The Newman University Theatre Department is preparing to stage the third annual 24-hour Theatre Project. The activity will begin Friday, Jan. 31 and finish with performances of original productions at 8 p.m. Feb. 1, in the Jabara Flexible Theatre, inside the De Mattias Fine Arts Center on the Newman campus.
The event was originally scheduled for Jan. 24 and 25.
Newman faculty, students and staff participating in the project will assemble on Friday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. in Jabara Theatre. Participants will be randomly assigned to teams, each consisting of a director, playwright, and actors. At 8 p.m. on Jan. 31, the playwrights of each team will begin writing a new short play, approximately 10 minutes in length, which kicks off the 24-hour process. The next morning at 8 a.m. the directors and actors will begin rehearsing the play. At 8 p.m. on Feb. 1 – 24 hours after the writing began – the plays are produced for a live audience.
“It’s a great theatre experience for the playwrights, directors and actors, and for the audience members who see the final product,” said Newman Director of Theatre Mark Mannette, who is coordinating the project. “All the energy and excitement of the theatre process is packed into 24 hours.”
The final plays will be performed beginning at 8 p.m. Feb. 1 in Jabara Theatre. Newman University faculty, students, and staff as well as the general public are invited to attend the event. Tickets are $2 for everyone. Proceeds will benefit the Sloppy Joes Improv Troupe, an improvisation-comedy group made up of Newman students.
