Montblanc presents The 24 Hour Company's seventh annual star-studded event, which is scheduled for an 8 PM curtain at the American Airlines Theatre. Proceeds will benefit Working Playground.
The company includes Elizabeth Banks, Margaret Cho, David Cross, Hugh Dancy, Hope Davis, Dan Fogler, Mamie Gummer, Peter Hermann, Gabby Hoffman, Kristen Johnston, Aasif Mandvi, Diane Neal, Jesse L. Martin, Rosie Perez, Chris Rock, Ramon Rodriguez, Andre Royo, Ben Shenkman, Fisher Stevens, Lili Taylor, Marlo Thomas, Tracie Thoms, Lynn Whitfield, Michael Kenneth Williams and Alicia Witt.
Playwrights who will create the six new plays include David Lindsay-Abaire, Julia Jordan, Warren Leight, Eisa Davis, Michael Lew and Theresa Rebeck. Thomas Kail, Josie Rourke, Peter Ellenstein, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Christian Parker and Ari Edelson will direct. Singer Nellie McKay (The Threepenny Opera) will be the evening's musical guest.
The one-day process of The 24-Hour Plays begins at 10 PM the night prior to the performance. Traditionally, a group of theatre artists (playwrights, directors, actors and designers) meet and are briefed and photographed. The writers are then left to create a ten-minute play overnight. Come morning at 7 AM, the directors give the scripts a once-over, divvy them up and cast them. Actors are called for 8 AM and rehearse through the day. Technical rehearsals run from 5 PM to 7:30 PM. Doors open at 7:45 PM, and curtain rises at 8 PM and there it is: six shows, all in a day's work.
Over 100 writers and 1,000 actors have helped create 300 new short plays since the inception of The 24 Hour Plays in 1995. Last year, the troupe presented 24 is 10: The Best of The 24 Hour Plays at the New York International Fringe Festival in honor of the 10th anniversary of both companies. For the first time ten-minute plays from previous mountings were revisited. Tickets to the event at the American Airlines Theater, 227 West 42nd Street, are on sale by calling (212) 868-4444. For more information on the benefit and the company, visit 24hourplays.com.
