At its core, a teacher’s job is to perform: every day, they must prepare and deliver material to engage their audience. Even if they are having a bad day, they still must go to work with high energy and a smile on their face.
Performing comes naturally to English teacher Drew Eberly, who is a professional actor, singer, songwriter and musician.
Eberly said his career in the arts began at 10 years old when he was cast as Snoopy in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” The blinding stage lights and electric energy of performing had him hooked, he explained.
During high school, Eberly continued to pursue theater in addition to experimenting with other types of performing After he and his friends bonded over their shared love of The Beatles, R.E.M. and Pavement, they decided to create their own band that performed original indie rock songs with him as the lead singer and lyricist, he said.
Eberly said performing in a band gave him the tools to pursue music as a career. He explained he performs his own songs solo with his guitar, and he has has now written and recorded two full-length records, “Bailiwick” and “Dance Class,” as well as one EP cassette, “Pop Lauderdale.”
“My favorite song that I’ve written is ‘Party of Truces,’” he said. “It’s my first song on my first record and it still really kicks.”
Eberly said his biggest musical inspiration comes from his son.
“I was working on a batch of songs and one of the songs got stuck in his head,” he said. “The fact that he could remember the hook and the melody at such a young age made me think that maybe it was a pretty good song.”
Eberly said his new album, “Last Night at the Lounge,” will be released this spring.
“It’s some songs I’ve been working on for a couple years,” he explained. “I’m really excited for the song, ‘Nickel Plate Beach.’”
Eberly said he is not only a songwriter, but also has written plays for 20 years at the Available Light Theatre in downtown Columbus.
Performing his original play, “Dear Piqua,” is one of his favorite theatrical memories, Eberly added.
“I got to write and perform my own one-person show,” he said. “It was an 80-minute show of me telling stories and singing my songs with my guitar.”
In addition to solo endeavors, Eberly said he has appeared in roles such as Benedict in “Much Ado About Nothing” and Mr. Bingley in “Pride and Prejudice.”
Eberly said he most recently portrayed the Mad Hatter/Harold Pudding in “Alice by Heart” at The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio. The production was in September, which he explained was challenging because he was already busy with the start of the school year.
Eberly said he tries to find ways to incorporate his love for the performing arts into his teaching style. He explained he emphasizes student voice and getting students to move with the literature.
Eberly added every time he teaches Shakespeare, his English classes operate like a theater company.
“I try to get kids excited about the little piece of the play that could be theirs,” he said.
Eberly said constantly auditioning, rehearsing and writing new works while teaching high school can be hard to manage, but he appreciates it.
“The challenge is switching quickly between your role as an artist and your other roles,” Eberly said. “Living in a couple of different worlds and trying to be fully present is a challenge. A fun challenge.”
Published and digitized October 2025.
