Washington and Lee University’s production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” turned staged chaos into carefully executed performances in the Johnson Theatre from April 8 to 11.

The play is “a drama within a drama,” telling the story of a theatrical group that attempts to stage the play “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” During the performance, things start to go wrong —missing cues, collapsing sets and malfunctioning props. “The Play That Goes Wrong” won the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and has been hailed as a “masterpiece of malfunction,” according to Mischief Theater. 

The decision to stage “The Play That Goes Wrong” was driven in part by student interest. Director Suzanne Delle said the theater department selected the play after students expressed a desire to work on a production that emphasized physical comedy and offered opportunities to develop new skills, such as accents, stage combat and technical coordination.

One of the main challenges of production was to maintain safety while actors performed staged errors.

“It’s not easy to pretend to do things wrong and stay safe,” said Delle.

Delle said that although most of the actors in the play were not theater majors, all students had the opportunity to develop throughout the semester. Students were introduced to a range of theatrical skills, including imitating accents, stage combat, and coordinating with setting elements.

For actors, the experience involved both technical and personal growth. Physical comedy requires precise movement and awareness of timing, and the unpredictable nature of the performance encouraged flexibility and creative risk-taking. 

Rachel Collins, ’27, noted that the process required a different approach than previous productions, with a greater emphasis on physicality and coordination.

Others emphasized the challenge of performing comedy authentically.

“If you’re trying to make people laugh, people are not going to laugh, or it’s going to be a very cheap laugh,” said Ryleigh Love, ’29.

Chuck Rutberg, ’26, said it was interesting  playing basically two roles in the play.

“At first, I was just playing Thomas Collingwood in the play ‘The Murder at Haversham Manor.’ And at a certain point, I realized that I really have to play Robert in ‘The Play That Goes Wrong,’” he said.

Delle helped the actors understand many issues by getting remote input from an actor who performed this play on Broadway.

“He told us that you’re playing your actors and this is the worst night of their lives, and that made a lot of moments where I really couldn’t understand why I was doing things on the stage make sense,” Rutberg said.

The production fostered a strong sense of collaboration between the cast and crew, Collins said. Because the play required constant interaction and coordination, performers relied heavily on one another to maintain both safety and comedic rhythm.

“It’s been very collaborative. Everyone is interacting with everyone else, and it really creates a strong ensemble,” said Love.

A defining feature of the production was its ambitious stage design by Stefanie Hansen, associate professor of theater at the University of Delaware, who served as the visiting scenic designer for the production. The set incorporated multiple levels, moving components and simulated technical failures, all of which contributed to the illusion of chaos.

“The upper level falls down,” said Delle. “The elevator is going to break through light and sound.”

Actors had to practice staging both before and after the set’s “collapse.” The simulated failures required close collaboration between actors and the crew.

The production aims to provide audiences with both entertainment and insight. Delle said she hopes that viewers will enjoy “two hours of silliness and laughter.”

“I hope they think it’s funny, but I hope that they also feel themselves taken into the world of the show,” said Love.