[1] The group originally began by doing improvised comedy shows, but by 2012, they expanded into comedic theatrical performances that include choreographed routines, jokes, and stunts.

Several of the stage performances by the company have been shown in the West End of London, and also in theaters throughout the United Kingdom and across North America and Europe.

[3] The founders selected the company's members, a majority of which were attending the same course, including Dave Hearn, Nancy Zamit, Bryony Corrigan, and Niall Ransome.

Lewis, Sayer, and Shields continued to devise new shows for Mischief Theatre, based on both improvisational comedy and scripted performances, including Lights!

[11] They briefly took the show to the Vaudeville Theatre in December before national lockdown procedures caused venues to close, forcing their planned schedule to be cut short.

[12][13] The company is most well known for their series of "Goes Wrong" productions wherein they portray the fictional Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, struggling to perform amateur shows as they slowly fall apart.

In-universe, the troupe is composed of university students who spend their free time outside of classes producing shows, though in recent years their televised work has been supported by the BBC.

In the play, The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society attempt to put on a 1920s murder mystery, but the performance is beset with increasingly intricate disasters and the accident-prone cast are forced to struggle through every scene.

The Play that Goes Wrong has been translated and licensed for productions in over 30 other countries, including China, Hungary, France, Singapore, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Mexico.

[20] Notable productions in other languages include Théâtre Tristan Bernard's staging in Paris, France [21] and Teatr Variété's from February 2024 in Kraków, Poland.

[23] Following widespread critical acclaim, Peter Pan Goes Wrong returned to the Apollo Theatre for a limited run from October 2016 to January 2017.

Barrie, the play features the inept and accident-prone Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society as they set out to present the classic tale of Peter Pan with comical and disastrous results.

[26] Peter Pan Goes Wrong made its Broadway debut at the Barrymore Theater on 17 March 2023 (with an opening date scheduled for 19 April 2023), featuring a majority of the original company, and a number of US Mischief alumni.

Original cast included: Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, Jonathan Sayer, Nancy Zamit, Dave Hearn, Charlie Russell, Greg Tannahill, Jeremy Lloyd and Chris Leask The play is directed by Mark Bell, with set design by David Farley and costume design by Roberto Surace.

[31] In 2017 the show, renamed Mischief Movie Night, began a limited run at The Arts Theatre in London's West End.

[39] On 30 December 2017, A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong aired on BBC One, featuring both Dame Diana Rigg and Sir Derek Jacobi.