Bailey’s recent stage highlights include Queenie in THE WILD PARTY with Shifted Lens, Cinderella in INTO THE WOODS, Rosalie Mullins in SCHOOL OF ROCK, and Diana in NEXT TO NORMAL. Her opera credits include Zerlina in DON GIOVANNI and First Lady in DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, and as the longtime resident soprano of the Boulder vocal quintet Solis, she performed alongside Jónsi of Sigur Rós and can be heard on the soundtrack for UNCUT GEMS.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Bailey about community theatre as her most valued “Third Space,” learning puppetry from scratch, and channeling Winona Ryder.

What drew you back to Shifted Lens for a second production, and how does this experience compare to your first one with the company?

Shifted Lens truly embodies what community theatre can and should be, so coming back for a second production was a no-brainer. Community theatre is my most valued Third Space; it’s a place where I get to tell stories, hone my craft, learn from really talented people, and make lifelong friendships. Lexie, Shifted Lens’ Artistic Director, has cultivated an environment where all of that is more than possible, and showing up to rehearsal every day feels like home.

Coming back for a second show with Shifted Lens, I feel the same sense of camaraderie and creative synergy I did during our last show, but it has been a wildly different experience as an actor. Going straight from playing Queenie in THE WILD PARTY, a very emotionally heavy and dramatic role, into playing Joyce and Will in STRANGER SINGS! has been such a fun rollercoaster.

Playing both Joyce Byers and the puppet Will Byers sounds like a fascinating challenge. How did you approach developing two such different characters in one show?

Going into rehearsals, I knew it would be a challenge, but I had no idea how much it would stretch me as an actor. This is my first time representing a well-known character in pop culture (and in this case, somewhat of a Winona Ryder impression) and my first time exploring puppetry, so it’s been a huge learning experience. In terms of my approach, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to “live” in the minds and bodies of each character (though it’s hard to imagine being a two-foot-tall puppet!). I wrote out a detailed backstory for each of them, what their inner monologue sounds like, how they move and walk, their individual relationships with each character in the show. I also used this show as an excuse to rewatch Season 1 of STRANGER THINGS and spoke back all of Joyce and Will’s lines while watching, which was an indulgent exercise.

What has the process of learning puppetry been like for you, and what has surprised you most about it?

My hand, fingers, and shoulders are sore, but my heart has a new love for puppetry. There were no skills in my arsenal that resembled puppetry, so I have been deeply humbled learning this art form. I attended YouTube University to get the basics down and then spent a lot of time in front of my bathroom mirror figuring out both the mechanics and how to make little Will come to life. The biggest surprise or realization I had in this process is how much you have to remove yourself from the picture. I am the “machine” that powers the puppet, but my goal is to get the audience to focus solely on Will and not on anything my face or body is doing. It’s so challenging to not look my castmates and audience members in the eye and to keep my visual focus on the puppet.

How do you physically and vocally shift between Joyce’s very human, frantic energy and voicing and operating Will as a puppet?

Shifting between Joyce and Will, physically and vocally, is easily my biggest hurdle in the show. The character voices, even in dialogue, are so distinct and require physical changes to how I’m using my larynx and the muscles around it. I have to constantly be thinking of placement and the shape of my words in ways that are new to me as an actor, and that’s before adding the layer of singing.

Physically, Joyce is full of frantic, anxious, and slightly paranoid energy. She is strung out, likely hasn’t slept much, and is heavily caffeinated and running on cigarettes. I’ve been walking around my house like Joyce, trying to embody her, such that my dog sometimes runs upstairs to get away from my energy! Will is a pre-pubescent boy whose biggest problems until now have largely happened at the D&D table. He is naïve, overly trusting, and lacks complete control over his limbs, so translating that into puppetry has been a fun process.

Were you a fan of STRANGER THINGS before taking on this role, and how has that influenced your take on Joyce?

I LOVE STRANGER THINGS and was an early fan when the first season came out. Season 4 is one of my favorite seasons of television of all time (feel free to ask me about my feelings on Season 5 when you come see the show...). I’ve admired Winona Ryder, god, what an icon, since I was young, so I’ve been trying to channel her as best I can while still adding my own spin on Joyce.

What makes STRANGER SINGS! stand out as a parody, especially for audiences who know the source material well?

The volume of pop culture references in this musical, alongside endless references to Season 1 of the TV show, is a feat in itself. It is truly the silliest piece of theatre I have ever done, and that’s what makes it so special. STRANGER SINGS! doesn’t take itself seriously, but it does honor the show in a way that I hope will satisfy STRANGER THINGS fans. As performers, the writers have given us a playground of comedy and tomfoolery, which I hope the audience will feel when they’re in the theater with us.

What do you hope audiences take away from seeing STRANGER SINGS! at Shifted Lens, especially if they’re longtime fans of the show it parodies?

I hope audiences get to lose themselves in the absurd world we’ve created, get their fix of STRANGER THINGS deep cuts, and leave humming ‘Welcome to Hawkins’ with abs sore from laughing. We all need more silliness and laughter in our lives, and those are two things audiences can count on when they show up to The Storyteller for STRANGER SINGS! THE PARODY MUSICAL.

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Upcoming Shows

Stranger Sings

10/31 - 11/14/2026