Dorothy Oehmler ’14 Followed Her Love of the Arts to London

I currently work for Mischief Comedy, the British theatre company behind The Play that Goes Wrong and other West End hits. My workday usually involves managing schedules, visiting theaters, and attending rehearsals for workshops. I’m often seen carrying giant piles of rewritten scripts across town. It’s a lively and engaging environment where each day is different but always centered around creativity. We just opened a new show, The Comedy About Spies, which has been a joy to watch unfold.

The arts have always fascinated me, though I’m not sure exactly what first sparked that passion—it felt so natural to pursue it in my career. As for London, I hadn’t lived abroad and was looking for a change. Ylenia Schardt, one of my best friends from Hutchison, had lived here for a few years already and encouraged me to make the leap. Though it was only supposed to be for a year, I ended up falling in love with the city and staying. I absolutely adore London—it’s become my home and I’m really proud of my life here.

Studying the arts and being student council president at Hutchison taught me to trust myself. Hutchison was remarkable in that they never underestimated us. Teenage girls are far more capable and composed than many people think, and the school believed in us to rise to any challenge. Through these experiences, I developed problem-solving skills, leadership skills, and a knack for producing, which I use in my career now. I’m still amazed by the confidence Mrs. Nair placed in Anne Catherine Demere and me to lead convocation. Our senior year, we went out of our way to make that half hour every morning as fun as possible—a daily live comedy show! It helped me learn to think on my feet and understand audiences, skills I rely on today. (AC, coincidentally, is a producer of comedy in NYC, so there must have been something in the water.)

Writing Migraine: the Musical was an incredibly fun and rewarding experience, but watching it performed was a different story—I was nervous and sweaty the entire time! 

I started by doing a lot of research on the neuroscience behind migraines so that it wouldn’t just be a piece about me and my life specifically. I wanted a comprehensive look at what it feels like to have a migraine. It was inspired by the times in my life when my body and health have been telling me something’s not right—I’m not being authentic, I’m in the wrong job, or I’m running myself down, etc. 

It was thrilling to see something I had written come to life, but it was also an emotional rollercoaster—one I have yet to repeat! It was fun and cathartic to frame my own experiences in the form of a musical because it helped put everything into perspective. I do hope I get to stage it at some point, but I definitely want to edit it more before I get there. 

I enjoy working on comedic scripts. I find that audiences are much more honest in their reactions to comedy than they are to drama. There’s something satisfying about the immediate feedback you get from a laugh or a groan. While I love many of the projects I’ve worked on, comedy is where my heart lies.

Hutchison gave me the foundation for my confidence. It was a place that believed in us, and that belief empowered me to trust myself. That trust has been essential in every stage of my professional life—in finding the things that authentically motivate me. Also, the friendships I built at Hutchison have been indispensable, offering support and encouragement as we’ve all navigated our respective careers and lives.