A 24-hour festival in which participants will write, direct, and act in a series of short, original works...all within a 24-hour period!

Want to Participate?

It is an open invitation to the public to participate. Arrive at Richardson Performing Arts Center Lobby in Christy Administration Building on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7:45 p.m. to being the process.

See full details below.

24-HOUR PLAY SCHEDULE

February 10 and 11, 2023

Southwestern College – Christy Administration Building: Richardson Performing Arts Center

The 24-Hour Plays are based on the concept by Christina Fallon, developed in 1995, now operated by the national 24-Hour Play company.  You can visit their website at:  www.24hourplays.com.  They have created a time frame that will guide us, along with more information that we hope is useful.

Friday, February 10

7:45-8:30 pm Richardson Performing Arts Center Lobby, Christy Administration Building 

Playwrights, Directors, and Technicians check in and meet in Richardson Performing Arts Center for orientation.

8:00 - Start the timer: The 24-HOUR PLAYS begin!                                                                        

8:30-9:00pm Richardson PAC – Registration for all participants in the RPAC lobby.   

9:00-10:00pm Richardson PAC – Introduction of participants with talents, costumes and props.

10:00pm RPAC – Everyone, except the playwrights and Dr. Josh, go home to rest.  The playwrights will choose their casts, then move to Darbeth and start writing.

Saturday, February 11

10:00pm – 6:00am Darbeth Fine and Performing Arts Center – Playwrights write their plays.

Darbeth – Deadline for playwrights to have plays completed. Scripts are copied, and playwrights go get a good day’s rest.

6:30-7:30am RPAC Lobby – Directors and lead staff technicians arrive for continental breakfast.  Directors read scripts and indicate their preferences for plays to direct, and designers and technicians read plays to determine technical needs and order of the plays.

7:30-8am RPAC Lobby – Actors and remaining technicians arrive. Continental breakfast provided.

8:00am Script assignments are given to directors, directors meet their casts, rehearsal spaces are assigned, and directors, actors, and technicians launch into their work.  

8:15am Darbeth – Casts rehearse in individual rehearsal rooms.  Performance order is finalized and given to directors and technicians, along with morning schedule for times in RPAC.  Technicians prepare for individual plays.

10:00-12:00am RPAC – As casts rehearse, each show gets 30 minutes on RPAC stage to communicate technical needs to the TD and assistants in technical areas.  The times on stage will not necessarily be in the playing order to be used in the performance.

12:00-1:00pm Lunch in SC Cafeteria – Casts and Technicians and take time for lunch.

1:00-2:30pm RPAC – Technicians prepare on stage as casts rehearse in individual rooms.

2:30-5:30pm  Darbeth and RPAC – Casts continue rehearsals in individual spaces, with each cast having 40 minutes for work on the RPAC stage, writing cues, spiking set, solidifying the beginning and end of the scene, and running the scene if time allows. Casts then will return to individual rehearsal stages.  (Each scene will also have a chance to rehearse on the Messenger stage during the afternoon for 40 minutes.)

4:00-6:00 Darbeth 106 – Everyone take supper sandwich break. Schedule around tech rehearsal time.

6:00 -6:30pm RPAC –Everybody meets to get announcements, practice curtain call, clean the theatre, lobby, backstage, and individual rehearsal rooms, then get ready for the show!

6:30pm RPAC - House Opens.   Audience arrives.

7:00pm  Richardson Performing Arts Center – Perform 24-Hour Plays – 4 new 24-Hour Plays. 

8:00-8:30pm  Everybody strikes, cleans, and clears the theater, taking costumes and props, then       

GO PARTY in TOMARI Technical Center for Theatrical Arts

8:30-10 pm TOMARI– PARTY!  Celebrate 24 hours of fun, creativity, insanity living on the edge, and great work!  

Food:  We’ll have food and coffee all Friday night for the playwrights.  On Saturday morning, we will provide a light continental-style breakfast.  At lunchtime everyone will be given meals in the cafeteria.  In the later afternoon/evening, we will have a sandwich buffet available for casts and crews in DB 105, so that everyone can eat as they have the time during a break or as they continue rehearsal.   We provide coffee and drinks all day in the Richardson Lobby Box Office and Concessions area.  Only water in tightly closed bottles may be taken into RPAC, unless it is food or drink for a show.  We’ll provide the food and drinks for a cast party after the show on Saturday night.

Tickets: Share this schedule with your family and friends. Content and language will be of appropriate nature for general audiences. Tickets are $5/adults, $2 students/youth.  Reservations will not be necessary.

Please contact Maya Damron, Performing Arts Assistant, at 620-229-6272 or Allyson Moon, Faculty Coordinator, at 620-262-1926 if you have questions.