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Everything went wrong with Santa Catalina School’s winter play—which means everything went exactly right.

In The Play That Goes Wrong, the members of the Cornley Drama Society attempt to stage their newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor. But things quickly go from bad to disastrous. The murder victim, Charles Haversham (Bryana Harty ’27), can’t play dead. The maid, Perkins (Kaia Castro-Dara ’25), can’t remember her lines. Leading lady Florence (Anna Halim ’25) falls unconscious and later gets into a power struggle with her understudy, the stage manager (Emmy McHugh ’26). Sorin Alling ’26 as Charles’ best friend, Mary, and Hope Sallee ’26 as his brother, Cecil, round out the ill-fated cast, battling prop disasters, spit takes, and their own theatrical shortcomings. Meanwhile, the stage itself collapses—literally—around them. It’s hardly the dream debut for the show’s frazzled director, who also stars as the straight-laced detective (Zay Mohan-Black ’26).

Physical comedy reigns supreme in The Play That Goes Wrong, and the carefully choreographed set destruction was a spectacle in itself. The Haversham Manor crew made valiant attempts to fix the ever-growing disasters, but their efforts were just as doomed as the actors’ performances. Adding to the immersive chaos, the play’s “crew members” mingled with the audience before the show and during intermission, searching for a missing dog and a Duran Duran box set.

The result? A brilliantly executed disaster that kept the audience laughing from start to finish.

See photos from the show.