Can a play be made in less than a day?
Trinity Western University’s theatre students are about to prove it is possible with their annual 24 Hour Theatre happening this weekend.
Playwrights have less than 12 hours to write a piece that will be directed, memorized, and performed just 24 hours after they began.
In terms of how the event runs, students are split up into several teams and are involved in all aspects of putting their show together, explained Shayna Leenstra, the assistant to the dean for the School of the Arts, Media + Culture (SAMC).
The writers start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. They’re given a theme, such as Easter eggs, that has to be included (in words, songs, props, etc.).
“They write all night and then pass off the script the next day to the student actors and directors. It’s then rehearsed, props and costumes are sourced, and it goes on stage at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday,” Leenstra explained.
This has been an annual event for “quite a few years now,” she said, noting it’s part of TWU’s Festival of the Arts, Media + Culture.
The festival begins Friday, April 6, and runs until April 16, featuring 10 days of concerts, shows, student film festival, and more.
More info on the upcoming events can be found at twu.ca/samc.
In the meantime, the public is invited to see the results of all the theatre student’s work as it comes to fruition on the stage at the university’s Freedom Hall on Saturday, April 7. The 24 Hour Theatre showing beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Admission is only $3, and information is available by emailing theatre@twu.ca.
