The UMass Dartmouth Theatre Company went big with their fall production with a two-in-one performance of “And Then There Was One/And Then There Was One, Too,” a spoof of the Agatha Christie classic, “And Then There Were None.”

The production ran from Nov. 12 to Nov. 15 in the main auditorium. This "whodunit" mystery was one part script and one part improv loaded with barrels of mayhem.

The play features a cast of eccentric characters invited to dinner at a remote mansion with absent host, one Mr. G. Reef, that devolves into chaos once people start turning up dead. At the heart of the mystery is the butler and maid, Clayhorn and Mims, who turn out to be mental hospital escapees.

The play didn’t end when – spoiler alert – everyone faked their own deaths to avoid being the next one killed. After a short intermission, the cast picked up with the sequel, a chaotic back and forth where the entire first play was rehashed with more anarchy, explosions and a side of paste-on mustaches and Princess Leia wigs.

Junior Bill Hanley, 20, had the opportunity to direct this spectacle. He’s been involved in theater productions since he was a sophomore in high school. After serving several times as assistant director, Hanley was elected to be director for the first time.

Since the play was already selected, the most important thing was to select the perfect cast.

“This experience was truly individual,” Hanley said.

The actors were given a lot of freedom in their roles. No two performances were the same as they fed off of the crowd, ad libbed and tried to hold back from laughing and breaking character at their fellow actors’ on-stage antics.

Lionel Lafleur, 22, played the witty if not hare-brained detective, Inspector Miles.

“It’s always the same atmosphere of people wanting to make it as fun as possible,” Lafleur said. “There was so much room to play with the lines, play with improve or just adding your own personal spin on things. We did not rely that much on the script. It all came down to the people and their personalities.”

“There was a lot of improvisation, which I’m not used to,” said Tiffany Pinarreta, 22, who played the diva starlet, Dolores Biggs. “There was never a dull day.”

“Rehearsals were crazy, people shouting things at you, people laughing,” Julie Bardon, 18, added. Bardon, a sophomore, played Heather Starlett, the love-struck ditz. “Never knew what was gonna come next. Like on stage.”

“We’re like a big family now,” Pinaretta said.