Are you ready to embark on a rib-tickling journey through the world of theatre where anything that can go wrong, will go wrong? Then get ready for an adaptation of "Noises Off" – a comedy masterpiece that promises to leave you in stitches, presented by the talented students of the Colombo International School.

Noises Off, a classic British farce by Michael Frayn, takes you behind the scenes of a hilariously chaotic theatre production, revealing the drama and mishaps that occur both on and off the stage. The idea for the play itself was conceived while Frayn was backstage in the wings, where he noted that ‘it was funnier from behind than in front, and I thought that one day I must write a farce from behind.’

The three acts in Noises Off are set during different stages of the play within the play. Act 1 follows the action during the final rehearsal and Act 2 depicts the chaos that takes place backstage during one of the performances. In the final Act the mix of inept actors and harried crew members, grapple with their own incompetence and romantic entanglements during their final performance. The play is renowned for its uproarious physical comedy and a relentless barrage of absurd situations. From actors missing their cues to sardines causing mayhem, Noises Off delivers laugh-out-loud moments from start to finish.

The combination of slapstick humour and impeccable timing will keep the audience in stitches. Leenah Wahab plays the forgetful and easily flustered television star Dotty Otley while Navindu Perera plays the temperamental, stressed-out director, Lloyd Dallas. Limath Ellawala plays Garry Lejeune, a well-intentioned bumbling actor, who never seems to be able to complete a sentence. Kimaya Wijesuriya and Dinara Ellepola play the character of Brooke Ashton, a young, inexperienced actress, who seems to be caught up in a world of her own making. Akein Bandara plays the easily frightened Frederick Fellows while Atara Isaac and Zainab Caderbhoy play Belinda Blair.

Ariana Akbar and Kiara Gunawardhene play Tammy Allgood, the overworked producer, the forever flustered stage manager Poppy Taylor is played by Elmirah Perera and Sonakshi J Gulamhusein and lastly, the inebriated Selsdon Mowbray is played by our youngest cast members, Dimalka Weerawardana and John Dimittri Soosaipillai. Like all first-rate plays, Noises Off also acts as a metaphor. Frayn himself identified it when, in an introduction to his first batch of collected plays, he wrote “What they are all about in one way or another is how we impose our ideas upon the world around us”.

In this play, the actors have learnt their lines, rehearsed and expect things to go as planned. Yet, despite all good intentions, nothing goes as it should. The play is about the world of farce but is, by extension, about life itself. We seek to structure our daily existence and yet through chance or character – a missed train, a rash word – it is always on the verge of splintering into fragments. The talented students have been working tirelessly to bring Noises Off to life.

This hilarious farce by the Drama Society of The Colombo International School promises an unforgettable night of entertainment that will leave you rolling in the aisles. Join them as they bring this comedic masterpiece to life on the 26th & 27th of October at the Colombo International School Auditorium. Tickets are priced at Rs. 1500 and Rs. 1000 and are available at the school reception. Presented by the Colombo International School