ADVERTISEMENT

    Columbus Makes Art Presents: Abigail Worden, D&D and Marrying Ellen Page

    This month, Abigail Worden makes her MadLab debut as Kerouac in Happy Pills by Alyssa Cokinis. Colleen Dunne, Publicity Coordinator at MadLab, recently hit up Abigail for this Q&A.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    Abigail Worden.

    Colleen: How did you first get involved in theater? 
    Abigail: My first theatrical position was running spotlight for my high school’s production of West Side Story — funnily enough, I was too shy to be onstage but was fascinated by theater and knew I wanted to participate somehow. Back then I was kind of quiet and really kept to myself, but I had a wild imagination and absolutely loved reading, especially when imagining how characters would look and move and speak. My junior year, my director asked me to audition for a play just as a favor to her, just to see what would happen. And it was amazing, like a lightbulb moment: “This is just living the stories I’ve been picturing in my head, this is just a way to share them.” The audition was a blast. I got one of the lead characters.

    Colleen: What is your favorite way to express yourself, artistically?
    Abigail: Hands down, it’s playing “Dungeons and Dragons.” When I’m not onstage, that’s where I get my thrill — as silly as that may sound! I love books, I love theater, I love stories — D&D is taking all those loves and turning it into live improv with my best friends. There’s a real art to embodying and expressing a character that YOU invented yourself, while also keeping rules and mechanics in the back of your mind. I seriously recommend it to actors.

    A scene from Happy Pills.

    Colleen: Who do you have a talent crush on?
    Abigail: I just finished watching (aka, binging) The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, so Robert Sheehan is my immediate answer. He took a character that could have been so tropey and one-note and created some deeply emotional, engaging dimensions that made me want to rewind to watch his scenes again and again.

    Colleen: How do you incorporate art into your life on a daily/regular basis?
    Abigail: As a touring actor with Columbus Children’s Theatre, I get to spend my workday bringing performances and theater workshops to elementary students all across Ohio. I didn’t really have access to theater until I was in high school, so getting to share these stories and lessons with young kids is fantastic. I am super passionate about including art in education. I’m so lucky to be providing art as my profession.

    Abigail Worden

    Colleen: F***, Marry, Kill: Ryan Gosling, Channing Tatum, Chris Pratt.
    Abigail: That’s easy — kill them all. Find Ellen Page. Marry her.

    MadLab invites you to see Abigail make her debut in Happy Pills, running Fridays and Saturdays through March 23. All showtimes are 8 p.m. MadLab is located at 227 N. Third St. Downtown. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit madlab.net.

    Columbus Makes Art Presents is a bi-weekly column brought to you by the Greater Columbus Arts Council – supporting art and advancing culture in Columbus. The column is a project of the Art Makes Columbus campaign, telling the inspiring stories of the people and organizations who create Columbus art and sharing information about exhibitions, performances, concerts and more at ColumbusMakesArt.com. Each column will be written by a different local arts organization to give you an insiders look at how #artmakescbus.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    IncludeHealth Makes Physical Therapy More Affordable, Accessible Through Technology

    Heading to physical therapy used to mean needing to get in the car, make your way through traffic, arrive at a certain location—and then do it all again to go home. But for many people, there’s a new option.

    Eco-Chic at the Nexus of Style and Wage Justice

    HER Denim, a minority- and female-owned social enterprise led...
    Colleen Dunne
    Colleen Dunnehttp://www.madlab.net
    Colleen Dunne is Publicity Coordinator at MadLab.
    ADVERTISEMENT