If you’re looking for Emma Gorrell ’26, your best luck is to look in the Laverty Center for Performing Arts. Recently, she’s been in the control booth, focused on watching the stagecraft rush around the set in preparation for the fall play, Shakespeare in Hollywood.
It’s no surprise that Gorrell feels so at home on stage. She’s deeply involved in the Performing Arts Department at Chadwick as a Dance Company co-captain, Black Box Club co-leader, and an artist who’s contributed to 13 theater productions at Chadwick in both cast and crew.
Gorrell makes every cue count, whether she’s on stage or off. She has brought to life a variety of characters like Ted (Peter and the Starcatcher), Lucy Westenra (Dracula), and most recently, Oberon (Shakespeare in Hollywood), the mischievous King of Fairies who finds himself in Hollywood in 1934. Backstage, Gorrell has been Assistant Director for 7 shows, including Legally Blonde and Fame, in charge of supporting director Andi Dëma achieve his visionary goals for Chadwick’s productions behind the scenes.
With two theater major parents, Gorrell has always been involved in the performing arts. Peter and the Starcatcher introduced her to the Upper School theater community at Chadwick, where she quickly learned how being part of a show creates a close-knit community.
“Even if you have never watched a theater production before, we’ll take you. It’s a really cliché thing to say that we’re like a family, but it’s really true because we put together so many hours of work,” Gorrell says.
One of her favorite memories comes from being a stage manager for the 2024 spring musical Legally Blonde, when an engagement ring prop went missing during the show.
“We were like, ‘An actor who’s on stage right now has [the ring], and they’re not going to come off stage before we need [it].’” Gorrell recalls. “So I made all of the crew members who had rings come to my side, and I took all of their rings. Then I spent like three minutes trying to pick the prettiest ring and making sure it fit the actors so that it would work.”
Navigating unexpected moments like these truly shows Gorrell’s ability to think on the fly to support her castmates and crew the best way she can. In addition to her spontaneous decision-making abilities, Gorrell is constantly praised for her planning.
Her castmate Brooke Dillavou ’26, who played Olivia Darnell in Shakespeare in Hollywood, compliments Gorrell: “I always learn a lot from her…she’s the most organized person that I know. Whenever I have a question about anything [about the show], I can go to her, and I know she’ll know the answer.”
Balancing the lights, lines, and leadership, Gorrell emphasizes appreciating both the crew and the cast. “If we didn’t have [the] crew, it’d be a completely black stage with just regular clothing and some weird words being thrown out there,” Gorrell says.
Besides theater, Gorrell also balances numerous activities, including taking ceramics throughout her Upper School journey, as well as leading Craft Club and helping the queer community as a Safe Space co-leader.
“She fosters an environment where it feels less like a duty and more akin to a genuine family of people all the while matching or adapting to where people are based on week and day. She pushes me to be a better individual with her creativity and ambition,” says Safe Space co-leader Luna Han ’27.
As a leader, she hopes to connect people together in fun environments, saying, “I think that leaders are most effective when they actually have been through what you are going through and they can relate to you on some kind of level.”
Whether she’s on campus, behind the curtains, or under the lights, Gorrell hopes to be remembered as someone who fosters belonging and connection.
“I want to be remembered in a way of inclusivity—bringing people together and letting them know this is a safe space for everyone.”
