Plainfield North High School freshman Charlie Scott Long has a less-than-typical part-time job.

While many high school students work in local stores or restaurants after school, Long is juggling his school schedule around his appearances in the Marriott Theatre’s current production of Disney’s “Finding Nemo: The Musical."

The production features music by award-winning composers of “Frozen,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and tells the story of the 2003 Pixar film in an hourlong format designed especially for young audiences.

“It’s really cool to be part of something like this,” Long said. “It’s a great cast. It’s a lot of fun to do with friends and to perform for kids. Maybe I’ll inspire some of them.”

The stage version of “Finding Nemo” first debuted in 2023 and is exclusively used for small productions and schools, with no full-length Broadway or touring version expected in the near future.

Long, 14, originally auditioned for the part of Nemo in the show. Although he did not land the title role, he plays multiple parts as an ensemble member in the 16-actor production.

In addition to singing and dancing, the role requires the use of complex sea creature puppets.

“We had 10 days in the rehearsal space before the show opened to practice,” Long said. “The biggest aspect of it was working with the puppets, which not a lot of us had done before.”

Long also described the show, which has a run time shorter than the film it is based on, as “a sprint, not a marathon.”

“It’s definitely a different experience than a regular show,” he said. “It goes by really fast,”

An early start

Long started doing community theater when he was 4 years old after he said his mother noticed his interest in music.

“Ever since I can remember, I’ve been singing and moving and dancing all the time,” Long said. “My mom noticed and signed me up for my first theater thing at the park district. And I’ve been doing more and more since.”

“We picked up on this interest early on, and as it’s progressed, we’ve seen his attitude, drive and desire keep flourishing,” said Charlie’s dad, Scott Long. “We’re always going to continue supporting him and being there for him.”

Long has been doing professional shows for the past four years, starting with a role in “The Sound of Music” at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. He also has been featured in productions of “School of Rock,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Billy Elliot,” “The Music Man,” “Falsettos,” “Matilda,” and “Fun Home.”

Juggling school, other activities

While acting is nothing new to him, “Finding Nemo” presented a unique challenge for Long as he entered his first year of high school. Because the show is for children and performances are often geared toward school groups, shows begin at 10 a.m., meaning Long has to be at work during class time at his own school.

Since Long knew in the spring that he would be working on the show, he was able to work with his educators in Plainfield School District 202 to plan his unconventional schedule.

“My school schedule is pretty weird this fall,” Long said. “I go to school for first and second period, then leave, then go back for seventh and eighth periods. I also took math and science over the summer.”

“We’ve had really great support from the school,” his father said. “They’ve been very accommodating and supportive of us.”

In addition to school work and theatrical performances and rehearsals, Long is involved in other school activities, including choir and playing French horn in marching band after classes, something that has required even more running of Charlie and his parents, including a race from a performance in Lincolnshire one Saturday this fall down to the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign for a band competition.

“It’s crazy, but it’s a fun way to make it work,” Long said of his schedule.

A lot of future options

Long said he loves doing theater, and performing “is definitely an option” for his future plans after high school, although he said he also has an interest in sports broadcasting, as he is a big baseball and football fan. This year, he was selected to be a junior broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs.

“I think that would be really interesting,” he said. “I’ll have to see how things go.”

No matter which way his part-time job takes him, Long encourages other students to “put themselves out there” and give performing a try.

“I would definitely tell other kids to try it if they’re interested,” he said. “Chicago theater is a small world. Go check out an open audition because you can’t get into shows without being seen by people, and once you do one, it can snowball and get you more.”

“Finding Nemo: The Musical” debuted Oct. 11 at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. It runs at 10 a.m. Thursdays through Sundays through Jan. 4.