NICEVILLE — The stage has always been alluring to Audrey Bailey.
From a young age she enjoyed watching productions, but as an adult she discovered her true passion was for what happens behind the scenes.
“I’ve always liked backstage,” the 78-year-old said with a smile. “I’m always so impressed with it … You start from scratch and it all comes together and it’s fabulous.”
She began indulging in her passion in the mid-1990s after attending a symphony production at what is now Northwest Florida State College and discovering ushers were needed.
“I was a widow so I thought, ‘Why not?’ ” said Bailey, who originally is from England. “After my husband died I was devastated, but we’ve got to go on living and volunteering.”
Bailey was there when the college opened the Mattie Kelly Arts Center in 1997 and helped build the set for its first major production, “Man of La Mancha.”
By the late 1990s, newly hired scene designer Clint Mahle persuaded Bailey to try her hand at painting scenery.
“She’s my tried and true every show,” Mahle said. “I was surprised three years ago (when she decided to continue volunteering). Now I’m not.”
Bailey, who was painting a brick wall while Mahle spoke, looked up and said, “Why were you so surprised?”
“Because you lasted that long,” Mahle answered with a laugh.
“Oh, I love the end result,” she said as she gestured toward the ever-expanding set for the college’s upcoming production of “Les Misérables” behind her.
Bailey is one of three volunteers helping with the set. She cheerfully kneels down on the stage or climbs ladders to paint whatever she needs to alongside her much younger counterparts.
“I know my limitations,” she said with a laugh. “I just like to stay busy and these youngsters, I really like them. They’re great.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.
