DEC 2023
ISSUE N.6
PG 1
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
UNTOLD STORIES OF DDS HOW THE PLAY THAT WENT WRONG WENT QUITE RIGHT BY ADA BROWN
On December 2-4, 2023, actors at Davidson Day School performed The Davidson Day School Theatre presented "The Play That Goes Wrong" Fall, 2023. Photos by Laura Woods Play That Goes Wrong, under the guidance of theater director Joanna Gerdy. The show is a hilarious slapstick comedy about actors performing a murder mystery play while their whole show goes wrong -- from the actors missing queues to the set falling apart. When asked about the reason behind choosing this particular play, Gerdy said, “I thought it would be a super fun, super hard challenge for the actors and for me, and it turned out to be the hardest play I've ever directed.” Gerdy also mentioned that the high school version allowed for a lot of gender swapping, which was necessary for the female-heavy cast. The play took off from the get-go on opening night and continued to grow as the actors gained more confidence with each performance. As Gerdy said, “I think everyone was so ready for an audience when you’re working on that kind of comedy and you’re doing it in rehearsal but no one's laughing… so I think there was a bit more than usual opening night nervousness from the actors.” But the actors hit their stride by Friday night and only continued to improve. The Play That Goes Wrong involved a lot of physical comedy, more than any other play Davidson Day had ever performed. To work through this unique challenge, Gerdy brought in a stage combat professional to work with and ensure the safety of the actors. “We probably spent as much time working on making the physical moments clear, safe, and funny as we did telling the story,” Gerdy said. Continued on page 3 JILLIAN.TOYA@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
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