Ms. Beth Topping’s 31st and final show at Community did not go quietly.

Severe weather knocked out power between acts of the April 17 performance of “Something Rotten!,” forcing the cast and crew to postpone act two until 2 p.m. the following afternoon.

By the time the final curtain fell on the weekend’s closing performance, Topping’s three-decade run directing Community’s theater program was officially over—fittingly chaotic for a comedy built around absurdity.

Topping, a social studies teacher at Parkside Junior High, has been a part of 31 productions at Community, first joining as an assistant director for “The Sound of Music” during the 1996–97 school year. She took over as director with “Guys and Dolls” in 2000 and has led the program since.

The Inkspot sat down with Topping during tech week to talk about her career, her final show and what comes next.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: How does it feel knowing this is your last show?

A: I’m trying not to think about that too much. It’s a little bittersweet.

Q: Why “Something Rotten!” as your final production?

A: It’s the story of the first musical, and I thought that was just kind of full circle to make it my last musical. During the song “A Musical,” we wanted to throw in costumes from all 31 shows that we’ve done here that I’ve been a part of. It just seemed like there were things I could play off of.

Q: You teach sixth-grade social studies at Parkside. How do you balance that with directing a high school musical?

A: I’m really grateful to have both opportunities, because here I get to work with the high schoolers who want to be a part of a musical and put something together like this.

In the sixth-grade classroom, sixth graders are the best. They’re like puppies, because they’ll do whatever you want. You just have to engage them. It’s easy to balance, because I enjoy both sides of it.

Q: Are there challenges to directing a show at a building you’re not in during the school day?

A: I don’t know what’s always happened over here, because I’ve been at Parkside all day. So if there’s been something different that throws everybody off—like right before spring break, everybody was done—getting a solid, strong rehearsal out of a bunch of high schoolers who want to be on their phones and not be here is challenging sometimes.

Q: How has directing changed for you since “Guys and Dolls” in 2000?

A: It got easier because I got more confident. The first time, it was like the first year of teaching—you don’t necessarily know what you’re doing. There are a lot of things that I’ve learned, [like] who can handle it, so I don’t have to be responsible for everything.

Q: Is there a dream show you wish you could have done?

A: We can’t do it because it’s not out [for high school licensing], but I would love to do “Wicked.” And “Hamilton” is my favorite—I snuck Alexander [Hamilton] into the song “A Musical” so we could get him on stage too.

Q: What impact have the students had on you over the years?

A: The high schoolers have always had a great impact on me. They just remind me to see the world differently, as adults who sometimes get tunnel vision—I’ve got these bills to pay, I’ve got this thing to deal with. And high schoolers come at life from a different attitude. It just keeps me young, really.

Q: Do you plan to continue directing after you leave the district?

A: I want to continue. I think I’m going to go see what Community Players has. I feel like it’s the right time to cut the tie here, since I’m not going to be a teacher in the district anymore. I want to pass the program on to—I’m not really passing it on to Mr. Luginbuhl. He’s been a part of it as long as I have. But let it continue with fresh blood.

Q: What are you going to miss most?

A: I’ll miss kind of all of the elements of this—the working together, the camaraderie and putting together a show, kind of the family feel of it. Because for two and a half months, we all know each other’s business, because we’re all in here working together, trying to help each other through whatever and put the best show on that we can.

Q: Any major highlights from your years directing?

A: I got to direct my nephews and my niece, so that gave me some fun family connections.

There are some shows I’m very proud of—“Aida,” “Pippin,” “Seussical,” “The Lightning Thief.”

Our lead in “Aida” went to Broadway. He was in “Book of Mormon” for years.

I like doing new shows or shows we haven’t really done at a high school level in and around Bloomington-Normal. I feel like we’ve done that well.