Gretna High’s 2025 play production, “The Hangings at Mercy Hollow,” was named state runner up at the NSAA State Championship Competition in Norfolk on Friday, Dec. 12. While this achievement did not add to GHS’ 29 state championships, this year’s one act still held significance as the play wasn’t just chosen for the personalities of their available cast members. It was written for them.
“It’s a true story of a woman from the 1600s who was hanged for witchcraft, but she did not die. And it’s a really fascinating look at kind of hivemind and how dangerous it could be,” said English teacher Jenny Long. “So we thought that was a story worth telling and paying tribute to that woman, because that’s such an incredible thing to happen to a person. But there’s a lot that that poem doesn’t say about her life, and what led up to that moment. So we decided to just experiment and see what it would be like to fill in the gaps.”
Gretna High lost two total points between three judges with their production of “The Hangings at Mercy Hollow.” The one act is based off of Margaret Atwood’s poem“Half-Hanged Mary,” which tells the story of a witch who was hanged but did not die.
“We had a lot more room to change lines and change scenes, add in scenes as needed,” senior Roxy Lightle said. “And it felt a lot more authentic, and it’s cool. No one’s ever seen it before. I think it definitely gave us an extra boost.”
Performing an original one act is something not often seen within high school programs, let alone it being done several times. However, writing scripts and shows specifically for themselves isn’t unfamiliar for GHS’s drama department. This marks the third time that Long has worked with directors to create a piece of their own.
“The only plays I’ve really written have been for performance. They are written to fill a really specific need or request, either from the performers or the directors,” Long said. “Probably like seven or eight years ago, Mrs. Caraher had an idea she wanted to write, and I told her I would just give it a try. And she was my creative writing teacher when I was in high school.”
Prior to writing complete one acts, Long had made scenes shorter or made creative tweaks to scripts for now retired, long-time director Carole Caraher’s productions. Caraher guided Long on how to create scripts, as well as develop plot lines and characters.
“I came up with a general story, like a skeleton story, and then she would say, you need a secondary conflict, you need more characters than this many,” Long said. “She really taught me as we went on how to do it, so that this time I felt like I had a formula to go off on.”
The cast was heavily saturated with an experienced senior class, with most actors holding lead roles in last year’s state- winning performance of “The Drowsy Chaperone.” This included Roxy Lightle, who has held a lead role since auditioning in her sophomore year. She earned an Outstanding Performer Award this year at the State competition.
“I was shocked, I did not expect to hear my name at all, and I did not think I stood a chance,” Lightle said. “Gretna East had such good actors, and I didn’t watch any of the other groups. But I’ve never really had an honor like that bestowed upon me before. So, it’s surreal. I’ve wanted to win this award since my sophomore year.”
“The Hangings at Mercy Hollow” also featured several underclassmen, including six sophomore boys. Joey Onwiler, who held a supporting role last year, played the leading role of Elijah Black this year. Additionally, Drake Holland and Boston Nielsen both acted alongside each other in their supporting roles.
“(Having a main role) means I have a lot more responsibility than last year and that I should be putting in more effort,” Nielsen said. “I hope some people will look up to me and I can meet their expectations.”
