24 Hour Theater Returns

Last Saturday night saw the performance of six original plays that had not existed twenty-four hours earlier.  Wig and Candle, Conn’s student theater society, put on its second production of 24 Hour Theater to a full audience in Oliva Hall.

The premise of the show is just as it sounds: a theater production conceived, rehearsed and performed in just twenty-four hours.  On the preceding Friday at 8 PM, the six volunteer writers received their prompts for a short play to be completed by 8 AM Saturday morning.  In the morning the directors received the scripts and cast their plays, working all day to prepare the actors for an 8 PM performance.

Scott Pulvirent ’14 and Kristin Hutchins ’12 spearheaded the project, bringing the performance back for a second time after a very successful premiere last spring.  Pulvirent distributed the prompts on Friday night, asking that the shows be about fifteen pages in length, and include certain lines and props such as an army helmet, wiffle ball bat or a Harry Potter book.  Each play was to be written for only two actors, with one character exiting the scene singing.  Pulvirent explains, “In terms of subject and content, as long as [the writers] used the items from the prompts, I really did not limit them to what they could write. We had everything from Twilight Zombies to Justin Bieber.”

Pulvirent played many roles in the execution of the production, as well as many other 24 Hour Theater participants,   Along with organizing, he also directed for the first time. “I was very nervous going into it.  I really thought about what my past directors had done when we first started a show and tried to take the parts I thought worked,” he said.

He also explained how his co-workers made the process easier. “I was lucky to have an amazing cast.  My two actors, Leila Teitelman ’15 and Dann Goldman ’13, jumped right into their roles and were extremely dedicated to the play.”

“I felt that the prompt was very random… I actually started four different versions of a play before I could settle on one that I liked,” said writer and director Andrew Marco ’15, who completed a script featuring Justin Bieber confessing his sins to a rabbi.  The play he directed, however, spoke of very serious themes of war, drugs and AIDS. He says his experience directing was made easier by the strength of this script, written by Peter Tresnan ’15. “The words kind of did it for themselves.  A lot of it went to the actors and was already there in the script… In the end it really came alive.”

Julian Gordon ’14 and James Mamana ’15 also doubled their participation, directing themselves in a piece written by Spencer Francus ’14.  Gordon remembers being “horrified” after seeing the prompt  for the first time, considering the prospect of only twelve hours of rehearsal.  “I relied on Jay to give me critiques and he relied on me because we could not see ourselves perform.  It’s very difficult to be critical of yourself in such a short period of time.”

Although putting together the show was certainly a challenge for both participants, they feel that the show was ultimately a success. “People knew what they were getting into,” Gordon says.  “They weren’t going to see anything perfect, but they were going to see fun, well-done pieces with very tired actors.”

Marco shares in this sense of accomplishment. “I think simply the fact that in twenty-four hours we had six very well-written shows that were memorized and performed speaks for itself.”  Because of this, Pulvirent said with certainty, “With all the positive feedback I have heard from everyone, I would love to do at least one 24 Hour Theater next semester. Maybe even two.”