September 17^th to October 2^nd

In his plot for Noises Off, English playwright Michael Frayn plays on the concept of a play within a play, in this case a dreadful sex comedy titled Nothing On. Each of the three acts of Noises Off contains a performance of the first act of Nothing On. One is set at the dress rehearsal, the night before opening, with the cast fumbling with entrances and exits, missed cues, misspoken lines, and bothersome props.

Act Two portrays a Wednesday matinee performance one month later. In this act the play is seen from backstage, providing a view that reveals the deteriorating personal relationships among the cast that have led to offstage shenanigans and onstage bedlam.

In Act Three, we see a performance near the end of the ten-week run when personal friction has continued to increase and everyone is bored and anxious to be done with the play. The actors attempt to cover up a series of mishaps but only compound the problem and draw attention to the bungling performance.

Much of the comedy emerges from the subtle variations in each version as off-stage chaos affects on-stage performance, with a a great deal of slapstick.

Performance Dates

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