Bank Robbery as Performance

Performance as Tool

Willie Sutton was a performer. He studied his audiences and noted all the details of each setting he was going to perform in. Once he figured out what the audience expected to see and what was the most appropriate role for the setting, he'd decide what part he should play. Each time he performed a role, he robbed a bank.

One of the most successful bank robbers of all time, Willie Sutton stole millions of dollars and never killed anyone. His method was not one of aggression or destruction; he didn't blow up safes or take hostages. He took on roles and played the parts so well that no one could tell he didn't really belong on the stage.

In Sutton's case, the dynamics of the setting and the expectations of the audience dictated his performance. Working from the 1920s to the 1950s, in between various prison terms and corresponding escapes, Sutton successfully robbed more than one hundred banks, primarily in New York. Describing his modus operandi in a biography written by Quentin Reynolds, Sutton explained, "I studied a bank carefully before I robbed it; I studied the habits of the employees and the guards and the cops on the beat…. I rehearsed my men thoroughly in their parts." All of the study was dedicated to figuring out what part Sutton needed to act to pull off the crime.

Each setting and audience demanded a specific role. Sutton recounts, "By turns I was a Western Union messenger, postman, policeman, and on one job, I was a window cleaner, complete with ladder, belt, and what men in this profession call a squeegee, and varied my facial make-up to suit." In his performance, Sutton would be whatever the audience was expecting.

How did he do it? First, he learned makeup techniques from dating an actress. He learned how to alter his appearance to make himself look older, or tired, and very different from the wanted posters with his image. Second, he rented uniforms, because "the right uniform was an open sesame that would unlock any door." He found that most guards saw the uniform and not the face. Finally, he fully committed to the performance. When he put on a policeman's uniform, he would lecture people about obeying laws. In the uniform of a mailman, writes Andreas Schroeder, "he became a dedicated member of the US Postal Service." One time, Sutton turned up disguised as the bank manager.

Referring to when he started with his technique, Sutton said, "I was beginning to think of this as a drama, with myself as director and main actor." And like all good actors, he adjusted as the performance went on, making changes according to the setting and audience. He engaged with his audience to figure out what would motivate them, either to keep quiet or to open the safe. He improvised his script, if direct threats didn't work, simply by appealing to a bank manager's sense of responsibility to their staff.

It was because Willie Sutton "considered casing a bank as important as actually robbing it" that he could execute his performances flawlessly. His study of the performance space meant that he was often in and out of a bank within minutes, and he was never caught during a robbery.

Sutton was quite famous during his years as a bank robber. The account emphasizes that he did not kill anyone, which contributed to his public appeal, even though his robberies involved threats. Law enforcement was also grudgingly impressed, admitting that "when it came to planning and executing a bank robbery, the police say that Sutton's equal never lived."

Great performances often appear effortless. They come together in a way that captivates the audience, who marvel at the seamlessness of what they have just witnessed. But great performances are supported by great effort. One must understand the limits and opportunities of the space in which the performance will take place. And in order to captivate an audience, one must have a sense of who that audience is. What do they want? And how can the actors interact with the space to get them to buy into the illusion?

Sutton’s preparation also gave him room to improvise. By studying routines and expectations, he could adjust when a performance did not go as planned.

Despite his success, Willie Sutton himself was the first to admit that his life of crime was far from the best life he could have lived. At one point he said, "I'm fifty-one, I've spent most of my adult life in prison or in hiding, and I haven't a penny." Eventually, through studying law in prison, he was able to argue his way out based on time served. His final years were lived modestly, and Willie the Actor died in 1980.