The 24 Hour Plays has announced the first round of participants for this year’s production on Monday, October 30th, at 8:00pm at the American Airlines Theatre in Times Square.
Additional cast and creative team members will be announced in the coming weeks.
This year’s cast will feature Raul Castillo, Josh Charles, Jackie Cruz, Jennifer Esposito, Noah Galvin, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Nina Hellman, Cush Jumbo, Mia Katigbak, Lola Kirke, Russell G. Jones, Orlando Pabotoy, Christina Ricci, Kyra Sedgwick, Jeremy Shamos, Jonathan Marc Sherman, Justice Smith, Lois Smith, Nico Tortorella and Yul Vasquez.
This year’s directing team will include May Adrales, Warren Leight, Patricia McGregor, Jessica Stone and Kate Whoriskey. The writing team will include Fernanda Coppel, Chisa Hutchinson, David Lindsay-Abaire, Martyna Majok and Molly Smith Metzler. This year’s musical guest is Shaina Taub.
"We are thrilled to announce the first round of actors, writers and directors for this year, made up of original and fearless voices. In keeping with our celebration of The Lilly Awards and Marsha Norman, this year’s performance particularly highlights extraordinary female artists from theatre, film and television," said Mark Armstrong, Executive Director of The 24 Hour Plays.
As previously announced, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman will be honored as part of the organization’s partnership with The Lilly Awards.
“Marsha Norman led the charge for gender and racial parity in the American theater for decades, long before it was a commonly accepted goal,” said playwright Julia Jordan, the Vice President of The Lilly Awards. “She has also taught a generation of our most exciting and successful new playwrights — all on the side of her own Pulitzer, Tony and Peabody award-winning work.”
The 24 Hour Plays bring together extraordinary artists to create time-limited theater around the world. Proceeds from The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway will benefit The 24 Hour Plays programming, including The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals (a professional intensive for young artists), and The Lilly Awards Foundation’s work supporting women in theater and promoting gender parity.
The marathon process for The 24 Hour Plays begins at 9 p.m. the night before the performance. Writers, composers, directors, choreographers, actors, music directors, musicians and production staff — many of whom have never worked with or met each other before — gather for an orientation where they are asked to share one costume piece, one prop, a special skill, and to reveal something that they have always wanted to do on stage, as well as some singing and dancing. At 11 p.m., the composers and writers get to work crafting 15-20 minute musicals overnight; at 9 a.m. the next morning, the actors receive their roles and the directors, choreographers and musicians arrive to begin rehearsal. Less than 12 hours later, they must be ready to perform in front of a live audience.
THE 24 HOUR PLAYS
October 30, 2017 at 8pm
American Airlines Theatre
227 W 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
“Our Artistic Inspiration Award was designed to honor a working theater professional who has inspired young artists,” said Armstrong. “Marsha Norman’s fingerprints are everywhere in American theater, television and film and so many artists have reached out to us about helping to celebrate her on October 30.”
Find out more here.
