The staging of a high school fall play is more than a two-month process. It involves improvement, character development and intricate coordination.

But everything flows from the show's original selection.

"The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong" is the right play for Lancaster Catholic High School (LCHS) at the right time.

"I had seen the full-length version at the Fulton Theatre," said Christine Leonard, the fall play's director. "I never thought we'd be able to pull it off until I saw the one-act version, but I realized that it would be perfect for our students. It's full of physical comedy and has so many sight gags. The kids are doing a great job with it. They're really enthusiastic and into it."

"A lot of things go wrong," added Leonard. "It's a small theater troupe who is very excited about putting on this murder mystery. But things are falling off the wall; things are falling apart."

LCHS' department of the fine and performing arts will present its version of "The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong" at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16, at the high school's Old Main Auditorium, 650 Juliette Ave., Lancaster. Tickets for the performances are only available at http://www.lchsyes.org/FPA.

"I think (the shows) end up being thrilling," said Leonard. "There's a lot of nervousness before the curtain goes up. But as (the student performers) go on, they become comfortable, and it becomes fun. They're just having a great time the days of the performances."

Thirty-eight LCHS students are involved in the presentation of "The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong," including 20 actors and actresses and 18 stage crew members. The cast includes Ashton Bruno as Max, Tre Hockley as Robert, Savannah Schaeffer as Sandra, Piper Davidson as Denise, Niki Kumagai as Chris, Sophia Romero as Detective Carter, Atticus Francey as Jonathan, Samantha Leonard as Annie and Mallory McVey as Tina.

"I love doing a show with people I care about," said Ashton.

"These are students who are really dedicated and involved with a lot of activities," said Leonard. "They're enthusiastic about theater. They're with their friends and having fun, which is great to see."

"There's really been a lot of hard work that's gone into it," Leonard continued. "(The student performers) have done a great job learning their lines and learning physical comedy. There's been a huge improvement. That's the fun of theater, just to see how far you've come. They've really put together strong characters, and they've practiced so hard to make everything run smoothly."

"I really enjoy the physical comedy in this show," said Tre.

Work on the fall play at LCHS began with auditions in the second week of September. It's been the students' determination that has produced the improvement.

"(The student performers) work every day to bring the play together," said Leonard. "They need to learn diligence, professionalism and trust. They can learn real-world things from theater. Camaraderie and relationships grow from theater. There's a sense of community to it. Even if everything isn't going right, everyone is working together, which is a beautiful life lesson as well. I've loved being their drama teacher because there are so many lessons I can teach them."