Writing, directing, acting: students in theatre find their passion in various ways. But for senior Annabel Long, it’s all three.
Long wrote a one-act play, “Chaos on Campus,” which follows the story of two college tour groups filled with eccentric characters who navigate unexpected events on a college campus.
She also co-directed it and played the roles of “Hubert” and “Pitbull.”
Long said she has been interested in writing a play to put on for the high school since freshman year; this year, the timing worked out.
“I had the goal of sharing my work with more people,” she said. “Bexley was definitely a good vehicle for that.”
Long said she previously wanted to perform a play she wrote but was unable to because it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. She continued writing because she enjoys the process and added that now more than ever, she is inspired by her real life when writing.
After spending so much time researching colleges and going on tours, Long figured high school students would be a good audience for a play about the college application process, she said.
“I was trying to make some fun out of a situation that’s really stressful,” she added.
Long said she likes to come up with a beginning and an end of a script, then see where the story takes her as she fills in the middle.
“I come up with a couple of characters, and then I dive right in,” she said. “That way, I’ll have more fun while I’m writing it.”
Freshman Annmarie Carleton (“Bentley’s Mom”) said because Long was the director and knew exactly what she wanted from the script, it allowed the actors to emulate what she intended with her writing.
“She definitely had a clear picture of what she wanted,” Carleton said.
Similarly, junior and co-director Quinn Levin said having Long at rehearsals was extremely valuable because she knew the script well enough to easily rearrange lines if needed.
Long said her favorite part of the experience was the performance because she was worried people wouldn’t think the show was funny.
“It was super rewarding to see people actually laughing,” she said.
Long said she was proud of “Chaos on Campus,” but she was also able to see where the show could improve from the performance. She watched a recording to see how the audience reacted to each line, she said.
“I think I’m going to revise it more afterwards, just based on how rehearsals went and how it translated to being on stage,” she said. “[Theatre director Rebecca] Rhinehart said she wants to work with me on getting it published so that other schools could do it, which would be really cool.”
Long said her experience participating in improv made her more successful as a writer.
“It helps me see how lines of dialogue come naturally,” she explained. “It made me unafraid to be big in my writing and to be big in my acting.”
Levin said Long’s leadership skills helped everything run smoothly during rehearsals, which translated to the performance.
“She asks other people for their opinions,” they said. “Not just me, but the actors on stage.”
Carleton explained Long created a fun yet productive work environment that also contributed to the success of the show.
“She’s absolutely hilarious,” Carleton said. “Not only does that make the script funny, it makes her fun to work with.”
