Audience members finally get to see theater from a different angle: backstage.
Opening Thursday at University Theatre, "Noises Off" follows a theater group from dress rehearsal to the final show as it puts on a production of "Nothing On." Each act shows the performance at a different stage in its production run as things constantly go unplanned.
"It's just a really silly, very comical, very humorous look at what happens in the theater when things go wrong," Bill Jenkins, the show's director, said.
While the first and third acts of the play are in the traditional format, a 180-degree revolving set allows the audience to get a peek at what happens backstage during a performance.
All of the drama kept behind the scenes in a theater group comes to the forefront, creating this farce.
"We've all been in plays that have dealt with bad relationships behind the scenes, problems with props and countless other unexpected occurrences," Jason Fultz, who plays Selsdon, said. "This play simply combines them all at their highest degree to create an actor's ultimate nightmare."
Creating this "actor's nightmare" involved a lot of time from all aspects of the theater.
Jenkins said they chose the play not only because it would be enjoyable to the audience but also because it would provide a challenge for the actors as well as the design crew.
The crew's challenge was to create a set that could be turned all the way around for the audience to see backstage in the second act. The actors were pushed to take on British accents as well as focus on both their verbal and physical comedic timing. Also they must each take on two roles as they play characters playing other characters.
"It's an interesting challenge because you're actually creating and researching two different characters," Fultz said. "It's double the work but highly rewarding in the end."
Those closely involved in the theater will be able to connect with the chaos the characters go through as they try to put on a show. But audience members not familiar with what usually goes on backstage will be able to connect.
"Perhaps not everyone can relate to the stress of putting on a show, but we can all relate to wanting something to be perfect and having it all go to shambles," Erin Neufer, who plays Dotty, said. "The great thing about this play is that it is set up so the audience knows what is supposed to actually happen, and when things go awry, you catch yourself saying with the actor, ‘Wait. Something is not right here.'"
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