Actors run back and forth across the stage while mayhem breaks out behind them. 

“Very chaotic, all over the place, a huge mess, and a disaster,” junior Conner Youngblood, who plays Max, said about the upcoming production. 

The Play That Goes Wrong debuts in September, but Theatre students have been preparing since auditions in May. 

Company members assure the production will surprise and delight the audience.  

“I’d say the show is planned chaos,” senior Slade Reese, who plays Trevor, said. “Everything that you’re gonna see in this performance is insanely chaotic, and you’re gonna wonder, ‘Was that on purpose?’ and ‘Is he okay?’”

Junior Chayton Reel, who plays Robert, also described the show as a controlled and fun chaos. However, Director Darin Garrett, had other thoughts. 

“I would describe it as a combination of farce and slapstick and overall silliness,” Garrett said. “It’s a murder mystery put on by community actors who really have no business doing Theatre, and everything that could go wrong, goes wrong, literally.”

On stage, actors have been hard at work since auditions and have tricks they use to help them portray their characters.

“I like being prepared, especially script and blocking wise,” sophomore Molly White, who plays Extended Crew. “Writing literally everything and anything I can down so that I can use it as a reference and go back to.”

Others found different ways to bring life into their characters.

“I watched four different versions of The Play That Goes Wrong,” Youngblood said. “One in Germany, one in London, and two in America. I took similarities from these four different actors and the way that they portrayed this character and I took notes on it. I looked deeply into why they did this and I incorporated it into the character himself.”

Some found unexpected and creative strategies to help them memorize their lines.

“I have this thing where I’ll take the first letter of every word and write it down on a page,” Reel said. “Then I’d go over the letters as a way to memorize my lines and look up and try to go through everything.”

Backstage, the technical crew has been diligently working to make this production possible.

“This is a challenging show to put on,” senior Abby Harvey, who is co-set head and assistant stage manager for performances, said. “For pretty much every other show we’ve done here, it has been heavy with one particular crew. Maybe one is really big on costumes, but another has a lot of props to deal with. This show honestly has a big everything. Everything is supposed to fall apart, and when I say everything, I mean everything.”

Stage Manager Ana Mascarenhas gave a preview of what to expect. 

“A lot of things are gonna happen with the set,” Mascarenhas said. “I don’t want to spoil it too much, but I am really excited to see how it works and the audience’s reactions to it.”

The general consensus from the company is that the play is a must-see.

“People should come and see this show truly because of our technical side,” Reese said. “I think there is a lot of great acting in this, but our tech really shines, especially with our set and the costumes. Everyone in tech really does a great job, and everything we do would be impossible without them.”

Members of the cast said the show is funny because there is something to laugh about every few seconds and the play will have people holding their stomachs with laughter pains.

“It’s funny. It’s so funny,” Harvey said. “Mr. Garrett is always good about picking the funniest shows, so you should definitely watch it.”

Garrett previously directed Noises Off,  the first show Theatre put on last year.

“The Play That Goes Wrong has a lot of similarities with Noises Off,” Mascarenhas said. “It’s also a play in a play. It’s humorous, very blocking heavy, so it’s a difficult show, but I fully trust myself, my other stage managers, Garrett, the actors, and the company to pull it off.”

Costume Head Kennedy Jordan enjoys the audience’s response to a comedy.

“It’s going to be a funny production like Noises Off,” Jordan said. “It’s nice hearing an audience laugh from backstage.”

Garrett also looks forward to the humorous elements and how he hopes it will impact the audience.

“I think they are going to come out laughing,” Garrett said. “I think they are gonna tell their friends and I’m hoping that our last night is our biggest night because of word of mouth. I really do think people will enjoy this, especially the students. The silliness that happens will entertain them.”

Opening night is Friday, Sept. 23 with two performances on Sept. 24 and closing night Sept. 26. Tickets will be available for purchase soon. The link will be found on the production’s Instagram @theplaythatgoeswrong.ko.