'Theatre 24’ to Feature Free Performance of Student-Created Plays in Front of Raley Chapel Aug. 29

OBU Theatre, in conjunction with College Players, is hosting a special theatrical event on Bison Hill. “Theatre 24” will take place one night only, Saturday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. on the front stoop of Raley Chapel. The event is free to attend and all members of the campus community are invited. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating, and ushers will facilitate physical distancing. All attendees should likewise wear face coverings.

During this 24-hour theatrical frenzy, students will write, edit, rehearse, design and produce short plays, going from concept to performance in just one day. Students will then perform their creations for everyone to enjoy. The show is completely student-led.

The student theatre majors are looking forward to kicking off the year with this fun, free performance.

“I am excited to be involved in Theatre 24, because it is going to challenge us as aspiring theatre playwrights, actors and directors,” said Larashleigh Wallace, a theatre and social entrepreneurship major. “It will also challenge us to work as a team to truly bring a story to life in a very short amount of time.”

The students will be given a prompt Friday evening and will have 24 hours to write a play, memorize lines and get ready to direct a show the following evening.

“Theatre 24 in its most basic form is an opportunity for everyone start from the same spot and see where each group is able to shine as each show is bound to be different from another,” said theatre major Emili Ramos. “I am super excited to be able to help organize an event with such a short time window because the need to finish each component of the day will be the driving factor of each of the shows. It is going to be such a fantastic night of shows that can range from amazing to maybe didn’t work that well. The main challenge for our groups is going to be not being able to rehearse in the space before their performances. They will be using found spaces around campus to mimic the steps of Raley in order to rehearse,”

If you are interested in being a part of the frenzy, you can sign up for yourself through Aug. 26 at 5 p.m. Posters with QR codes have been placed around campus, that can be scanned to sign up. You can also list what you are interested in contributing to the show, whether that be as a writer, actor, director or behind the scenes.

Dr. Hephzibah Dutt, assistant professor of theatre and director of theatre, is anticipating a wonderful experience for all involved.

“I’m most excited about students from other disciplines coming to ‘play’ with us for a day. Participating in a mainstage show is a big commitment for non-majors, even if they love theatre. This event is going to give such students the opportunity to engage in the joys of theatrical process …but just for 24 hours. Also, cool things happen in inter-disciplinary collaborations, and I believe Theatre 24 is going to manifest this.”