Category: Play

Thanks so much for coming out and supporting live theatre. Without you, we’d… well, we’d probably still be doing this for an empty room, but that’s not nearly as fun for anyone. Your presence makes the chaos worthwhile.

The Play That Goes Wrong is a unique kind of beast—a show where everything falls apart on purpose, but still needs to be razor-sharp to land just right. It’s a heck of a challenge, and I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible cast and crew who dove in headfirst, embraced the madness, and made this disaster of a play a smashing success.

A huge shoutout to David Jolly and his team for building a set that’s practically a character of its own. You’ll see what I mean soon enough. It’s an architectural marvel… that occasionally tries to eat people.

This is the third show I’ve had the pleasure of directing, and every time I’m reminded just how much talent, energy, and heart goes into making local theatre happen. Please keep coming out, keep cheering us on, and keep supporting the arts in any way you can.

While we’re on that note—if you’re looking for more theatre-adjacent goodness in the area, check out the 2nd Annual Green Bay Fringe Festival coming this July www.gbfringe.com

And while we’re on the topic of supporting the arts, come join my secret club.

Enjoy the show (and try not to get too close to the set—it has a mind of its own).

Prepare yourself for a riot of laughter with “The Play That Goes Wrong,” a comedic masterpiece that has captivated audiences since its debut in 2012. Penned by the talented trio of Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, this brilliantly chaotic production takes you behind the curtain of a fictional amateur theater company, where a group of well-meaning yet utterly clumsy actors attempt to stage a murder mystery. What could possibly go wrong? Just about everything!

From props that refuse to cooperate to actors getting tangled in ludicrous scenarios, this play serves up an endless parade of comedic calamities that will have you doubled over in laughter. The chemistry among the characters, mixed with impeccable comic timing, draws the audience into a whirlwind of hilarity.

But the real magic goes beyond the actors—the technical elements of this production are nothing short of a hidden treasure! The clever design of malfunctioning sets requires not just creativity but also precision and safety measures to ensure the actors can thrive amidst the chaos. Every fall, every mishap, every moment of pandemonium is baked into the script, making the cast’s ability to keep their composure all the more impressive. It’s a feat that involves a team of technical wizards and skilled carpenters who breathe life into their wildest ideas.

One standout moment involves the clever use of a window, which becomes the comedic centerpiece when one of the actresses unexpectedly gets knocked unconscious mid-show. With her character unable to exit the stage, the entire cast (and crew!) finds themselves in a hilarious scramble to figure out how to remove her from the spotlight. Cue the antics!

Speaking of the crew, they aren’t just behind-the-scenes heroes; they’re an integral part of the performance! Audiences delight in watching these four crew members navigate the chaos on and off stage, working tirelessly to fix every misstep. With each show, you never quite know what surprises might unfold!

“The Play That Goes Wrong” is more than just a comedy; it’s a jubilant celebration of the theater itself, reminding us that sometimes, a well-executed disaster can outshine a flawless performance. Whether you’re a theater aficionado or simply someone in need of a good laugh, this play delivers a heartwarming experience that revels in the beauty of imperfection. With its unmatched wit and charm, it’s no surprise that “The Play That Goes Wrong” has become a cherished staple on stages around the world. Get ready for a night of uproarious fun!

Let’s set the stage for ASPI’s upcoming production, The Play That Goes Wrong!

After benefitting from a large and sudden inheritance, the inept and accident-prone Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society embark on producing an ambitious 1920s murder mystery, ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’. The production begins before the curtain has even been raised. With the audience present while the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society prepares to stage their new production, props start to disappear, actors go missing, and the set begins to collapse around, and often on, the cast. Mayhem ensues!

To bring this comedic chaos to the stage, a great deal of time, engineering, and experimentation was necessary for ASPI’s tech team! The humor of the show is that the cast bravely present the story almost oblivious to the technical failures, while the audience is wondering what will go wrong next and how will the cast improvise amidst those challenges. 

There are many set “failures” that are written into the script to propel the story! Many of these technical failures are what we would call stunts, gags, or tricks. In order for these stunts to be executed safely for both the cast and crew, it required creative thinking and engineering! 

The most engineered trick is a falling second floor level! At one point in the show, two cast members are on a second floor platform that is four feet off of the stage level. The support for this platform is inadvertently (on purpose) kicked out and the platform is to fall in a series of inclines while the actors soldier on. This amounts to a very serious engineering feat that requires equipment and design to execute safely. In this instance,  David Jolly (Tech Director) chose pneumatic support of the platform. This provides the necessary support while exhibiting a bouncy, unpredictable visual as it is allowed to fall to increasingly steep angles.  Anchoring this platform so that it is appropriately supported was a very difficult proposition!

Another trick that needed planning to execute was items “falling” off the walls. This was not an easy trick considering that many items fall off the walls in unison and some are replaced only to fall off again. If this wasn’t enough of a challenge, the walls that hold these items eventually fall themselves!

As an audience member, you will be able to see the ASPI backstage crew on stage throughout the performance. The crew is actually cast in the show to participate and execute the stunts in full view of the audience.

Many thanks go to David Jolly and Cyndee Sweetland for their set design, Cyndee and her A team (painting crew) who provided the rich colors and visual interest in creating the look of Haversham manor, and to David Jolly, Vince Baudry, and Al Steeno for building the set and gags! Also many thanks to all who assisted with props!

Any audience members that are intrigued and would like to learn more about the execution of the engineering and students in The Play That Goes Wrong are encouraged to reach out to a cast member, staff member, or David Jolly after the performance for a tour and further explanation.  

Tickets are on sale NOW! Showtimes for The Play That Goes Wrong are 7pm on May 8-10 and May 15-17 and 1pm on May 11 and May 18. Don’t miss the hijinks in this truly unique ASPI production.

We invite you to witness the chaos of its spring comedy, “The Play That Goes Wrong.” ASPI will present the show May 8-11 and May 15-18 at the Nancy Byng Community Theater, 5852 Maple St., Abrams.

Mike Eserkaln, the artistic director of Comedy City in De Pere, directs the show. He said audiences are going to love the physical comedy. “There’s never a point where something or someone is not moving during the show, often with hilarious and catastrophic results,” Eserkaln said. “The actors are earnestly trying to perform a play while every conceivable thing that can go wrong, does. Every choice the actors make to fix things is the wrong choice.”

“The Play That Goes Wrong” describes the inept and accident-prone Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s attempt to produce an ambitious 1920s murder mystery. Unfortunately, the set is not yet complete, the props start to disappear, actors go missing, and the set begins to collapse. Mayhem ensues, the acting gets worse, and the set becomes increasingly dangerous. The question is whether any of the cast and crew will remain standing, or conscious, by the final curtain! “This show is really an experience, something only live theatre can do,” Eserkaln said. “A number of gags are going to rely on gravity, so each show is going to be a little different.”

The set for the show is a character all by itself. Everything – paintings, furniture, walls, the fireplace – is a thought-out prop that has a hilarious moment of going wrong. Cyndy Sweetland designed the set, and David Jolly engineered it.

“The Play That Goes Wrong” features an ensemble cast, and all of the actors are well-versed in comedy. Eserkaln said his favorite character is Trevor the Lights and Sound guy. “He participates in the chaos just as much as everyone but has the cool-headed detachment that I love about theatre tech people,” he said.

Tickets on sale now by grabbing them on our website or by calling the box office at 920-826-5852.

Upcoming Auditions: The Play That Goes Wrong

An ill-fated theater company strives to produce an ambitious murder mystery play, but with disaster after disaster, will the cast even make it to the final curtain?

In The Play That Goes Wrong props disappear, actors go missing, and the set begins to collapse… But the show must go on! This mayhem makes for a physical show, and a show where performers will have to almost constantly be doing two things at the same time. 

Director Mike Eserkaln is very excited, and a little daunted, to bring The Play That Goes Wrong to the ASPI stage. This will be the largest production in terms of cast and over-all production that he has ever directed! But if we’re not challenging ourselves to new things, what are we even doing here, right?!

Auditions will take place on January 28th and 29th from 6pm-8pm at the Nancy Byng Community Theater in Abrams (you only need to attend one of those dates).

Performers should be comfortable with a variety of stage pratfalls and stage combat safety expectations. Don’t worry, we won’t be doing “combat” necessarily, but the ability and knowledge of how to do things safely is going to be very important. The director is looking for people that not only fit the roles best, but also listen well and take direction that’s thrown at them in the moment.

For this type of show, Mike Eserkaln offers this advice: Be willing, even excited, to look and act like a fool up on stage!

If you have any questions please call the Box Office at 920-826-5852 or visit abramstheater.com!

For more information regarding the upcoming The Play That Goes Wrong auditions, please visit: https://abramsspotlightproductions.com/auditions.

Stay connected by following ASPI on social media so that you don’t miss a single update on auditions and the 2025 production season!

When the ASPI board first contacted me about returning to the company to direct a show called Boeing Boeing, I had to admit I had heard of it but had never seen a production or the movie. Now as we prepare to open our production of this extremely popular script I am so happy to have been offered this crazy French farce from the early 1960s. I must admit the most telling part of this whole experience for me is that I am the only member of the cast and production personnel who was alive when it was first produced in 1962. That was fun to learn!

We have chosen to present the script as it was first performed over sixty years ago, when our norms for sexism and many other “isms” were very different than today in the 2020s. This show was first produced when The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Beverly Hillbillies were on television, well before All in the Family and others hit the airwaves. As always when watching a comedic farce, you will be asked to suspend your belief in reality on occasion and just go with the flow.

By the way, if you understand my references to the television shows in the preceding paragraph it is possible that you were also alive, or soon to be alive, in the early 1960s. I hope your memories of that era aren’t quite as frantic or bizarre as this wonderful show, but I hope everyone enjoys our crazy play. It’s been a lot of fun preparing this production to entertain you.

Wayne Strei

Director