“The Play That Goes Wrong”: Dr. Toby Brings the West End Hit to Wakefield
Written by Diane Helentjaris
Under the clear skies and russet leaves of autumn in Georgetown, while other girls fiddled with their dolls’ clothes, a little girl named Toby launched her acting career. The toddler became the youngest extra in the classic horror film, “The Exorcist.”
From her initial foray into acting, Toby Chieffo-Reidway, Ph.D., would grow up to become a theater professional, and one who shares her love of theater with children. “Over the course of more than 25 years teaching theater to young people, I’ve watched countless students discover talents they never knew they had and gain confidence they struggled to find elsewhere,” she shares. “Theater gives children a place to shine, but also a place safe enough to explore who they are and who they are becoming. It encourages skills such as empathy, teamwork, patience, listening, and generosity, which benefit them regardless of their future paths.”
Chieffo-Reidway, nicknamed “Dr. Toby,” earned her bachelor’s in American studies and theater at Georgetown. She next garnered a master’s and Ph.D. in American studies and African American history and culture from the College of William & Mary. While a graduate student, Chieffo-Reidway answered a casting call for the film “Hannibal.” The redhead ended up as Julianne Moore’s stand-in and a card-carrying Screen Actors Guild member. She went on to appear in television shows, commercials, feature films, musicals, and plays.
These days, she shares her love of the arts as a theater educator in Wakefield School’s Performing Arts Department. Wakefield is an independent, college preparatory day school near The Plains, Virginia. More than 300 students, from junior kindergarten through grade 12, study at its bucolic, 62-acre campus.
Each year the older students present a play to the community. This year the play will be “The Play That Goes Wrong,” with Chieffo-Reidway as director. A highly successful British comedy, the show, originally produced in London, has been running since 2012. After a Broadway run from 2017 to 2019, the play continues off Broadway in Manhattan. Penned by three British writers — Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields — “The Play That Goes Wrong” has won multiple awards. It also spawned a slew of British television spin-offs, including “Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” “Magic Goes Wrong,” “The Goes Wrong Show,” and, of course, “A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong.”
“The Play That Goes Wrong” showcases a pitiful theater company — the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society — as it encounters one disaster after another while putting on a murder mystery. Problems are not confined to human foibles. Even the play’s set and props fail to meet their missions in most unfortunate ways.
Chieffo-Reidway says, “‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ is a modern comedy phenomenon. Since its beginnings as a small-scale production that grew into a smash off Broadway hit, it has become one of the most beloved farces of our time. When it is done well, it is relentless, joyful, and utterly hilarious — the kind of show that brings audiences to their knees with laughter… The members of the Cornley Drama Society … are so passionate about putting on a good show that you can’t help rooting for them, even as everything hilariously unravels. It’s not only one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read, but the heart beneath all the chaos is what I hope people will remember about it.”
The audience at the April 26 Sunday matinee will include a special group of high school students. They are Cappies participants from other high schools in the Washington, DC, region. The Cappies (Critics and Awards Program) is an international NGO dedicated to celebrating high school theater, journalism, and playwriting. It originated in Fairfax, Virginia, in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy to bring positive attention to teens “engaged in creative pursuits.” The program has grown to include schools from across the United States and Canada.
This group of Cappies have been trained to write critical reviews. They will be competing to have their work published in local media outlets. The young critics’ reviews will be used to assess Wakefield’s performance for inclusion in the annual Cappies awards. Chieffo-Reidway likens winning a Cappies award to “a Tony for high school students.” Like the Tony Awards, recognition goes to individuals for excellence in performance, technical, and support work. Awards are bestowed and celebrated at the annual Cappies gala.
In addition to teaching and her work with “The Play That Goes Wrong,” Chieffo-Reidway is the CEO and founder of the after-school theater program Acting Out with Professor Toby. She is also the producer of Summer Smash Up, a musical theater camp held at Wakefield School each summer for youngsters aged 7 to 15. “I believe theater offers valuable opportunities for every child to thrive and develop, so I encourage everyone to try it!”
“The Play That Goes Wrong” will be performed April 24, 25, and 26. Tickets may be purchased at wakefieldperforms.ludus.com. ML
Featured photo by Gianna Pieracci. From left to right: Savannah K., Elliot S., Samuel B., Sydney W., Landon N., Lochlan P., Chieffo-Reidway, Patrick R., Avery M., Chase R., Cora L., Rebecca J., and Hayden D.
Published in the April 2026 issue of Middleburg Life.