Fayetteville State University (FSU) Theatre Company announces the return of its celebrated “Play in a Day” in partnership with Fayetteville Technical Community College. “Play in a Day” invites participation from FSU students, faculty, and staff, as well as high school juniors and seniors as part of a whirlwind, mini theatre festival in which plays are written, rehearsed, designed, and performed in 24 hours. A trend over the last two decades in educational and professional theatres, “Play in a Day” has even made its way to Broadway a number of times in recent years.
“Play in a Day” will involve a kickoff event on Friday, September 6, at 7:30pm in Butler Theater followed by an overnight writing session by playwrights. After finishing their writing by early the next morning, the freshly minted scripts will be taken up by actors, directors, designers, technicians, and managers who will rehearse the plays throughout the day in time for a 7:30pm performance of the plays on Saturday night, September 7. Students and other interested participants will be able to engage in one of a variety of production areas, from writing to acting to stage management to lighting operation.
The goal of “Play in a Day” is to produce fully realized scripts, usually of 10-20 minutes in length, and to put participants into active production roles with intense demands. The result is a mixture of high creativity, artistic impulse, sleep deprivation, temper, improvisation, failure, success, and caffeine. Participants are forced to make decisions on a deadline – a bit like Survivor for theatre – and learn firsthand the necessities of prioritization, problem-solving, and good humor. Above all, “Play in a Day” usually sees great success at creating bonds between participants and working to create a community of theatre makers in a short period of time.
“Play in a Day” performances begin at 7:30pm., on Saturday, September 7th, in Butler Theater on the FSU campus. Admission is pay what you will. The new plays may not be suitable for all audiences.
Key Notes:
- Participation in 24 Hour Theatre requires an application found here: http://bit.ly/153m9nu
- Participation in 24 Hour Theatre is not a 24-hour commitment. All participants are expected at the kickoff event, where production teams and casts will be assigned. After that, only playwrights are needed overnight and other team members needed for the next day.
For more information please contact Jeremy Fiebig, Professor of Theatre, at (910) 672-2574, or [email protected].
About Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville State University is a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina System and the second-oldest public institution of higher education in the state, having been founded in 1867. FSU is a historically black university offering degrees at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels. With more than 6,400 students, Fayetteville State University is among the most diverse institutions in the nation.
