Trinity University’s production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” stands out from other shows this semester in one key way: everything is designed to fail. From a malfunctioning set to actors struggling to keep a murder-mystery play alive, the production embraces theatrical disaster. But behind the chaos, everything must be carefully planned to go awry safely and correctly. Performances are Nov. 6–8 and Nov. 11-14 at the Jane and Arthur Stieren Theater in the Ruth Taylor Theater Building.
Directed by Nathan Stith, associate professor and director of Trinity’s theatre program, “The Play That Goes Wrong” is a comedy that follows a fictional theater company as they attempt to perform a murder-mystery play titled “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” As the mystery unfolds, the play begins to fall apart in a scripted disaster.
“All the things that are going wrong, whether it be costumes or set pieces or actors forgetting their lines or everything, it’s already in the script,” Stith said.
The set design in itself has been one of the production’s greatest challenges.
“That [the set] is really almost an entirely different character in the play,” Stith said.
Stith said the set has a crucial role in...