The show must go on, even when everything goes wrong. For Oregon Contemporary Theatre’s upcoming production of The Play That Goes Wrong, directed by John Schmor, that’s just a part of the theatrics. 

It’s Wednesday night on August 28. Downtown Eugene is quiet, but OCT’s playhouse is filled with laughter. “Part of what we’re laughing at are actors struggling to solve accidents that are happening, and part of what we’re laughing at is the ridiculousness of the plot of the play that they’re doing,” Schmor says.

And, oh, this play is ridiculous.

Complete with collapsing walls, intentionally misplaced props and doors flying off the hinges — everything, including the set, is designed to make you laugh.

“Places,” Schmor’s direction echoes throughout the theater.

“Lights down,” says Riley Allen, the stage manager, “Lights up.”

It’s time to rehearse the play, including most of the completed special effects so the actors can get used to their marks. The play will hit OCT’s stage on Sept. 13 and run through Sept. 29. Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm while matinees start at 2 pm.

Amy Dunn, OCT’s production manager and master carpenter, says this is the first time they’ve built any kind of set like this in the theater.

“Usually, we do stationary sets with just minor moving pieces. This one’s definitely a challenge,” Dunn says.

During the rehearsal, a door flew off its hinges, about one act too early. Initially, it was very unclear to watchers if that was a part of the play or not.

Schmor says, “The gags are kind of embedded in what the set does. We have to just start early, but that’s been the fun of it.”

“It’s just challenging these wonderful actors who make me laugh really hard every night,” he says.

For Schmor, laughter is the goal with this production.

The Play That Goes Wrong is a play about a production of The Murder at Haversham Manor, which is inspired by every cliche, trope and platitude in the murder mystery genre.

Produced by the aptly named Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society — the fake company with its faux director Chris Bean, played by Russell Dyball — the play inspired hits like Two Sisters, James and the Peach, and the Lion and the Wardrobe.

“I don’t think this play has necessarily got a philosophical position about the meaning of theater,” Schmor says. “It’s a farce, a theater farce.”

That’s the fun part. The audience is always in on the joke.

Josh Simpson, who plays Max, says it brings out one of the funniest parts about theater. “A fun part of theater that’s maybe not embraced a whole lot, that the show is kind of entirely centered around, is that it’s kind of fun when things go wrong,” Simpson says. “It kind of makes the experience fun and human.”

Simpson — like many, if not all other actors — has had something go wrong while performing in front of an audience. 

He recalls the time he was in the Wizard of Oz and another actor playing Uncle Henry accidentally broke his lantern prop. That actor then said, while hot-mic’d, “fuck this shit” to a theater filled with grade schoolers playing the Munchkins while parents looked on in horror.

Simpson then remembers saying, “Dorothy, is that you?”

It’s all about pretending to be a part of a troupe desperately trying to get the show to work.

With a comedy and tragedy mask tattooed on his left shoulder and a faded Superman tank top, Simpson says that if he thinks the character he is playing is a bad actor, it won’t be funny.

Phoebe Thompson plays the fake stage manager, Annie, who is eventually forced out onto the stage to take over for an actor who was knocked out by the set. “I’ve grown up knowing stage managers who, if they were put into this position, would be so upset that they would have to do it,” they say.

Thompson has had plenty go wrong for themselves on stage, and not intentionally. “It seems to always be props or a costume malfunction. I once had my bottoms just drop on stage,” Thompson says.

Every rehearsal, every night brings it on set of challenges, but Thompson says that allows them to make the play that much more hilarious. “It’s like constantly what else can we add to this? How can we continue to build?,” they say.

“I love coming up with bits together,” Thompson says. “I’m a sucker for a shtick.”

To purchase tickets, go to OCTheatre.org or call 541-465-1506. The Play That Goes Wrong runs Sept. 13 to Sept. 29 at Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 194 West Broadway. Previews are Sept. 11-12. Prices $25-$50, students $20 and preview nights are name your own price.