Welcome to the more personalized, more casual bio of Donald Sutton! This is the version that is less concerned with looking sleek, and more concerned with looking me.
EDIT: Hey! This is Donald, but from 2021 (God, the things I could tell 2017 Donald). Heads up, this is really more of an origin story than a fun bio. But, any who, enjoy!
Stepping into the Real World
In and out of the acting, I've always been very blessed with the professional work I've received. Before my time on a stage or a screen, I was a PA/editor/videographer/occasional host at a local government television studio. Onstage, I could be found during the first few summers of my college years breaking a massive sweat in the NC summer heat at outdoor theaters.
My time spent at these venues is probably the most influential to my growth as a performer thus far. At one job, where I ended up being the Male Swing, I was a last minute replacement coming in a week before shows started, so my time in the rehearsal & work process was limited but jam-packed with experience and stories galore. I was definitely kept on my toes all summer.
Backstage at with the people I love.
Across the Univers...ity
My ECU Musical Theatre Class [of 2018] with our fearless leader, Michael Tahaney
Okay, let's take a step back now. We've hit on the work I've done recently, but what about the work put in behind the scenes? Jumping back in time, when I was a wee lad of only 4 years of age, I refused to be in my church choir due to crippling stage-fright (I would instead [try to] conduct the singers with the music leader). Slowly over the years, the fright fell and formed itself into a fire. By the end of high school, I knew what I wanted to do and it was a long ways away from my early choir days.
In 2014, I started my college career at East Carolina University as a pre-accepted Musical Theatre BFA. By the end of my freshman year, I had dropped the 'pre-' in that title and even got accepted into the Professional Acting BFA (Meisner technique). I knew I'd made the right choice for my training, undoubtedly. Even more important than that, I feel, I found uncomparable happiness in the fact that I'd found myself surrounded by so many amazing friends that shared my desires & drive and pushed me daily to strive for even more. We all graduated in 2018 and haven’t stopped pursuing what makes us happy.
The Crash Course
So, now that we've touched on the professional and the educational sides of things, the question still remains: Who am I? Ask any of my friends and the first response you'll likely get is a Whovian. But there's more to me than just Doctor Who, I promise - I also...
... collect mugs!
(I get a mug from every show I see and locale I fall in love with - pictured is my favorite, given by a dear friend)
... practice percussion (both beatboxing and drumming)!
(This was my debut as a drummer in a cabaret performance, fall of 2016)
... cook!
(Even if I don't fit the bill for your show, ask me about this recipe - it was killer)