Backstage, the cast was a bundle of excitement and
nerves. Costume racks clattered, feet shuffled, and
nervous whispers floated through the halls. Out in the
theater, over a thousand people waited for the curtain to
rise… Would she be ready?
It was opening night for a brand-new Broadway musical
called Thoroughly Modern Millie. The whole town was
buzzing with news so shocking, it would become one of
Broadway’s most remarkable breakthrough stories.
After months of rehearsals, costume fittings, and practicing
every song and dance move, the star of the musical had
dropped out, just days before opening night!
Luckily, there was someone else who could play the part…
the understudy!
Being an understudy meant an actor had to know every
line, every song, and every dance step for the lead
character… but they wouldn’t usually perform. They just
had to be ready to go on stage in case the star couldn’t.
Many understudies never get the chance to step into the
spotlight.
But tonight was different.

Tonight, the understudy was Sutton Foster. Her heart
thumped in her chest. Could she do it?
Sutton tiptoed into the dressing room and admired her
costume: a sparkling flapper dress, fringes swinging at her
knees. The tap shoes felt heavy as she slid them on,
click-clack against the wooden floor.
She took a deep breath and headed for the stage.
The lights brightened. The curtain opened. The orchestra
began to play. The audience leaned forward, eager to see
as Sutton Foster took her first step into Broadway history.

I’m GiaNina Paolantonio. A dancer and choreographer.
And this is Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls.

A fairy tale podcast about the real-life rebel women who
inspire us.

On this episode, Sutton Foster – Broadway star, TV
actress, and joyful force of nature.

Sutton Lenore Foster was born on March 18, 1975. She
grew up mostly in Troy, Michigan, a peaceful and quiet city.
Well, quiet except for Sutton, that is. She was full of
energy – every room was her stage! She sang. She
danced. She cartwheeled. She had so much energy, she
might’ve even done all three at once!
Sutton was funny, a little awkward, and bursting with
ideas. Being that kind of kid wasn’t always easy. She often
created imaginary worlds and played by herself.
By age four, she was taking dance lessons. At ten, she
auditioned for a local production of the musical, Annie.
She thought she’d maybe get a small part as one of the
orphans. But when the director heard her sing and saw her
inner spark, Sutton was cast as Annie herself!
Finally, after weeks of learning choreography, training her
voice, and rehearsing after school, it was opening night!
Sutton stepped into the stage lights in a curly red wig, and
unleashed Annie’s iconic song: “Tomorrow, tomorrow…”
Her voice rang out across the theater – the audience
couldn’t take their eyes off her.

Gone was the awkward, unsure little girl. In her place
stood someone confident and at ease. Sutton knew she’d
found a place where she didn’t have to fit in. A place
where she was free to be her silly, energetic, and bold self.
Sutton was born for the stage.

By age fifteen, Sutton was chasing every opportunity she
could find. She performed on Star Search, a talent
competition TV show, and even auditioned for The Mickey
Mouse Club. She didn’t win the TV competition, and she
wasn’t chosen for The Mickey Mouse Club, but she didn’t
let that dim her flame.
By age seventeen, Sutton landed a role in a touring show.
She got to perform for audiences all over the country!
Touring was super exciting and tiring all at once. She
learned to do lightning-fast costume changes, pack her
suitcase in record time, and give her very best
performance… every single show.
Even though Sutton was now a professional actor, she still
had to finish high school! Hotel rooms became
classrooms. Dressing rooms turned into cafeterias.

Homework was done in between her scenes.
Before she knew it, Sutton had earned her Actors’ Equity
Card. An Equity Card is kind of like a golden ticket for
stage actors because it means they can perform on
Broadway in New York City. Many actors wait years and
years for this moment, but Sutton got her card before she
even finished 12th grade.
With courage, talent, and a sprinkle of luck, Sutton wasn’t
just dreaming of Broadway anymore… she was headed
straight for it.

Sutton packed her tap shoes, her sheet music, and her big
Broadway dreams and moved to New York City. Just
having an Equity Card didn’t guarantee her a spot in a
show, though – she still had to audition for parts.
Getting on Broadway would be a big challenge. She was
competing against some of the very best performers in the
world, many of whom had decades more experience than
she did. And there were only so many roles to go around.
Sutton went to audition after audition, and got one
rejection after another. With each “no,” she learned
something new: a tougher song, a tricky dance step, how
to have a thicker skin.

And some of the other performers weren’t exactly kind.
They whispered, gossiped, even roughed her up.
Sutton turned to crafting like cross-stitching and making
collages to quiet her mind and rebuild her confidence.
Creating helped her stay centered, focused, and, most of
all, true to herself.
And she didn’t give up. She took any role she could get,
even small background ones, where she sang and danced
in a chorus, way behind the stars of the show. While she
wasn’t the lead, she gave every part her all.
Sutton had made it on stage, and that alone was a huge
accomplishment! She stayed cheerful and bubbly no
matter how late rehearsals went or how many lines she
had to memorize. She was glad when she had lines at all!
Then, one day, Sutton got an understudy job in a new
Broadway musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie. After
months of rehearsals, the star of the show dropped out
just days before opening night! Suddenly, it was Sutton’s
turn to shine.
Heart pounding, Sutton fought her nerves and stepped on
stage as Millie Dillmount. She tapped. She sang. She
sparkled. She did it all with a grin, radiating joy even when
her feet ached and nerves bubbled inside.

The crowd immediately fell in love with her charm, spunk,
and contagious energy.
It wasn’t just the audience that loved her… critics did too!
They watched the show, then wrote reviews for
newspapers and magazines, letting readers know what
they thought. And everyone agreed: Sutton wasn’t just
filling in… she was a star!
At just 27-years-old, her show-stopping performance as
Millie even won her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a
Musical. On stage at the Tonys, Sutton’s voice wobbled
with joy as she thanked her parents, her brother, her
teachers, and everyone who helped her along the way.
Sutton Foster, once a chorus girl, now held Broadway’s
biggest prize.

After winning her first Tony Award, Sutton’s name was all
over Broadway. It seemed like every musical in town
wanted her as their star. She was in one show after
another, and every new role brought new challenges.

Could Sutton please trip, tumble, and then tap-dance in
the same scene? Yep. Could she sing her heart out while
quickly dancing across the stage? Of course she could.
Could she be covered in green makeup and still make the
audience laugh by just raising an eyebrow? Absolutely.
High kicks, fast taps, giant ballads… what couldn’t she do?
Sutton wasn’t just good at one thing, or even two… she
could sing, act, and dance with equal pizazz. People
called her a triple threat.
Life on Broadway wasn’t all glitter and applause, though. It
was tough work! She performed eight shows a week and
rehearsed all the time.
Even when her body ached and her mind was exhausted,
Sutton showed up with energy and joy every single day.
That’s why, over the years, she earned not just one, not
two… but seven Tony Award nominations! She wasn’t a
one-time star. She dazzled an audience no matter the role.
At age 36, she won a second Tony for playing Reno
Sweeney in the musical Anything Goes. Reno was bold,
witty, and unstoppable… basically Sutton with sequins.
With each well-deserved win, nobody could deny it. Sutton
Foster was Broadway royalty.

Over the years, Sutton went on to star in two TV shows,
held concerts all over the country, and even sang at the
world-famous Carnegie Hall. Yet even with all of this
success, she never let being a “Broadway star” go to her
head. She stayed funny, kind, and wonderfully herself.
She also gave back, teaching classes at universities to
share what she’d learned about courage, creativity, and
joy. She reminded younger performers to take a leap, go
with their gut, and to “say yes” when the opportunity
arrives to show people what they’ve got.
Sutton’s spark didn’t come from a stand out performance,
shiny awards, or praise from others. It came from following
her passions, and letting her inner self shine.
From a silly, awkward kid in Michigan to a Broadway star,
teacher, and joyful force of nature, Sutton’s story is a
reminder that whether your stage is your living room, your
classroom, or even a Broadway theater… the best way to chase your dreams is to stay true to yourself. Because
that’s the best role of all.

This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

This episode was narrated by GiaNina Paolantonio.
It was produced and directed by Haley Dapkus, with sound design and mixing by Carter Wogahn.

The story was written by Darika Fuhrmann. Fact checking by Danielle Roth and Sam Gebauer. Project coordination by Natalie Hara. Our executive producers were Anjelika Temple and Jes Wolfe.

Original theme music was composed and performed by
Elettra Bargiacchi.

A special thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team, who
make this podcast possible! Until next time, stay
rebel!