 "Photo: Jami Bonner")
The stressful, yet rewarding experience of 24-Hour Theatre is likely to give theatre arts majors and audience members alike an adrenaline rush.
Stage II Productions’ 24-Hour Theatre, with entertainment similar to Whose Line Is it Anyway, will begin Friday at 7 p.m. to entertain audience members and teach participants more about theatre.
Participants will have 24 hours to produce original works for an audience Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium, said Michael Harvey, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts.
Harvey said preliminaries will occur on Friday at 6 p.m., participants will write from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and directors plan out the plays at 7 a.m.
“It’s intense because it usually doesn’t take that long to put up a production,” Harvey said.“It gives the students an opportunity to experience plays in their production in a short amount of time.”
The performances will begin Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Harvey said, and the audience usually consists of 80 to 100 members.
Harvey said 24-Hour Theatre takes place at the start of each semester and anyone is welcome to participate.
Students can sign up at the call board in South Hall by Friday, said Adan Bogorquez, a junior theater arts major from West Jordan and public relations director for Stage II.
Casey Carlson, a senior theatre arts major from Las Vegas and artistic director, said the four genres which students can participate in are drama, comedy, musical and dance.
“24-hour theatre is a great experience,” Carlson said. “We spend a lot of time stressing weeks and weeks over a production and it’s nice to have it done in 24 hours.”
Carlson said she recalls one of the funniest performances was one written last fall about six students taking a test.
Bogorquez said a kick-off informational meeting for everyone involved will take place on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre room of the Auditorium’s Theatre.
The purpose of the meeting is to create the 24-hour schedule for all dances, plays and performances to take place, Bogorquez said.
Bogorquez said some of the most stressful tasks of his job include getting publicity out, confirming participants’ achievements and reserving spaces.
“Afterwards, we strike, meaning we take down all lights and sets we might have built during the day and costumes and props,” he said. “Even after we’ve performed the 24-hour theatre, the work doesn’t stop.”
Despite the stress, Bogorquez said, he also finds 24-hour theatre rewarding and enthralling.
“All of the finished product ... is a wonderful experience,” he said. “Being able to participate in it, watching others, the acting, and the lighting.”
Abigail Duston, a senior communication and theatre double major from St. George, said this is her fifth year participating in 24-Hour Theatre.
“I love it and I’ve created some of my best work through it,” Duston said. “I think everyone should see 24-hour theatre, because it’s a bizarre, frantic, exciting experience (when) put together so quickly.”
Duston said if she were to offer advice to anyone interested, it would be to get involved.
“It’s a great way of starting to get to know people in the department. It’s a great way to make mistakes,” she said. “Worst case scenario you get a bad show, but then you’ve taken a risk and you go from there.”
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