Poudre High School Theatre presents
by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields and Jonathan Sayer
Technical Director Laura Lenczycki	Costume Director Kari Armstrong	Lighting & Sound  Alec Munoz	Hair & Makeup  Lindsay Shipton
Directed by Joel Smith
Stage Manager Esther Ambrose	Assistant Director Lucia Cruz-Rodenbeck	Student Technical Director Laurie Lindsey
Presented by arrangement with Dramatic Play Service under license from Mischief Worldwide Ltd. The Mischief Production of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG was originally produced on the West End Stage by Kenny Wax & Stage Presence and on Broadway by Kevin McCollum, J.J. Abrams, Kenny Wax & Stage Presence
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG was first presented by Mischief Theatre under the title The Murder Before Christmas on December 4th, 2012, at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London. THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields © 2012, 2014 Mischief Worldwide Ltd. All rights reserved. THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, the “Falling G” logo device, Mischief, and Mischief Theatre are trademarks of Mischief Worldwide Ltd. All rights reserved. This production is presented by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service under license from Mischief Worldwide Ltd. For Mischief Worldwide Ltd.: Directors: Mark Bentley, Jonathan Burke, Henry Lewis, Kenny Wax Executive Director: Jo Danvers Marketing Manager: Harry Lockyear Production & Administrative Assistant: Minoli De Silva Exclusive Agent for Literary Rights: Nicki Stoddart, United Agents LLP, London For information about all Mischief works, please visit www.mischiefcomedy.com

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Cast

Creative Team

Shop Talk

Upon learning that our winter show was titled The Play that Goes Wrong, one might envision it as a technical director’s nightmare. You wouldn’t be wrong. The first read-through of the script induced some minor heart palpitations, as did the second. By the third, I was both nervous and genuinely excited. You see, for something to "go wrong" on stage, many things need to go exactly right, and I count my blessings that they have.

The first right thing has and will always be my incredibly supportive family—my parents and siblings who are there for me, primarily by listening to anything and everything I need to say after a long crew call. The second right thing is our amazing directing team behind this show. Thank you, Ms. Kari, for being a hopeful visionary and a positive presence in our creative space. Thank you, Alec, for being my "supervising adult" in crime, spending endless hours brainstorming and implementing some crazy ideas. And, Mr. Smith, thank you for never accepting anything less than our best, for challenging me to grow as a person, and to use skills I didn’t think I had. We've come a long way since Eurydice's "stringa" set design when you asked me to come in and see what being a technical director might be about.

Finally, this show would not be able to go wrong without the very right skills and attitude of this technical crew. They've turned some ideas that felt impossible into reality. They've had to think creatively to meet the script's insane demands and be precise in their execution so that it could all come off as "theatre magic." When building a box set like this, you need a wide variety of skills, from construction, sourcing props, painting, wallpapering, set dressing, practical light wiring, and more that I am probably forgetting. We had the full spectrum of experience on this crew, from new people who had never used an impact drill or held a paintbrush to our experienced heads who were teaching others to use power tools, hang lights, program on the boards, and hone their scenic painting skills. All of this was done under the pressures of a short build time and the dreary winter weather. To say that I am proud is an understatement. I am truly amazed at the work they have done, the challenges they have overcome, and the friendships that were forged in the long hours of Saturday tech calls. I am excited for this show that will bring down the house and hope that you find it "wrong" for all the right reasons!

Help Send Our Thespians to Internationals!

3 PHS Thespians are travelling to the International Thespian Festival this June with Fossil Ridge High School. Please help support their trip!

Costumer Snippets

I love to shower well-deserved praise on the amazing costume crews who work so hard on each show here at Poudre Theatre. And here I go again.
We knew our decision to present this play would use a small cast—half which would be wearing technical black clothing, typical of backstage work. 
I chose superstars Maeve Schinkel, Carter Larson, Lily Van Zant and Katy Riley to fit the men’s looks and to build the very few women’s costumes for our 1920’s play within a play “The Murder at Haversham Manor”. 
We knew the physical comedy nature of this show would be hard on the sturdiest of costumes. There have been daily repairs from rehearsals alone! We simply could not put our actors into the delicate, authentic vintage pieces gracing our stock. We also reasoned that the costumes were one of the few parts of the play NOT necessarily “wrong”. 
Before the hilarious disasters within the play, there was every intention of the Cornley Drama Society to present a well-done and classy production. To illustrate those good intentions, the costume crew used truly authentic, complicated, and often bewildering women’s sewing patterns reproduced directly from the 1920’s. The crew bravely took on the challenge of building and styling these complex puzzle-piece gowns with a believable, beautiful, (and mostly sturdy) result.
The sewing talent, hard work, great attitude, and total dedication of this small but mighty crew has me shaking my head with astonishment and appreciation. Thank you so much, you fabulous four!
Astonishment and appreciation also go to Joel Smith, my longtime partner in magical theatrical insanity, to Laura Lenczycki who we lured back into technical shenanigans, and Alec Munoz, who glows with positivity and possibilities. Thanks also to our valued student assistants Ester, Laurie, and Lucia. You’re the best!
As always, such gratitude to my patient husband and family, who encourage and believe in me while I disappear into the depths of the costume basement for weeks at a time.
Please enjoy this zany show!

Kari Armstrong
Costume Director

Meet the Company

Suzie Matlock

Annie

Suzie Matlock is a junior at Poudre High School, and is very excited to be performing in The Play That Goes Wrong! She has been doing theatre since her Freshman year, such as Clue, Mean Girls, and more. Suzie would love to thank her family and friends for always being so loving and supportive in her journey through theatre.

Harper Skjerseth

Taylor

Harper is excited to be portraying Taylor in the Play That Goes Wrong! This is Harper's sixth show at Poudre and feels like she has found her second family with Poudre Theatre. She´d like to thank her friends and family for always supporting her in her artistic endeavors and being there for her throughout the process of creating this show.

Christine Pannell

Chris

This will be Christine's 10th show at Poudre High School, and she is so grateful for the opportunities she has had in the program! Some of her favorite roles include Mrs. White in Clue, Gretchen in Mean Girls, and Bippy in Puffs. She wants to thank her Mom, Grandma, and siblings for the love they show her every day.

Riley Jané

Jonathan

Riley is a Junior and never thought he'd end up doing theatre at the high school level. This is his first show and he is ecstatic to share this production with you. He would also like to thank his family, friends, and the rest of the cast for their support.

Harriet Marcus-Bause

Rachel

Harriet Marcus-Bause is a junior at Poudre High School and has been doing theater since 7th grade, she started her acting career at La-De-Da and then joined PHS theater her freshman year. Her acting experiences range from one language performances to plays in a different country with four different languages! Harriet is excited to introduce you to her character Rachel/Mary Colleymoore in the performance of The Play that Goes Wrong!

Cooper Hix

Dennis

Cooper is currently a senior at Poudre High School and this will be his 4th production. He previously played Aaron Samuels in Mean girls and is excited to play Dennis in the Play that goes Wrong. Cooper would like to thank his friends and family for their endless support and pushing him to always be his best self.

Finn Vaughan

Max

Finn is a senior, continuing his work in theatre, most recently portraying Damian in Mean Girls. He would like to acknowledge the cast of Glee for their three-dimensional concert film and their groundbreaking work. In addition, he’d like to thank Troy Bolton for inspiring him to do theatre (the basketball career didn’t pan out). All things go, all things go.

Pelé Allen

Sandra

Pelé is thrilled to get to work alongside her talented peers in this winter production. Recently, you might have seen her as Regina in Mean Girls at PHS or Adella in The Little Mermaid at the Academy by Divabee. Pelé thanks her family and friends for supporting her throughout this production run, and she hopes you enjoy!

Lennon Shipton

Tech Crew

Lennon has been in theatre since he was a child, and was in most of the productions at his middle school. He has also been a part of some of the productions here at Poudre. He played Guy in a one-act show called Check Please. He also played Kevin G in Mean Girls The Musical.

Merrick Mackinney

Tech Crew

Merrick made his theater debut by making costumes for The Little Mermaid, and later did costumes for Puffs and Romeo & Juliet. Since, he has had acting roles in Matilda the Musical as Rudolpho and Mean Girls the Musical as an ensemble member.

Zoë Anderson

Tech Crew

Owen Johnson

Tech Crew

After his debut in Poudre Theatre’s production of Mean Girls, Owen is excited to act in his second production with the company. When Owen is not working with the troop he spends his time jerry-rigging robots with Poudre’s robotics team. Thus, he is excited to take the role of technical-crew-actor to bring his love for shoddy construction to the stage.

Josephine Beck

Tech Crew

This is Josephine’s debut on the tech crew! Just kidding… but not really. She is a junior and this is her 6th show acting and her 7th production with Poudre Theatre. She would like to thank her everyone who supports her in everything she does. She is so excited to for you to see this show and hopes you enjoy!

Logan Yaste

Tech Crew

Logan has been in Poudre Theatre since her freshman year. Some of her past productions include Matilda and Mean Girls. She is extremely excited to be doing her first play. She would like to thank her family and friends for kindly and patiently supporting and encouraging her.

Masen Odell

Tech Crew

As a freshman, Masen is excited to be making her Poudre Theatre debut in The Play That Goes Wrong, and is looking forward to becoming a part of the theatre community through her high school career. Her biggest hope for The Play That Goes Wrong is to meet new people and create memories—and to ultimately find Winston.

Michael Abramowitz

Tech Crew

Michael is a sophomore at prouder High School, this is his first show as an actor. Michael has done past shows such as Clue, Almost Maine and Mean Girls. Acting is a whole new aspect of theater for him compared to being a technician. He wants to thank his family and friends for the support he gets to pursue theater.

Esther Ambrose

Stage Manager

Esther is the Stage Manager for The Play That Goes Wrong. She is a senior and this production will be her 6th at Poudre. She is appreciative that her first time stage managing is on an impressive production. She would like to acknowledge the hard earnest work of her company that brings this lively play to another level.

Laurie Lindsey

Student Technical Director/Asst. Stage Manager

This is Laurie's 7th show at Poudre, and their first time not doing props.

Marlie Clark

Asst. Stage Manager

Marlie is excited to debut her first technical role as assistant stage manager in The Play That Goes Wrong. She has been in Poudre Theatre productions such as Mean Girls, Almost, Maine, and Matilda, she’s so happy to have participated behind the scenes in this show. Marlie can’t wait for you to see everyone's hard work and hopes you love the show.

Jeremiah "Geralt" Daley

Construction Head/Deck Boss

Jeremiah "Geralt" Daley is a proud member of Poudre Theatre's technical crew! He is looking to take Mrs. Lenczycki's job by force by pursuing a degree in technical direction. He is thankful for late-night car debriefs, long talks about Arthur Morgan, Fish, Bang energy drink, brute force, and genie backflips. Osha smosha!

Sara Ogden

Properties Head/Weapons Mistress

Sara is a sophomore, and this is her 5th show at Poudre. Following her work on the props crew in Mean Girls and Clue, she is the prop head for this show. She is so excited to see everyone’s hard work come together.

MJ Scott-Donegan

Lighting Head/Light Board Operator

This is MJ's fourth show. He's excited to be the lighting head for the second show in a row. They've really enjoyed getting to focus on lighting more this show and is so excited for more.

Octavio Sutton

Sound Head

This is his seventh show with PHS, he might be chained to the program by one Laura Lenczycki. He wants to thank the student leaders who are a foot shorter than him, and the construction head. He is counting down the days to graduation! (93)

Izzy Johnson

Paint Co-Head

This is her fifth show as a technician here at Poudre and she is very excited to be able to work on this set.

Skylar Lamoreaux

Paint Co-Head

Recently operating as a spot lighting up the Queen Bee herself in Mean Girls, he is returning to the darkness backstage. Spending almost as much time in the clock as the actors, they are finding the change in atmosphere to be freeing. He would like to thank in advance whoever takes the burden of the mantle away from him.

Gwyneth Parker

Sound Board Operator

This is her second production at PHS and is very excited to be working it.

Juelz Martin

Follow Spot Operator

This is Juelz’s 6th show, they’re very optimistic about how it will turn out on stage.

Alice Kress

Construction/Running Crew

Alice Kress is a senior at PHS and this is her 10th Poudre Theater production. Currently, she’s on the technical crew, specifically involved in construction, painting, and sewing sandbag bags. Alice is very excited about collaborating with the professionals of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society. So, without further ado, get ready for The Murder at Haversham Manor. Expect more bodies!

Birdie Fry

Construction/Running Crew

Birdie Fry, who is a technician, is a sophomore at Poudre High School. This is her third production, and she is excited to work on another show!

Brooklyn Wilkes

Construction/Running Crew

Brooklyn has been such a proud supporter of theatre since she was young. As a sophomore, this is Brooklyn's sixth show with the Poudre School District. She is super glad to be in another show at Poudre. She is thankful for her family and friends who have supported her in theatre!

Calen Clapp

Construction/Running Crew

He has acted in Mean Girls, Matilda, Mama Mia. He is excited and honored to join tech and work tech for this production.

Charli Lawler

Construction/Running Crew

She was in Poudre theater's production of Clue and Almost, Maine. She is enjoying her third time being on tech crew.

El Zweygardt

Construction/Running Crew

El is excited to be on the technical crew for the first time in "The Play That Goes Wrong". They want to thank their team for showing them the ropes as well as their mom, dad, and best friend Bowie for being their biggest supporters.

Emily Hertzog

Construction/Running Crew

This is Emily's second show. She was a part of running crew for Mean Girls, she will be a part of running crew backstage for this show as well! She is really excited for the show to come together and hear how the audience reacts!

Emmie Jackson

Construction/Running Crew

Taking a break from being on the stage, Emmie is very excited to be working on her first production behind the scenes. She is very grateful to work on her first Poudre production and cannot wait for what’s to come for her theatrically.

Gibson Wessel

Construction/Running Crew

This is Gibson's second show at Poudre working as a part of the technical crew.

Mia Pulido

Construction/Running Crew

Orissia Cruz

Construction/Running Crew

Lucia Cruz-Rodenbeck

Assistant Director

Lucia has been participating in Poudre Theater since she was a freshman. Her most recent Mean Girls the Musical, and last year's spring show, Almost Maine. She is so proud of the work everyone has put into this show and what they have been able to create. She would like to thank her parents for their constant support.

Carter Larsen

Costumer

This is Carter's second show with Poudre High School, and he is grateful to all the mentors and leaders within the theater program that have allowed him to find this new passion of costuming. He would also like to thank his family and friends for supporting him throughout the whole process of this show and give a special shoutout to his mom who always loves to go see Broadway shows with him at the Buell theatre.

Katy Riley

Costumer

This is Katy’s 3rd show at Poudre High School and her 10th year participating in some kind of theatre. She has been involved with costuming for Clue, Mean Girls, and The Play That Goes Wrong. She is also excited to be working front of house again for this show.

Maeve Schinkel

Costumer

This is Maeve’s 8th show with Poudre Theatre. Over the years the costume basement has been Maeve’s favorite place in the school. She has enjoyed the challenge of working on a wide variety of shows and learning the different skills that have come with each new script. Maeve is planning to take her love of costuming further as she enters her college career next fall. She would like to thank her parents and good friends for their love and support.

Lily VanZant

Costumer

Lily VanZant has done four shows as part of the costume crew for Poudre theatre. Her previous shows include Puffs, Romeo and Juliet, and The Little Mermaid. She is excited to be back and take on more costuming challenges.

Join us this April...

Information at www.poudretheatre.org

Special Thanks!

Thank You

to the following individuals and businesses whose support
and generosity make our productions possible.

• PHS Administrators & Deans
• Kim Witman & Justina Malm
• Matt Grevan. Melissa Centgraf & CSU Department of Theatre
• Lindsay Shipton
• Stephanie Mosnik & PHS TV Production students
• Christy Gigliotti & PHS Advanced Photography Students
• Gregg Osterhout
• Madison McGinty and PHS Catering Students
• Antonio, Jesus, and the PHS Custodial Team
• Don Cox
• Melanie, Jackson & Taryn
• Parent Meal & Intermission Volunteers

and all the families and friends whose patience, flexibility and support make it all possible!

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Director's Notes

We're all thinking it: February is the worst.

After the fun of the holidays and the resolutions of the new year, February drags me down and fills me with the kind of indistinct dread and nebulous anxiety that I cannot define enough to do something about. February is the mosquito buzz in the middle of the night. It's the calendar-equivalent of that maddening tingle when the Novocain wears off and the toothache sets in. I don't know how the shortest month can last soooo long, but it really, really does.

So, I want to thank the cast, crew, Ms. Kari, Laura, Alec, and this show for getting me through a really rough month. There has been precious little to laugh about so far this year, but this company has made me laugh out loud with their hard work, comic timing, brilliant ideas, and excellence in craft. They have made an unbearable month not just bearable, but so much fun.

Thanks also to Adam, for his awesome vocal coaching; Matt, for teaching us how to pull hair; Melissa, for some very good weapons safety lessons; and Lindsay, for bee-stung 1920's lips. I am so grateful for the community of artists here willing and excited to teach our students their craft and their passion.

I also want to recognize the theatre teachers in our district. You push me to be a better teacher, designer, director, artist. From the brilliant directors at the other 5 high schools to the elective teachers at our middle and elementary schools doing theatre as a club or a special or a skinny, I see you, admire you, cherish the work you do. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but yours is the vital work of creating in destructive times, building community in an divisive age, building human beings in the face of AI, nurturing the empathy that we will all need to survive (it's an election year: I'm gonna get political!). I'm sure you will recognize your students, yourselves, the joyful absurdity of what we do in The Play That Goes Wrong. I know I do. If we can't laugh at ourselves...

And finally, speaking of empathy, I want to thank the three incredible women in my life for helping me get through these past few months. My mother, my wife, and my daughter are such amazing, caring, generous, humble, talented, and beautiful women, and they have picked me up and carried me when I couldn't make it alone. The men in my family are a work in progress (you're on the right track, J!), but I am blessed to have these strong and giving women in my world. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

J Smith

February 2024

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