Half an hour before curtain, the village theatre discovered that the door for Act Two had vanished.
“Just mime it,” the director told the actors. “The audience will understand.”
On stage, the detective knocked on empty air. From the other side, the butler called, “Come in.” The detective reached for an invisible handle and stepped through. The audience applauded.
Backstage, the director grinned. “That worked better than the real door.”
“Good,” said the stage manager. “Because the real door is holding up the dressing-room ceiling.”