A group of stage alums including Will Swenson, Patrick Wilson, and Tavi Gevinson will participate in The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues. The event will take place on Instagram @24hourplays from 6:00 PM ET until midnight.
As a culmination of a process that began March 16 when 20 actors and writers were paired, this event has several parts. After brief introductions, writers got to work crafting new monologues specifically for their performer. Monologues were then distributed the morning of March 17. Performances are being filmed throughout the day.
The 24-hour cycle is completed with the launch of the videos at 6 PM. on Instagram.
Joining the three above in the virtual experience are Marin Ireland, David Cross, Richard Kind, Rachel Dratch, Bobby Moreno, Amy Hargreaves, Andre Royo, Joel Marsh Garland, Denis O’Hare, Timothy Douglas, Hugh Dancy, Russell G. Jones, Isabelle Fuhrman, Katherine McNamara, Ashlie Atkinson, and Dagmara Domińczyk.
The original monologues were written by David Lindsay-Abaire, Hilary Bettis, Hansol Jung, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Christopher Oscar Peña, Howard Sherman, Jesse Eisenberg, Simon Rich, Sam Chanse, Kathleen Hale, Jenny Rachel Weiner, Lily Padilla, Harrison David Rivers, Ken Greller, Rachel Axler, Lily Houghton, and Monique Moses.
About the 24 Hour Plays Group
In October 1995, the first production of The 24 Hour Plays took place on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Inspired by Scott McCloud’s 24 hour comics (comic books composed in a single day), founder Tina Fallon saw an opportunity to bring together a community of creative artists in a time-limited experiment. The project was intended as a one-time-only event.
Over twenty years and hundreds of plays later, in addition to The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway and The 24 Hour Musicals in New York City, regular events take place in London, Los Angeles, Dublin, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Germany, Athens, Finland, Mexico City, Florence and Denmark. Through collaborations with The Lillys, Dublin Youth Theatre, Urban Arts Partnership, The Old Vic Theatre, Bennington College, Hennepin Theatre Trust, The University of Minnesota-Duluth, Cornerstone Theater Company, PlayGround, Rakastajat-teatteri, The Orchard Project, The Del Sole Foundation and others, The 24 Hour Plays have raised millions of dollars for charities.
Why Watch?
Monologues can be a lot of fun to watch. The ones I find most enjoyable tell a story and provide rich details to paint a picture for the listeners.
This opportunity is a theatrical event online and easily accessible. There will be a lot of different ones to see. Give it a try!