Directing Project

I am so excited about a directing opportunity that has come my way: the 24 Hour Plays in New York City! I have been “pounding the pavement” over the past several months, sending out my resume to theatre companies all over the U.S. in order to find some directing jobs in the summer. One of the resumes I sent, just recently, was to a theatre in NYC who was looking for directors for their March – 24 hours play event. They contacted me yesterday and invited me to participate. Things happened quickly from there since the event is NEXT weekend.

I am SO excited about this opportunity. I am looking forward to making some great new contacts and meet many new people, from actors, directors, playwrights and theatre folks!. It is a great opportunity for me, and I can’t wait!

So what are the 24 hour plays about? Here’s how it works (based on the one I attended at The William Inge Theatre last fall – though the one in NYC may be a little bit different): On Friday night, around 6p.m., a group of actors, directors, and playwrights (all strangers to each other) are placed in a room and are assigned a “group.” The group, consists of one director, one playwright, and a few actors. The group is usually given a few props and a costume piece or two, a “secret topic,” and no other information. From, there, the playwright sizes up their cast, and looks at the props and goes off to write an original short play overnight. The next morning, the director comes in early and gets a copy of the freshly written script. Then the director sets a schedule for the day and begins the process for blocking and making decisions on how to mount the show. The actors join about an hour later, and the rehearsal process begins and lasts throughout the late afternoon. Around 7:00 that night, the plays are performed in front of a live audience for the first time (exactly 24 hours after the group first met). It is both stressful and exciting, with a heavy leaning toward the exciting.

I’ll give you an update on how it goes once I return from the trip. I will try to take some photos if time allows.

If you are attending the event, I look forward to meeting you. See you in a week.

9 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI