Recently, Performance Ensemble, Woodward’s highest level acting class, put on Woodward’s last play of the year: The Play That Goes Wrong. The performance garnered the troupe second place in a recent one act play competition with five cast members receiving all star acting awards. 

This comedy is about a group of actors’ attempt to put on the opening night performance of The Murder at Haversham Manor, but everything seems to go wrong. The actors must combat forgotten lines, technical difficulties, and confusing scenery–all while the star of the show is unconscious, a corpse can’t play dead, the detective is confused, and much more.

Additionally, students had to utilize techniques that differ from most plays.

“There was a heavy emphasis on physical comedy in rehearsal because this play is written for actors to convey their comedy with their body a lot of the time, rather than verbally,” said Dominic Gibson ‘23.

In fact, these comical scenes were some of Gibson’s favorite parts.

“[My favorite part of the play] was definitely Max’s death scene,” said Gibson ‘23, the actor who plays Max. “I bursted into the door, fell on the chaise lounge, then dropped on the floor, slowly crawled downstage with an agonizing death sound, played dead, came back alive, then grabbed and shook another actor before elegantly falling into the chaise lounge and finally being dead.”

However, despite the show being a hit, for the seniors it also brings feelings of nostalgia and sadness.

“I am feeling bittersweet as I am grateful to have gotten to act with all of these fantastic people but I am also sad that this is my last fall 2 play,” said Justin Clopton ‘23. The fall 2 play refers to the second play that Performance Ensembles does after the showcase that anyone in the student body can audition for.

But, both he and Gibson hope to leave a legacy for the underclassmen.

“I hope to go out with a bang in the musical and make sure [that] we continue to foster a caring theater community,” said Clopton ‘23.

“I would always look up to all the seniors in the play as role models, when I was a freshman,” said Gibson ‘23. “They gave me confidence and believed in me, I hope I’m able to pass that on in some way to the current freshmen.”