The Play that goes Wrong, Independent Play

This first of year’s Independent Plays, the Play that goes Wrong, was performed in the EM Forster Studio between 30 September – 2 October by Second, Third and Lower Sixth Year boys alongside cast members from Tonbridge Grammar School.

The Play That Goes Wrong is a play by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields of Mischief Theatre Company. The story follows a performance of a Murder Mystery, produced by a university drama society, during which the ill-fated theatre company encounters numerous mishaps. The comedy comes from actors missing lines, falling or using the wrong prop. The set and technical difficulties encountered also create a comic effect with set pieces falling, wrong music playing at times, a coal scuttle catching fire.

Directed by Ben Katz, Deputy Head of Maths and Assistant Housemaster of Hill Side, with Technical Direction from Liam Fahey and set and costume design by Chris Burden and Helen Chappenden respectively, The Play That Goes Wrong embraced the controlled chaos of a production in which almost nothing goes according to plan. The set was cleverly adapted so that the action unfolded across left and right rather than upstairs and downstairs, with lighting guiding the audience towards each new disaster. Magnets, pyrotechnics and ingenious props brought falling portraits, malfunctioning equipment and spectacular mishaps to life, while a recurring stream of misplaced props, mistimed entrances, unconscious actors and an increasingly wayward technician ensured that the comedy never let up. The students rose magnificently to the demands of the script, with Annie even taking on a second role after her fellow actress was ‘knocked unconscious’. The production culminated, quite literally, in the fire alarm being sounded and the audience being evacuated — leaving Chris, the hapless director, to announce that Act Two could unfortunately not go ahead because the set had caught fire. The resulting laughter and applause suggested that, for once, everything had gone exactly as planned.

Independent plays extend the opportunities for both staff and students across the School by enabling broader members of the academic staff to select and direct plays, with the expert help and guidance of our Drama Department. In doing so, this gives pupils additional opportunities to perform. Ben praised both the cast and the drama department for their professionalism, ease to work with and talent, saying “this play, that requires such a level of timing, technical skill and sometimes a bit of improvisation has been delivered… Absolutely right!”