'Am dram' night

Kura Forrester, Byron Coll, Brynley Stent, Thomas Sainsbury and Louise Wallace, below, star in The Opening Night Before Christmas.

What could possibly go wrong on stage?

A stellar lineup of celebrity guests will be thrown in the deep end for a novel festive stage show.

Amanda Billing, Olivia Tennet, Louise Wallace, Robbie Magasiva and Kimberley Crossman are just a few of the big names signed up for The Opening Night Before Christmas which premieres at Auckland's Basement Theatre on Tuesday night.

The story revolves around a fictional community theatre group from Levin who have just 24 hours to rehearse their show, and get it ready for opening night.

Each night a celebrity guest actor will find out just how big they are in Levin, as they improvise their way through the show and try their best to outshine the local talent.

Real Housewives of Auckland star Louise Wallace said the prospect fills her with "a mix of joy, shock and intrepidation".

"The supposed joke is big name celebs looking for work, so they have to go to Levin and do 'am dram'," she said. "Truth is, we've probably all been there and that's the nature of our industry...fame is but fleeting.

"I haven't improvised since drama school, so to roar on to stage in the middle of a play I know nothing about, with no lines and no rehearsal, with an established cast, is like the sweaty "A" type personality dreams I have on a regular basis.

"Hey, sink or swim I say ... what could possibly go wrong?"