SUCCESSFUL 24 HOUR PLAY: Students collaborated with one another on a time limit to create plays using simple props and assigned different roles of playwright, director, and actor. Not knowing the prompt beforehand, students and their acting skills were put to test. There will be more opportunities for students who were unable to participate this time around.
SUCCESSFUL 24 HOUR PLAY: Students collaborated with one another on a time limit to create plays using simple props and assigned different roles of playwright, director, and actor. Not knowing the prompt beforehand, students and their acting skills were put to test. There will be more opportunities for students who were unable to participate this time around.

By Nafisa Hossain

Shakespeare once said, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women are merely players.” On September 27, those words came to life at the 24-hour play, held by drama teacher Stuart Fingeret in Highlander Hall.

The festival served as an opportunity for students to come together and work in new environments, as well as to fundraise for awareness about the drama production of “The Crucible,” taking place on November 21 and 22.

It truly was a 24-hour long function with the playwrights who came together to write the plays and productions that were performed 24 hours later in Highlander Hall.

Playwrights were given the task of writing and preparing short, one-act plays after they were given certain components, such as lines or phrases they had incorporated into their stories. Their deadline to finish writing stories was 10:00 a.m. the next day. In addition, students had no idea who would be directing their plays beforehand.

The scripts went to the student directors who discussed their visions for the performances with the playwrights. The director then worked with the actors to bring the plays to life together.

With a tight time crunch, the plays were simple with few props and simple sets, lasting 10 to 15 minutes. It demanded quick-witted and innovative thinking as cast members, playwrights, and directors were allowed to bring props and costumes from home.

Entirely voluntary, auditions were not required, allowing anyone who wanted to join the opportunity to participate. Students signed up for either the position of a playwright or an actor or actress.

As he had participated in a 24-hour play as a graduate student at New York University (NYU), Fingeret decided to bring it to the school in hopes that his students would enjoy it too.

Fingeret also came up with the idea since he knew that many students could not participate in theater due to intense schedules and many extracurricular activities. As such, he wanted more students to get involved in performing arts. Fingeret believes that this could be a very rewarding experience for Granada students.

“I want the students to be able to see that by working together in an extreme time crunch, effective theater can happen without months of preparation. I want to show that even though the plays are short in length, they can still be as comedic and dynamic as a two hour play,” Fingeret said.

The event proved a success and worth repeating for students who were not able to participate this time around. There are plenty of other chances for students to get involved in theater, including the upcoming play “The Crucible.”