Producing a complex, technical play that demands impeccable timing and flawless execution of sound, lighting, and props calls for an exceptional creative team. That’s why the production team assembled an impressive group of highly skilled and respected theatre educators and professionals, fresh from a successful run of the same play at another venue.

As CEO and Executive Artistic Director Bryce Alexander was planning the production of The Play That Goes Wrong, it was an easy decision to bring in Tony-nominated sound designer Joshua Reid, lighting designer Evan Carlson and scene designer Patrick Niemi. These three men led the technical components for the production of the same play at West Michigan University (WMU) in 2022. Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, WMU’s nationally award-winning Department of Theatre has historically had strong connections to The Naples Players, with several graduates of the theatre program now members of the staff and several students served as interns in Naples to gain experience before graduating.

Joshua Reid is no stranger to The Naples Plyers. He has assisted with several productions, including She Loves Me, Hunchback of Notre Dame and 42nd Street, and served as consultant for sound design and audio systems before and during the theater’s recently completed renovation project. Joshua lives and works in New York and is an Instructor of Sound Design at WMU. His teaching and consulting take him all over the United States, Canada and Europe, teaching and consulting.

He began his own education in scenic design at WMU and the gravitated to sound design. One of his first jobs was with the Lincoln Center. Joshua assisted all of the big names in sound design, in roles including production engineer, deck engineer and other roles. He struck out on his own in 2018. In 2023, he received a Tony nomination for A Christmas Carol and has earned other national awards as a sound designer.

“I love working with students, volunteers and professionals in theater sound design and make it my goal to encourage them to try new tools and techniques,” said Joshua. “With the Play That Goes Wrong, it is critical to consistently make the same mistakes during each performance. Most people do not know how difficult it is to make these errors. And when chaos ensues in this “play within a play,” our job as teachers is to help the technical team learn how to go with the flow—to respond to the audience.”

Joshua added, “On so many levels, my career as a theater sound design teacher and a professional has been extremely rewarding. In comedy, the reward comes after we see how the audience responds—when we hear their laughter. As we share technical expertise from our previous experience with The Play That Goes Wrong at WMU, there should be plenty of laughter in the audiences at The Naples Players.”

Evan Carlson said he and his colleagues at WMU—Joshua and Patrick—are “taking over Naples for a couple of weeks.” An assistant professor of Lighting Design at WMU’s Theatre Department for 3 years, he feels honored to be part of the technical team, arriving in late December and staying through January 16 for pre-production and opening night. “We’ll be making lighting changes right up to the last minute,” said Evan. He is working alongside Chris Riley, The Naples Players’ Director of Lighting and a graduate of WMU’s Theatre Department.

While he does lighting design for theatre and opera, Evan’s passion is dance. In addition to his teaching role at WMU, he works professionally with regional dance hubs in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and Minneapolis.

“Lighting is an intangible thing, yet it can create such a profound and emotional connection during a performance. In every show, I strive to have a moment that creates a significant emotional response in the audience. This is what brings me satisfaction.”

There is an element of technology in his work. Evan seeks advancements in lighting, pursuing and experimenting with new and innovative tools and techniques to performances.

“I join everyone in Naples in celebrating the completion of the renovated theater and can’t wait to incorporate lighting design for this unique play into the new Kizzie Theater,” said Evan. “I’ll be leaning on past experiences and new technique to determine how to operate in a theater I am not yet familiar with, taking insights from floor plans and turning them into reality for the performances.”

Evan was the faculty mentor for lighting design students when WMU’s Theatre Department stage the Play that Goes Wrong. It took ingenuity and creativity to address the complexities of this play. “Those previous experiences will be helpful as I bring what we learned in Kalamazoo to the performance in Naples,” said Evan.

“The arts are important – in fact profound and powerful – in society,” reminded Evan. “They help us grow the collective human experience. The “aha” moments of my students are gratifying to me as their mentor. It truly is a pleasure to inspire them and bring them along toward their career goals.”

Patrick Niemi started working on the set drawings months ago for The Play That Goes Wrong. He will be working in tandem with his sound and lighting colleagues from WMU’s Theatre Department during tech rehearsals. Unfortunately, because of his teaching schedule, he will not be at the opening performance.

Patrick has been in the scene designer world for nearly two decades, first working at the Goodman Theater in Chicago for nearly a decade. When he needed a change, he secured a teaching role with WMU’s Theatre Department and now serves as the technical director and shop supervisor. “I wanted to teach but I knew I did not have the temperament to teach high school,” said Patrick. “It is fulfilling to teach college students and also be able to continue a role in creating art as a professional. My degree is in Fine Arts in Design and Technical Production Theater at Central Theater. When I was in high school, theater was the place I was happiest.”

“By the very nature of this show, I am bringing a unique perspective. There is not one way to stage this play; in other words, there are different ways to skin a cat,” said Patrick.

“This is an out-of-the-box kind of show with things that must predictably go wrong. It must be the same every night – we have to fail consistently.

That presents a unique challenge. Since WMU’s Theatre Department has previously produced this play, we’ve figured most of it out. One of our biggest opportunities is that coming from an educational setting where we generally have a limited budget and had to be quite creative with scenic, lighting and sound design, this will benefit at The Naples Players.”

He especially appreciates theater as a communication medium, involving a large community of artists working together. While he can’t point to a specific moment when he felt he was making an impact, he knows he has had a hand in helping students and interns become professionals. “I’m doing the right job and I’m helping students do what they want to do. There are many moments that make this work worthwhile. I know I am not the sole person involved in their success—I am part of a team. It truly is gratifying to see a former student being nominated for a Tony. I’m OK with that – seeing kids succeed and enjoying their life as much as I am enjoying mine.”

Patrick is looking forward to re-united with one of his students, Taylor Matthews, who graduated from WMU’s Theatre Department and now works for The Naples Players, as well as Cole Butcher, Chris Riley, Meg Shelling and many others who found a home in Naples.

The Play That Goes Wrong, sponsored by Garage Doors of Naples, is on stage January 15 – February 16, 2025 in the Kizzie Theater. Tickets are available here.