Performance Night Video

Video by Ryan Taylor

Blog and Twitter Stats

Since we set up the blog and Twitter accounts for 23:59, we have posted 20 blog entries and tweeted 28 times. By Nov. 12, 2009 at 5:00 p.m., the 23hrs59sec blog had been viewed 1,167 times and 38 people follow us on Twitter (@23hrs50secBlog).

— Xiaoying Ge

23:59 Wrap up

As the actors took the last bow on the stage, the 24-hour play festvital’s curtain was finally closed.

“All around, the festival was a great success for us.  This is the first time most of us have attempted a project like this, and I feel it all came together pretty well in the end.”

Heidi Schmidt, an organizer and playwright of the festival, is very satisfied with the result of the festival.

“We had a sizeable audience, they seemed to enjoy themselves, and (from my perspective, anyway) there were no train wrecks on the stage.”

Although the festival ended with success, the play writing process was not easy to Schmidt. With no confidence in her play at all, she had to keep writing and tried to finish everything on time, which she said was the biggest challenge to her. Even after e-mailing her final draft at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, Schmidt said she was still anxious because she was not sure if her work was good enough.

“I … spent the rest of my morning in a state of anxiety about what my director, actors, and peers were going to think of this thing I had created,” Schmidt said.  “I was reassured when I arrived at rehearsal, and my actors & director really seemed to be enjoying the play. It’s certainly not a perfect play, but at this point, I’m pretty proud of what I produced in the extremely limited time frame.”

By selling 90 tickets at $5 each, the play festival help the Graduate Theatre Organization (GTO) raise $450 in total. The money will support GTO’s future expenses.

According to Bryan Vandevender, the artistic liaison of the festival, the 24-hour play festival will occur at least once a year. Schmidt said she’s glad to participate in the next festival if it happens.

“Sure, as long as it’s not next weekend,” Schmidt said. “I still need to recover my sleep a little bit.”

— Xiaoying Ge

Right before curtain call

The last bit of logistics have been worked out and the stage is set for the first performance, “Happily Ever After.”

Here’s the order:

“Happily Ever After” (Team 3)

“English” (Team 4)

“Saturday School” (Team 2)

“Time is the Fire” (Team 1)

“The Music Shop” (Team 5)

Tickets are $5 and the doors will be opening around 7:45 at the Arts and Sciences building on the MU Campus.  Performances will be in Allen Auditorium.

— Amanda Bromwich

End of Rehearsal!

The five teams have all had their chance to rehearse their plays on the Allen Auditorium stage.  While all the teams take a break to grab dinner, we’re going to do the same!

We’ll be back live with the performances at 7:15.

— Amanda Bromwich

Team 3 afternoon/evening rehearsal

Elizabeth Trovall introduces her fairy godfather played by Cole Headrick during Team 3's rehearsal of Heidi Schmidt's play "Happily Ever After." "Happily Ever After" is being directed by Laura Nelson.

Team 3’s play, “Happily Ever After,” deals with a couple experiencing some marriage issues with unexpected causes.  The three actors are Dillon Cassidy, Elizabeth Trovall, and Cole Headrick.

“I was very happy we got a comedy,” said director Laura Nelson.  ”Doing something this quickly, a comedy has alot more wiggle room, so i was happy and its a very cute show.”

Team 5 afternoon rehearsal update

Team 5’s play “The Music Shop” is about two guys finding common ground through music, and some wit.  Here’s a picture of the two actors, Frank Lasik and Mark Walsh.

Frank Lasik and Mark Walsh rehearse Matt Fotis' play "The Music Shop." The play is being directed by Noah Lelek.

Team 4 afternoon rehearsal update

The rehearsal of Fonzie Geary’s play “English” was, well, interesting and rather provocative.

The play basically follows a 22-year-old virgin from Cincinnati, Ohio who comes to St.Louis to see the arch and lose his virginity to a prostitute.

Brian Scanlan and Tammy Mullins rehearse "English" on stage at Allen Auditorium on the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009.

“I try to have as few expectations as possible,” said director David Marcia. “I think Fonzie delivered a play about a couple of different things, but its not to broad.”

Aside from the plot, Team 4’s rehearsal methods have differed from the other two teams slightly.  According to Marcia, he let the actors figure out the script by reading it through by themselves a few times before diving into memorizing lines.  After reading to themselves and out loud a couple times, they blocked the play and then focused primarily on memorizing lines for the rest of the morning.

Now that their stage rehearsal is over, the actors of Team 4 are taking a break until 6 pm when they’ll reconvene with Marcia to run through the play a few more times.

Team 2 afternoon rehearsal update

Actors Melanie Schneider and Elizabeth Burch-Hudson rehearse the play "Saturday School" on stage in Allen Auditorium Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009.

Team two, the group performing “Saturday School,” by Andy Pierce, just left the stage in Allen Auditorium.

Charles Willis, the plays director said the play he received this morning from Pierce wasn’t what he was expecting.

“Its a very realistic play, but in miniature,” said Willis.

After the afternoon rehearsal, Willis said success is now a matter of the actors, Grant Watkins, Elizabeth Burch-Hudson and Melanie Schneider, memorizing their lines and being confident in them.

“Working in this time frame is a first time experience for me,” said Willis.  ”What would normally be a two week process is compressed into just a few hours.”

The few hours the teams do have to prepare for tonight’s performances have proven to be busy.

“We’ve run through this 10 minute play so many times,” said Willis.  ”Fifty times wouldn’t be a gross estimate.”

Team 1 afternoon rehearsal update

Milbre Burch character, the mother in "Time is the Fire," looks through a photo album during her team's afternoon stage rehearsal on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009.

Team one has finished rehearsing “Time is Fire” by Ron Zank on stage in Allen Auditorium.

“There’s a simplicity and a sweetness to it,” director Matt Davis said.

When asked whether the play he read this morning was what he was expecting Davis said, “Knowing Ron, I can definitely see the dramatic twist, but I can see Ron’s humor, too.”