Creativity can be an elusive thing, and even the most skilled of us require inspiration to create art. Whether it’s a mythic Greek Muse, formative chapters of life, or a new and exciting experience — artistic expression requires a spark, a little shove. 

When all else fails and inspiration is hard to find, there’s nothing quite like the motivation that rises with the pressure of a ticking clock.

Theater students are accustomed to stretching their limits and finding motivation in novel ways. On Saturday, Dec. 7, the PFW Department of Theatre will be testing their reaction to pressure with a distinctive concept: The 24-Hour Plays.

Fast-moving production

Presented at Studio Theatre in Kettler Hall, the idea is simple: On Friday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m., a group of students with varying degrees of onstage and behind-the-scenes experience will be split into groups, then assigned traditional live theater roles. 

Each group writes, stages, and performs a one-act play. 

Here’s where the pressure comes in: The entire process, from forming the troupe to curtain time, takes place over 24 hours.

If that sounds impossible, it’s actually not. Challenging, but not impossible. The concept has been performed in various incarnations by theater groups of all levels for decades. It’s not improv, but audiences are absolutely guaranteed to see something new and unique.

Professor of Theatre Beverly Redman is producing this version of the fast-moving process. There are four roles in this operation: actors, directors, playwrights, and stage managers. 

Redman explained how the various roles are chosen.

“Students signed up this week listing their preferences, but we do give privilege to the underclass students as actors,” she said. “Students playing the role of directors should have had our directing class that all undergraduates take. The stage managers should have had our stage management class. For the playwrights, we offer a playwriting class infrequently, so we’ll give some preference to the students who’ve had that class.”

Clock is ticking

Even experienced writers need a little context to frame their inspiration, and Redman has insured they will have something unique to work with. 

Actors are instructed to bring a costume and a prop. Playwrights aren’t required to feature the objects provided by the actor, but they should be used to provoke ideas about the play to be written.

The exact number of participants won’t be known until the time to split into groups. So, a writer might end up with two actors, five actors, or something in between, with a myriad of possible combinations of props and costumes.

After the initial meet-up on Friday night, the clock is ticking, and the playwrights are in for a long night. 

By 8 a.m. on Saturday, they will have a script prepared for actors and crew. Over a bleary breakfast, they review the script with the group, and the group work of preparing a live stage performance begins. Actors rehearse at separate locations around Kettler Hall, rotating times on the Studio Theatre stage to ensure the busy stage managers can set things up for a series of one-act shows.

At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday the doors open and the first play begins at 8 p.m. sharp, exactly 24 hectic hours after the initial groups were formed. 

Performing under pressure

Will it work? It’s been a while, but PFW has done this kind of performance in the past. 

Redman is confident that inspiration will strike.

“It’s going to be a potpourri,” she said. “It’s a group of young artists trying out their new wings in a lot of different roles. Anyone playing the role of playwright or director, they’re a relatively new playwright or director. It might not be their very first time, but they’re pretty fresh. It’s an opportunity for people to try something completely new. 

“Oftentimes in that energy, the pressure that you have to produce something in those 24 hours … terrific and fun things get created. Often quite poignant things. It’s fun to be a part of seeing what will happen in just 24 hours’ time.”