8 Plays in 24 Hours

The 24 Hour Theater Project is an Olympic event for thespians in South Florida, equal in difficulty to the decathlon. This Sunday, a bunch of playwrights will gather at the Miracle Theatre (280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables) at sundown. They’ll be tasked with writing a play based on a random title (at last year’s project, one of the titles was How My Sister, Sally, Collected Her Winnings Despite the Dead Mime in Her Car). Each of the eight plays must be written by sunrise the following morning. Then, coming off their stimulant highs, the twitching playwrights will hand over the scripts like batons to the region’s best actors and directors — with names like Todd Allen Durkin, Ken Clement, Paul Tei, Avi Hoffman, and many others. It’s their job to turn the scripts into decent short plays by show time that evening. This is what Adderall is for.

At last year’s event, only one play was pulled off without a stumble. But the fuck-ups only add to the fun. The emotional meltdowns, impossible deadlines, chemical inducements, and suicidal artistic energies culminate orgiastically today, 8 p.m., at the Miracle Theatre. Tickets cost $58 and part of the proceeds will go to the region’s youngest, daringest theater troupes, like the Mad Cat Theatre and the Promethean Theatre. Call 305-444-9293, or visit www.actorsplayhouse.org.
Mon., Aug. 25, 2008