Good Afternoon, Angel
at Fairfax High School

Reviewed on January 8, 2021

Clare A'Hearn
McLean High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News

"Whenever you are ready, just open your eyes." Simple advice that when followed by viewers of Fairfax High School's original production of "Good Afternoon, Angel" unveiled a new perspective on life and love.

Written, directed, and edited by Fairfax's Tori Miller, the original production centered around a relationship between teenagers Avabelle (Madeleine Tyler) and Gabe (Spencer Kury) and was depicted through a series of FaceTime calls. Beginning with the words "Good afternoon, Angel" the pair's FaceTime calls appeared to repeat the same day, but only for one of them. As Avabelle relived the day over and over, the seemingly clueless Gabe secretly ushered her to imagine a future, a future that would not include Gabe as he watches over Avabelle after his death.

Madeleine Tyler and Spencer Kury portrayed Avabelle and Gabe and held great truth behind their roles as Miller crafted the writing around the actors' personalities. The genuine conversations created an authenticity behind the relationship that was contrasted by the moments of lighthearted jest. The detail Tyler included in her facials allowed the audience to be transported along Avabelle's journey of discovery. The moments of realization were skillfully maneuvered by Tyler, and her depiction of the degradation that accompanied the revelations was implemented with purpose.

The contrasting energy between Tyler's Avabelle and Kury's Gabe allowed for a simply delightful portrait of a teenage relationship. Kury's consistency through the repetitive scenes and utilization of the silence exposed the groundedness of his character. Gabe's ever-growing care for Avabelle was perfectly captured in his final monologue, describing her future of which he would not be a part. The positivity present in Gabe was evident in Kury's expressions until the end and his clear and calm delivery concluded the show but left a lasting message of hope.

Tori Miller commanded the production's tech elements as she wrote, directed, and edited the piece. Constructing a clever format of FaceTime calls that was timely and pandemic-friendly, Miller spoke on the reality of relationships in this day and age. Featured in the script was both aptly placed foreshadowing and mystery through ominous phrasing and skillful omittance of information. The plot slowly unfolded with clues to the inevitable end such as Gabe's nickname "Angel" for Avabelle as well as the brightness of his costume and background. Crafting familiar conversations between couples, Miller's dialogue included captivating moments of bickering and banter while also being conscious of the necessary continuity. The motif of dreams was directed by Miller to perfection and accompanied by her professional editing, shaped a meaningful product. Beginning and ending the production was the cover art created by Sofia Mesa-Morales. Displaying an overlooking angel, the piece took on new meaning at the commencement of the play.

As the screen faded on Fairfax High School's "Good Afternoon, Angel," Gabe's words "I am always going to be with you, no matter what" were taken to heart as the impact of this artfully composed original production will continue to provoke questions and understanding in the audience long after they hang up the FaceTime call.

Katie Wood
Centreville High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News 2

"Are you ready to move on?...Are you ready to let go?" Both sensible questions, but when love ends ill-fatedly who is really the one who has to learn to let go, the one who gets to live or the one who has to watch their love live without them? This theme is extensively explored in Fairfax High School's Good Afternoon, Angel which comes from the mind of student Tori Miller and was produced entirely by students. The one act play, set as a FaceTime call, with depth and thought-provoking content creates a tragically beautiful young romance.

It told the story of Avabelle and Gabe, a couple who went on a date that took an unfortunate turn, leaving only one of them alive. Avabelle began to relive the day of the accident over and over, and realized that even if their car crash was prevented, it wouldn't end the cycle. Gabe acted as her emotional rock, and eventually helped to ease her into being ready to "open [her] eyes" and go on with her life without him.

Madeleine Tyler who portrayed Avabelle and Spencer Kury who portrayed Gabe complimented each other nicely with natural mannerisms and dialogue, which created a sense of warmth in their relationship. Through light banter and small conversations about seemingly trivial things like dreams came an accurate representation of a modern teenage love. The emotional changes Avabelle and Gabe went through in almost completely opposite directions was realistic due to their varying perspectives of the situation, for while Gabe started to open up more in their last conversations, Avabelle became colder and more confused.

The play created a whole emotional journey in only twenty-two minutes of length. From deep moments that elicited emotion like Gabe's speech about promising a promise, all the way to their lighter moments about fantasies of living in London with pets galore, every part of the couple's relationship was explored. Madeleine Tyler and Spencer Kury strongly emphasized the different sides of their characters' relationship with compelling facial expressions and seamless transitions in tone.

The true standout was Tori Miller. As a high schooler herself, she showed profound attention to detail as scriptwriter, director, and editor. An interesting and rewarding decision, she based parts of the characters around the actors' personalities. Overall, her work was clever and well rounded. Even more so, her use of subtle symbolism, displayed significantly in the meaning of the characters' names, and frequent repetition created a new take on the classic "Groundhog Day" trope.

In our current reality, technical and visual aspects of virtual productions have become crucial to a show's success. Good Afternoon, Angel took a simple yet effective approach to them, which was able to easily communicate the context of the story. Notably, at the end of all the FaceTime calls except for the last, Avabelle was the last of the pair to be on the call. Although, in the concluding call Avabelle was able to let go of Gabe, leaving him as the last one on the call. A simple yet emotionally impactful moment that can be credited to the direction of tech.

Leaving emotions in tatters, the cast and crew of Good Afternoon, Angel succeeded in both presentation and performance. An impressive feat for all involved, the story of Avabelle and Gabe tells a beautiful reminder of how letting go is okay, and that a "promise of a promise" of love stays unbroken even when the person isn't physically present because love is boundless.

Emilia Ermanoski
McLean High School
Submitted for publication to FCPS Community News

What would you do if you relived the same day every single day? The déjà vu in Fairfax High School's "Good Afternoon, Angel" brings to life a bittersweet story of love, fate, and the discovery of truth: all through a FaceTime call.

Written, directed, and edited by student Tori Miller, the play follows Avabelle and Gabe, a young couple who FaceTime each other before their date later that day. After waking up to the call and speaking with her boyfriend, life seemed normal to Avabelle. Yet, once they hung up, she suddenly found herself awakening to Gabe's call, at the same time, on the same day, again and again. Desperate to stop this seemingly never-ending cycle, Avabelle tries to find out how to move on. Originally made as a short story, Miller brought "Good Afternoon, Angel" to our screens through two outstanding actors and a remarkably detailed script.

With a cast of two, Madeleine Tyler and Spencer Kury created a brilliant dynamic duo. Tyler and Kury masterfully depicted everyday teens through their detailed characteristics, whether it was by holding a teddy bear or by not knowing the scout's honor hand signal. With Tyler's facial expressions and Kury's charming banter and mannerisms, "Good Afternoon, Angel" had personalities that shined, presenting a charming tone that brought the play to life.

The play's runtime of 22 minutes represents months of scriptwriting and rewriting and two months of rehearsing and recording. Tori Miller's perseverance paid off, with the result being an incredibly well-written play. Miller based Avabelle and Gabe off their actors, a decision that resulted in unique, well-rounded characters. Miller's writing skills were able to capture and maintain the focus on the characters through delightful, witty dialogue and a captivating storyline. At the same time, her script was riddled with deeper meanings and symbolism, skillfully developing her characters beyond surface-level emotions and conversation through her thought-provoking writing. Whether it was the characters' clothes or the background of the setting, Miller ensured that foreshadowing and symbolism were always communicated.

Perhaps the most powerful decision from Miller was through the way the script was revealed to the actors. Kury was given the whole script, while Tyler did not learn the end of the play until the last recording day. This technique gave the actors a distinctive reaction to the powerful ending to a touching story.

With a FaceTime call being the gateway between Avabelle and Gabe, "Good Afternoon, Angel" wouldn't have been possible without Tori Miller's editing. Miller adds yet another item under her list of skills as she expertly pieced the show together. Her use of formatting style placed each actors' screen side by side and the addition of FaceTime graphics at the beginning of each call added a modern touch to the story. Along with details such as the heart emojis next to Gabe's name and the familiar ring of a FaceTime call, her excellent choices enhanced the context of the play. Together with Miller's editing and graphics, the audience is both greeted and departed by student Sofia Mesa-Morales' creative cover art for "Good Afternoon, Angel," a beautiful artwork that encapsulates the entirety of the play.

So, what would you do if you were stuck on a day that couldn't move on? "Good Afternoon, Angel" shows us that as much as we never want to let go of a time when everything was perfect, some things stay temporary, while love will last forever.

Dagny Scannell
Bishop Ireton High School
Submitted for publication to Patch (Fairfax/Alexandria)

"Good afternoon, Angel." Avabelle woke up to her boyfriend Gabe's FaceTime call just minutes before he picked her up for their date. But hours later, Avabelle woke up to the exact same call. She was back in her bedroom, being greeted by the same words and the same conversation. Avabelle answered this call over and over again, stuck in a never-ending loop of confusion and heartache. Fairfax High School's production of Good Afternoon, Angel was a touching story of young love, acceptance, and grief, and this video beautifully illustrated unconditional love.

This original performance would not have been possible without the work of student-director and playwright Tori Miller, who based her show on a short story she had written years ago. Good Afternoon, Angel was framed by a series of FaceTime calls between two teens, Avabelle (Madeleine Tyler) and Gabe (Spencer Kury). It became clear that some part of the couple's date was sending Avabelle back in time to that same FaceTime call. She grew increasingly disoriented, and Gabe (who seemed unfazed or unaware), comforted her with the fact that he would always be with her. In a final monologue, after Avabelle snapped herself out of the dream sequence, Gabe revealed that he would stay by her side, but not in the way that she had hoped.

Audience members were eventually hit by the devastating realization that Gabe didn't survive that day. The two of them were in a car crash, and Avabelle was left reliving the series of events that led up to her boyfriend's death. The poignancy of this show is a testament to the talent of actors Tyler and Kury. Audience members could see the chemistry between them even in a virtual setting, and the love and deep connection between the characters seemed to grow as the show progressed. Tyler's description of the accident and Kury's final monologue were especially heart-wrenching. Tyler perfectly captured Avabelle's reluctance to move on, and Kury's sweet, comforting, demeanor made his character's role as Avabelle's guardian angel even more touching.

The behind-the-scenes elements were equally impressive. The pacing and variation throughout the script were well above a high school writing level, and Tori Miller did a fantastic job of crafting a believable story brimming with symbolism. The costumes, backgrounds, and names (Gabe alluding to the angel Gabriel and Avabelle meaning "beautiful life") all pointed towards Gabe's tragic death and Avabelle's journey towards acceptance. Even the cover art by Sofia Mesa-Morales illustrated the couple's pure, unapologetic love.

Tori Miller's Good Afternoon, Angel was outstanding. The final lines, "It's goodbye for now. I love you, Angel," ensured a teary-eyed audience, and this group from Fairfax High School should be immensely proud of their moving performance.

Mayah Tiwari
Bishop Ireton High School
Submitted for publication to Connection

Living life virtually has been hard to grasp, as has been adapting to the struggles of quarantine. Writer, director, and editor Tori Miller perfectly brought to life a high school love story by incorporating virtual elements, focused dialogue, and attention to symbolistic detail. She demonstrated the true power of love in her short play, "Good Afternoon, Angel". Avabelle was a high school student who, upon FaceTiming her boyfriend, talked to him, and then met up with him, seemed to be reliving some sort of dream. She repeated the same day a number of times, each day changing something in it, and it later was shown that was because she and her boyfriend, Gabe, got into a car crash-- and he was hit.

Actors Madeleine Tyler and Spencer Kury did a phenomenal job in demonstrating a high school couple. The script of the show (written by Tori Miller) was nothing short of a perfectly accurate display of emotions, including Gabe's line "Good Afternoon, Angel," and the emotional speech he makes at the end. Madeleine's facial expressions and the authenticity of her genuine confusion were also quite note-worthy. This play was full of symbolism and deeper meanings, through the clothing, room decor, facial expressions, and names of the characters. Gabe was shown wearing white throughout the play, most likely symbolizing him having passed. The names Tori chose for these characters reflected the play perfectly. "Gabe" to reference the angel Gabriel, and "Avabelle" meaning "beautiful life". Her choice to use this resonated with Avabelle needing to move on without Gabe and live a beautiful life, as they were talking about how beautiful the future would be.

Especially captivating was the overall theme of dreams in the play. In their phone call, Gabe and Avabelle talked about where they dream of moving someday and starting a life with each other. Gabe also told Avabelle about a dream he had with his friend in it, and she told him how she thinks she's dreaming because the day keeps repeating. In the end, we find out that Avabelle kept reliving the day (and trying to change the outcome) because she needed to realize that Gabe's death was inevitable. In her many relivings of the day, Avabelle tried to do things differently: to stay in instead of going out and to have her drive instead of Gabe. Either way, she still went to bed and woke up the same way: with a phone call from Gabe and his words "Good Afternoon, Angel".

At the end of the show, the last phone call, Gabe somewhat revealed the truth to her. He did this by saying to her, "Are you ready to let go?". He had her talk about her future without him, and she made him promise that he would always be here for her. That is foreshadowing, as it is shown soon after that he said "I won't be able to keep that promise in person, but I'll always be with you". This line was in the monologue Gabe gave at the very end when Avabelle hung up the phone, and the screen changed to show just him. Actor Spencer Kury made a beautiful monologue, speaking metaphorically to Avabelle, telling her he'd always watch over her and he loved her very much.

Fairfax High School's "Good Afternoon, Angel" was an excellent story--a show with heart-melting love and intriguing dialogue and emotion, and overall an extremely well-done production.

Jack Child
Falls Church High School
Submitted for publication to Fairfax County Times

A phone call is a ubiquitous part of modern life; it can serve as a medium of information, a gesture of thoughtfulness, or an expression of intimacy. But what would happen if you were stuck repeating the same phone call over and over again? Fairfax High School explores this idea in Good Afternoon, Angel, a play written and directed by student Tori Miller. The story features a young couple, Gabe (Spencer Kury) and Avabelle (Madeleine Tyler), and their interactions as Avabelle lives through the same FaceTime call day after day. Initially, much about the characters and the world of the play is shrouded in mystery, but information is slowly revealed as the plot progresses. The result is a highly emotional finale when the true nature of the characters' situation comes to light.

Good Afternoon, Angel was the brainchild of Tori Miller, who adapted it from a short story she had previously written. Miller's script writing, direction, and editing were at the heart of the production, and her work was phenomenal. The script, costumes, and lighting were just a few of the elements that foreshadowed the play's central revelation. The meticulousness and creative vision demonstrated by the inclusion of these details testify to Miller's sophistication as a director and a playwright, which few other high schoolers can match. Furthermore, as a teenager, she was able to flawlessly capture the essence of a FaceTime call between two infatuated high schoolers. The pacing, diction, and topics of discussion included in the script gave the production a genuine feel and made it all the more compelling.

The message behind Miller's work was made even more poignant through the casting of strong actors. Fortunately, Spencer Kury's and Madeleine Tyler's outstanding performances did the script justice. It was clear that all three of the individuals involved in this production cared deeply about attention to detail. Kury created a character and stuck to it, repeating small hand motions and keeping his performances consistent as the same scene played out multiple times. Tyler masterfully embodied her character across a wide range of emotions, including infatuation, confusion, despair, and hope. Her facial expressions, down to the minute details, clearly conveyed Avabelle's thoughts, worries, and woes. Together, the actors created a totally convincing romance between the teenage lovers and made the audience feel genuine concern about their fates. They understood the symbolism and foreshadowing in the script and applied their prowess as actors to bring the story to life.

Fairfax High School's Good Afternoon, Angel was a romantic and emotional piece of art. An exceptional script performed by exceptional actors made for an exceptional experience which resonated in the hearts of all in attendance.