The 24 Hour Project

Four playwrights. Four production teams. 24 hours. One night only. Those are the rules at Infamous Commonwealth Theatre’s 24 Hour Project, where four brand-new plays will be written, produced, performed, and discarded forever this weekend at the Vittum Theatre.

At 8 pm on Friday, January 15th, playwrights James Whittington, Bill Gaines, Cade Wenthe, and Nancy Friedrich will receive separate definitions of the word “Redemption,” the theme for both this year’s project and ICT’s current season. For they next 12 hours, the writers will scribble away at short plays inspired by their respective definitions. At 8 am on Saturday morning, actors and directors will begin rehearsing their assigned plays while musicians compose original music to introduce each piece. At 8 pm on Saturday night, it’s show time.

Why see a production that’s been rushed together in 24 hours? For starters, as any fan of Top Chef or Project Runway knows, there’s a certain magic in watching talented people perform their craft under fire. “Seeing a play put together so rapidly, I think it’s pretty exciting,” says ICT company member Genevieve Thompson, who has participated in all 24 Hour Projects and will perform on Saturday. “Audiences tell me it’s one of their favorite things to do each year. There is something really cool about knowing that 30 or 40 people have worked really hard for 24 hours straight to show you these plays and these songs, and knowing that you are the only ones who will ever see them.”

The one-night-only aspect of the Project ups the excitement, mixing the fleeting nature of improvisation with the production elements – props, lights, sets – of conventional theater. “There are no repeat performances, so each event is singular and unique,” says Thompson. “The plays are usually pretty funny, and they usually exceed the audiences’ expectations. I think most audiences expect it to be pretty unprofessional, but it’s not.”

The scramble to find the right props under deadline can be part of the fun. “The directors and actors get very serious about it,” says Thompson. “‘I really, really, really, really, really need a Cabbage Patch Kid right now.’ And then everyone swings into high gear freaking out about Cabbage Patch Kids. And no matter how weird the request, we always seems to figure it out.”

Thompson also describes how the time limit can force creative solutions for special effects. “I loved the time when one actor made the sound of rain using a beaded necklace that she rubbed against a wall. It sounded just like it. So inventive and beautiful.” Indeed, so many creative people say they work best under pressure. We’re excited to see that concept at work this weekend.

Saturday, January 16; 8 pm, $20.