What is it?
This entire production, from concept to performance, happens within a 24 hour period. Our student writers first see their inspiration — PYA student artwork — at approximately 5:30 on a Friday night. The writers meet briefly with their team members, then work late into the night to craft scripts based on their inspiration. Meanwhile, their teams take part in a number of workshops including acting and character development, directing, theatre tech, and improvisation.
Saturday morning, the writers place scripts into the hands of student directors, student tech/creative directors, and student actors who spend the day memorizing, rehearsing, finding props and costumes, creating light cues, and preparing for our performance that evening.
Of course, it’s not quite as much fun without a few twists! Over the years, we have thrown numerous wrenches in our teams' efforts including asking them to randomly select a genre that they had to incorporate into their play or to choose random lists of set pieces, props, and creative materials which had to be included in the production.
The 24-hour play festival is a wonderful experience for a number of reasons. Students are able to engage in the theatre arts in new and creative ways, and in roles that they may not be able to take on otherwise. They are pushed to hone their craft in a very short time frame, and to develop tools and stagecraft that they can later transfer to other shows. Finally, it gives some students who may be unable to engage in a larger, more time-consuming performance their chance to shine.
Saturday morning, the writers place scripts into the hands of student directors, student tech/creative directors, and student actors who spend the day memorizing, rehearsing, finding props and costumes, creating light cues, and preparing for our performance that evening.
Of course, it’s not quite as much fun without a few twists! Over the years, we have thrown numerous wrenches in our teams' efforts including asking them to randomly select a genre that they had to incorporate into their play or to choose random lists of set pieces, props, and creative materials which had to be included in the production.
The 24-hour play festival is a wonderful experience for a number of reasons. Students are able to engage in the theatre arts in new and creative ways, and in roles that they may not be able to take on otherwise. They are pushed to hone their craft in a very short time frame, and to develop tools and stagecraft that they can later transfer to other shows. Finally, it gives some students who may be unable to engage in a larger, more time-consuming performance their chance to shine.
Want to see?
- Click here to watch the 2016 performance on YouTube!
- Click here to watch the 2017 performance on YouTube!
- Click here to watch the 2023 performance on YouTube!