The Play that Goes Wrong
High School Edition
By Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer
Presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
Welcome to opening night of the Cornley Drama Society's newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor. There's just one problem: absolutely nothing is going according to plan.
As the company attempts to perform a classic 1920s murder mystery, missed lines, misplaced props, collapsing scenery, unconscious actors, and one disaster after another threaten to bring the entire production crashing down. But no matter what happens, these determined performers are committed to reaching the final curtain.
The Play That Goes Wrong: High School Edition is a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud comedy where the biggest question isn't who committed the murder—it's whether the cast will survive the performance.
Details
Author Bio
Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer are founding members of the award-winning British theatre company Mischief and the writers behind the international comedy phenomenon The Play That Goes Wrong. Their collaborations have also included Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, Groan Ups, and The Goes Wrong Show. Lewis serves as Mischief's Artistic Director, Sayer as Creative Director, and Shields as a Creative Associate. Their work has been performed on the West End, Broadway, and around the world.
Duration
120 minutes (2 hours)
Genre/Subgenre
Comedy / Farce / Mystery-Thriller / Play-Within-a-Play
Concord Theatricals classifies the High School Edition as a full-length comedy with the subgenres of farce and mystery/thriller.
Time Period/Setting
Present Day and the 1920s.
The audience is watching a present-day theatre company attempting to perform The Murder at Haversham Manor, a fictional 1920s murder mystery. The comedy moves between the world of the actors trying desperately to put on their production and the increasingly disastrous mystery they are attempting to perform.
Audience Guidance / Rating
JAMS Rating: PG — Parental Guidance Suggested
Recommended primarily for older children, teens, and adults. The production contains extensive physical comedy, simulated theatrical accidents, stage combat, a fictional murder investigation, and comic depictions of characters being knocked unconscious or placed in apparent danger. Concord identifies the High School Edition's target audience as teens ages 14–18 and adults; the High School Edition was specifically adapted to address some of the language and content issues found in the original version.