CHASING Character Backgrounds
A One-Woman Show written and performed by Diane Rolston
Reference for Actor and Director in rehearsal
A Note on the Story
CHASING follows Barbara, a successful, ambitious woman who has spent much of her life pursuing achievement, perfection, praise, happiness and the feeling of being enough.
From the outside, she is accomplished, dependable and driven. Underneath the success, she has begun to feel disconnected from herself.
Four internal characters reveal different parts of Barbara: The Perfectionist (AKA Martha Stewart), The Ringmaster, The Rebel and The Spark. The first three act as saboteurs, while The Spark represents the playful, joyful part of Barbara that has become harder to hear.
The story is not about giving up ambition or achievement. It is about separating what Barbara accomplishes from who she is and shifting the question from "Am I successful?" to "Am I satisfied?"
Barbara / Barbara Overwork
Barbara is ambitious, successful, highly productive and accustomed to being the person others can count on. As Barbara Overwork, she is president of the High Achievers Club and emcee of its Achievement Awards Gala. She works too much, struggles to delegate, says yes easily and has become very good at appearing to have everything under control.
Backstory
Barbara learned early that being capable, responsible and successful brought positive attention. A teacher tells her, "I can always count on you." A boss gives her additional work because she is fast and mature. As a soccer captain, she learns that leaders don't get excuses.
At home, achievement is expected. When Barbara receives one B among As, her parents focus on the B because they know she can do better, while her brother's B among Cs and Ds is celebrated.
Barbara learns that she is the capable, responsible one who doesn't need much from anyone else. She wants the straight As, awards, trophies and accolades, while achievement also becomes tied to being "good" and gaining approval.
At university, she experiments with the opposite identity. Away from expectations, she parties, takes risks and lets The Rebel take over. Yet even while partying six nights a week, she completes a double major. She eventually realizes she has swung from overachieving to overcorrecting.
Psychology & inner life
Barbara feels both external pressure from society to be more, do more and have more, and an internal pressure to keep achieving.
She knows how to be the achiever, leader, responsible one and person everybody can count on. She is much less certain about who she is without those roles.
She believes satisfaction will come after the next goal or milestone, but each time she arrives, the finish line moves again. She describes "almost there" as a lifestyle and realizes she thought she was building a life when she was actually building a résumé.
Her deeper question becomes: If I'm not the achiever, the responsible one or the person everybody counts on... who am I?
Relationships
• Maggie: Her close friend and truth-teller, who recognizes that Barbara has "lost her spark."
• Life Coach Sonia: Creates space for Barbara to question the patterns she has spent years perfecting.
• The Perfectionist, Ringmaster, Rebel and Spark: Parts of Barbara that influence her choices and compete to run the show.
Physical & vocal life
Barbara begins fast, polished and constantly in motion. She multitasks, fills silence and projects confidence.
As the story progresses, she becomes more comfortable with stillness, uncertainty and not having an immediate answer.
By the final scene, there is no performance. Barbara is barefoot, painting without knowing what it will become.
Thematic function
Barbara embodies the central question of CHASING: What happens when the identity that made you successful stops making you happy?
Her journey is not about becoming less ambitious, but discovering that achievement does not have to determine her worth or satisfaction.
The Perfectionist (AKA Martha Stewart)
The Perfectionist values excellence, preparation, order and doing things properly. Her recurring concern is "What will people think?" She has been with Barbara since childhood, encouraging her to get things right and avoid mistakes.
Psychology & inner life
The Perfectionist believes getting things right protects Barbara from judgment and earns approval. Her intentions are protective, but her standards can keep Barbara from experimenting or even beginning.
By the end, her perspective expands as she helps Barbara see that work is only one part of a satisfying life.
Thematic function
The Perfectionist represents: If I get it right, people will approve of me.
The Ringmaster
The Ringmaster is Barbara's achievement and performance voice. He pushes her toward the next goal, standing ovation and "big top." When Barbara says she can't keep doing more, he responds: "Then do better."
Psychology & inner life
The Ringmaster believes achievement is the answer. He has helped make Barbara driven and successful, but there is always another goal and no natural finish line.
Thematic function
The Ringmaster represents: The next achievement will finally be enough.
The Rebel
The Rebel is Barbara's risk-taking, rule-breaking side. She becomes especially prominent at university when Barbara finally has the freedom to step outside her identity as the responsible achiever.
Psychology & inner life
The Rebel wants freedom from expectations and gives Barbara permission to take risks and break rules. But Barbara eventually realizes that automatically doing the opposite of what is expected isn't necessarily freedom either. She has swung from overachieving to overcorrecting.
Thematic function
The Rebel represents: Freedom from other people's expectations.
The Spark
The Spark is Barbara's playful, curious and creative side. She represents joy and happiness and loves rainbows, colouring, painting, dancing, cookies, travel, ice cream and fun.
She has been there since childhood but becomes harder for Barbara to hear as achievement and perfection grow louder.
Psychology & inner life
The Spark doesn't need to justify enjoyment. Choose pink because you like pink. Paint without knowing what you're painting. Drum even if you're bad at it.
She reconnects Barbara with what she wants, rather than what she thinks she should want.
Thematic function
The Spark represents: Joy, curiosity and doing something simply because you want to.
Maggie
Maggie is Barbara's close friend and truth-teller. She remembers when Barbara made time for coffee, walks, laughter and friendship and is the first to tell her, "You've lost your spark."
She values Barbara for who she is rather than what she accomplishes and sees through her automatic "I'm fine."
Thematic function
Maggie represents being known rather than being admired.
Life Coach Sonia
Life Coach Sonia asks questions that interrupt Barbara's usual patterns rather than telling her what to do. She recognizes that Barbara can turn even personal growth into another achievement: she hasn't stopped the pattern, she's "optimized the chase."
Thematic function
Coach Sonia represents reflection and inquiry, helping Barbara slow down enough to hear her own answers.
Memory Characters
Barbara's Teacher, Boss, Soccer Coach, Mom and Dad appear briefly in childhood and young-adult memories. They are not villains. They recognize positive qualities in Barbara such as kindness, maturity, capability, intelligence and leadership.
What matters is what Barbara takes from these experiences: people can count on her, she can carry more, leaders don't get excuses and excellence is expected.
Together, these moments help explain how being capable became part of Barbara's identity.