Teams of actors, writers, and directors commandeered a classroom on the third floor of the Multicultural Arts Center in Merced last Friday to accomplish the impossible — cast, write, rehearse, and perform an original play in a mere 24 hours.
“The 24 Hour Plays” have been a Merced tradition for over a decade, but this recent performance was the first since they were last performed in the winter prior to the pandemic. This year they were brought back to life with increased pizzazz. Participants now had access to more lighting and sound options, as well as a fight choreographer. The result was six original plays, each completely different and uniquely entertaining.
“It’s like sports meets theater,” said Traci Sprague, who performed in the two of the evening’s plays. In previous years, she had participated as a writer and director. “It has a renaissance type feel, all this energy just working towards this common goal, all in different spots within a space. That’s what I love about it, just that synergy that’s happening everywhere.”
To kick off the event, participants attended a meet and greet. Everyone brought props and costumes that could be used in the shows, and introduced themselves and let the writers know any special skills they had that could be useful for the plays. Because of the nature of the 24-hour plays, writers can purposefully include scenarios where actors get to explore and expand their experience.
After the introductions, the writers give their preferences for actors they would like to work with in a draft-style selection process, and the writing begins. They stay inside the Arts Center overnight, with event coordinators at hand to help maintain morale and battle writing blocks. The next day is filled with memorization, rehearsal, blocking, and sweat. Despite the tight deadline, actors are required to be off-script by Saturday evening’s performance.
On Saturday evening, it was showtime. If a sold out show is an indicator of success, then the return of The 24-Hour Plays went above and beyond. Organizers and participants had to hunt for enough chairs to accommodate the larger than anticipated audience.
“I was blown away by how all the acting, directing, and writing came together, and brought out everyone’s strengths,” said Dawn Trook. She was the primary organizer for the event, having first co-produced The 24 Hour Plays in 2009. “They create these little families and communities. I love the idea of this space being filled with this joy and creativity. Tonight was a lot of pushing boundaries, and people finding new parts of their acting.”