New theatre collective founded by WWU students and alumni puts on first-ever staging of '36 Questions'

Flooded Productions is a Bellingham-based theatre collective founded and run by two 2024 WWU theatre alumni, Anna Olsen and Hannah Smith, and current theatre student Allissa Flood. 

In the short year since Flooded Productions began, they’ve put on a wide variety of shows, including “First Date,” “Bonnie and Clyde” and a “Musical Miscast,” which gave performers the opportunity to perform songs from roles they’d never get cast in. 

Their newest venture is their most ambitious yet. This month through Feb. 16, the group is bringing “36 Questions,” originally a podcast musical starring Jonathan Groff and Jessie Shelton, to the stage for the first time at Bellingham’s New Prospect Theatre. 

Before “36 Questions” was a podcast musical, it was a popular article in the Modern Love column of The New York Times. The theory from the 1990s was that if a couple went through all 36 questions, they would fall in love. The theory was put to the test by the columnist, who married her question-answering partner but was hesitant to attribute the questions to that outcome. 

The musical has a quite different premise. The main characters are a married couple on the verge of divorce who use the 36 questions as a last-ditch effort to reconnect. 

Flooded Productions started with an Instagram story. 

Olsen, who majored in English literature and theatre, posted asking if anyone would want to see a movie with her. She was not close with Smith, whom she went to high school with, or Flood, despite all of them being in the Theatre Department; but they both responded with interest. 

“And ever since then, we started hanging out a little bit more. Then at one of our hangouts, Allissa mentioned that she had been wanting to start a theatre collective,” Olsen said, and things just went from there. 

As a small collective, each founding member wears many hats. Olsen is the director of public relations, head of content creation, sensitivity consultant and financial advisor. Smith is the head of stage management, production advisor, community outreach and financial advisor. Flood is head of direction, production manager, finance manager and intimacy and fight coordinator. 

“It helps give us direction, defining our roles by giving ourselves those subtitles,” Olsen said. 

Smith’s passion for theatre is long standing. After a stint in youth theatre with her friends, her love really bloomed in high school when she auditioned for a role in “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Her role now tends to be more behind-the-scenes; it was her junior year at Western that put her backstage and got her interested in stage management. 

“With Flooded Productions, being in a more permanent management position has really solidified my love for being able to see a show come together,” Smith said. 

 A lot of the collective’s momentum comes from Flood’s connections, which she’s made through sticking to her motto: “The worst thing they can say is no.” 

“I just try to have the best experience in any room that I can. And if people see you doing that, they will get you in on other things,” Flood said. 

She’s worked on national tours at the Mount Baker Theatre, including the renowned musical “Hadestown.” One day, she walked into New Prospect Theatre and introduced herself, leading to a friendship with the people who work there. 

Flood balances all of these passions and responsibilities with all that she does for school, as she’s the only one who’s still a student at Western, set to graduate in spring with a bachelor's degree in theatre production with a film studies minor. 

“There are definitely moments when I have 10 assignments due and I also still have to finish a poster, but overall, it's been a very rewarding experience. I've been growing a lot more as a person and as a theatre artist in this way,” Flood said. 

All the collective’s members have other commitments, since Flooded Productions doesn’t provide them with income. Balancing work with their passions can be very tiring, but it also is a big part of what keeps them energized. 

“There’s a lot of brainstorming and collaboration that goes into it. Theatre with your friends, it’s low stakes, fun theatre. We get to do what we want with the people we love,” Smith said. 

Flooded Productions exists in part to give its founders a space to create in unique and authentic ways. Flood’s love for “36 Questions” inspired Olsen to push herself, and they switched from their usual roles. Flood plays the female lead, while this is Olsen’s directorial debut. 

Smith’s role interacts less with the audience-facing side of the musical. She is a big part of making sure everything goes smoothly, from the sound and lights to the outfits.  

“You’re kind of the liaison between everything in the production. You communicate between the director and the designers. You make sure everyone’s on track, has what they need, and everything’s set to be finished when it needs to,” Smith said. 

Because “36 Questions” was originally a podcast, many things about staging it are a little unorthodox. Flood looked into laws about using podcast properties to determine their rights. While the outcome was good, Olsen wanted to do her due diligence as a director.  

“I reached out to the composers, was very nervous about it for a very long time, but thankfully they were so, so incredibly kind,” Olsen said. 

Blessing given by the composers, there was still the matter of blocking.  

Blocking is the physical staging of the musical; the placement of the actors on the stage in specific scenes. While many directors must consider the limitations of their stage and budget, it is a unique challenge to adapt from a musical that is all description and sound cues.  

“The fact that it was a podcast musical with no visual elements, it's so unique. Everyone who listens is seeing a different show essentially in their brain while listening to it,” Smith said. 

For example, “36 Questions” will have characters walking down the street for 10 minutes, an action not well-translated to stage.  

“And then of course, because they can't make it easy, there's a duck in the musical,” Flood said. 

The musical has begun to permeate Olsen’s downtime, as she and the team gear themselves up to perform it for an audience. She finds herself distracted, even while spending time with her girlfriend. 

“She’d be like, ‘You okay?’ and I’d be like, “No, I'm in my mind palace. Everyone shut up. I’m trying to figure out how to make a duck levitate across the stage,’” Olsen said. 

Flooded Productions is not-for-profit, meaning all their earnings go toward the shows. For “36 Questions,” they decided to pay for a live band, but the actors get no takeaway. A substantial amount of the money goes to just keeping everything going.  

“Community theatre can be done with virtually no budget. It’s all about utilizing what you have and your creativity and the resources to create art,” Smith said.  

Ultimately, this project and all that Flooded Productions does is about participating in theatre in a way that provides creative freedom and creates an inclusive environment for the local community to participate with, or simply to watch.  

“I want everyone to be excited to come to rehearsal and work with these people and to see a show. I just want it to be a place where everyone can enjoy being,” Flood said. 

The trio have all found a way to keep making art outside of Western and use all they’ve learned to their advantage. “36 Questions” may be a little D.I.Y., but they do it because they love it and are willing to sacrifice time and energy to make their dreams a reality. 

“I had a mattress in the back of my car for a month. If that’s not community theatre, nothing is,” Olsen said.