Mischief Theatre to branch out into TV production

The theatre company behind The Play That Goes Wrong is setting up a new television production company to develop future work for the screen.

Mischief Theatre and producers Kenny Wax and Stage Presence – which co-produce the company’s two West End shows – have teamed up with the Anthology Group, formerly Bob and Co, to develop existing and new screen projects.

It will be headed up by Anthology Group’s chief executive Hilary Strong.

Two Mischief Theatre shows are currently running in the West End – The Play That Goes Wrong and The Comedy About a Bank Robbery. Recent productions also include Mischief Movie Night, which ran in London and on tour.

The company’s productions of Peter Pan Goes Wrong and Christmas Carol Goes Wrong were adapted for BBC TV in 2016 and 2017, while international productions of The Play That Goes Wrong include Broadway, China, France, Italy, Israel, Japan, South Africa and Argentina.

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Mischief Screen is part of a new overarching company – Mischief Worldwide – comprising the theatre company, Kenny Wax and Stage Presence, set up to develop and exploit Mischief work in the UK and abroad.

Mischief Worldwide will license all rights for existing and future projects by the group, including stage and screen work.

Jonathan Sayer, director of Mischief Theatre, said: “Our producers Kenny Wax and Stage Presence have grown Mischief Theatre in London and internationally in ways we could never have imagined when we started out.

“We are delighted to be cementing our partnership with them to take it even further and we are delighted to have found in the Anthology Group and Hilary Strong the expertise to take our particular brand of humour to new television platforms.”