Started in 2002 by Hadley playwright Tanyss Rhea Martula, the 24-Hour Theater Project is a whirlwind of theatrics as playwrights, directors and actors produce several short plays within 24 hours. Starting from scratch, playwrights have 12 hours to conceive and complete a play for multiple characters. The directors and actors then have the remaining 12 hours to prepare for the play's debut, complete with costumes, programs for the audience, and props. This year, newcomers Jay Indik and Eric Sanders join veteran playwrights Cynthia Kennison, Phil O'Donoghue and Meryl Cohn in wielding the speedy pen; returning directors include Liz Foley, Ginny Mayer, Tom Cochran, John Hadden and Chris Rohmann; and 17 actors, including local radio personality Bill Dwight and Gazebo owner Judith Fine, grace the stage.
Playwright and 24-Hour Theater Project organizer O'Donoghue sat down with the Advocate this week to talk about the process of putting on a play from scratch in 24 hours.
Valley Advocate: Is this your first time being part of the 24-Hour Project?
Phil O'Donoghue: This is my sixth year doing it. I wrote for Naked Theatre, a local group that used to be around here, for a while. We did a lot of 10-minute plays.
When did you write your first play?
I think I was 33. I've written several full-length plays.
When you're doing something like this, do you come up with ideas beforehand for what you're going to write?
Every playwright does it differently, but I think it's a bad idea to have an idea brewing already. You get fixated… You never know [what actors or director} you're going to get, so if you come up with a bunch of ideas, so really, it's self-defeating.
So what happens first?
All the playwrights are given very specific parameters: the play must be written using a 12-point font; the words must be indented one inch; and the copy can be no longer than 10 pages. (That last part is my fault – our first year, I wrote a play that was way too long.)
Then the whole company meets on a Friday night, at 6:30 p.m. It's kind of like a cocktail party. Then at 7 p.m., the playwrights draw three pieces of paper out of a hat with physical descriptions of the actors or actresses as well as the roles they've played in the past.
Most of the time you think you know who you're getting, but not always. Last year I pulled out of the hat and I got a woman in her 70s with lots and lots of experience. I thought I knew exactly who it was. The next morning, somebody else showed up.
So if you think you know who someone is, do you write with them specifically in mind?
The idea is to see the actors or actresses you've pulled and then play to either their strengths or their opposites. You know, if you get a kid who says he usually plays dorks, you make that kid the stud lover.
Last year we had a new playwright, a very accomplished one, join us. She didn't know Bill [Dwight] and she drew him. I know Bill really well – he's my brother-in-law. I would have written something funny for him. He's a hilarious guy. But this new playwright wrote Bill a dramatic role, and it gave him a chance to show off his dramatic chops.
Have you ever worked on a play for a while and then had to scrap it because it wasn't working?
Yes. Last year I drew Kelsey Flynn's name out of the hat, and also two teenage girls around 18 or 19. I came up with this idea that Kelsey was going to play a touchy-feely college counselor and these high school girls were going to come in and consult with her. I had nine and a half pages and I was trying to edit it when I realized it wasn't going to work. That was at midnight. I had to scrap the whole thing. Then I found some old scripts lying around and I ended up writing a take on David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago.
How is this play-writing process different from your normal process?
Well, that's sort of like asking what the difference is between brewing a pot of coffee or making instant.
Is it possible, then, to get a masterpiece out of something like this, or is it pretty much just understood that this is a play-writing and acting exercise?
Oh, I think you really have the opportunity to get terrific plays out of this. We don't consider this an acting or writing exercise at all. If you were climbing a mountain, it doesn't matter how long it takes, you still want to get to the top. You would want to get there anyway just to see if you could do it. We want people to say this is a great production, regardless of the time frame.
After you've written the play, do you get any further input?
The next morning at 7 a.m., the directors pick the playwrights. After the director's read the play they've chosen, they sit down with the playwright and discuss the piece. It's about respect and parameters, but also about getting into people's faces. It's a paradox.
After that, most playwrights leave. I think the best way is to give it up after you've met with the director. Sit around for the first reading, let the actors ask you questions if they need to, and then leave. Sometimes playwrights don't come back until the evening. Since I'm one of the organizers, though, I'm a pain in the neck and I usually hover around.
What happens if a director interprets your play in a different way than you intended?
Then you've got a real problem and you have to try and work it out. That happened to me about four years ago. The director wanted to add an interpretive dance at the end and I said I'd really just prefer it a different way. We've got two dramaturgs on hand to help with this sort of thing. I think every playwright dreads this, but most don't care if the directors change things as long as they get where things in the play are going emotionally.
Is this process fun or super stressful, or both?
I think it's fun and super stressful. But it really is fun. I think the most fun happens the next day when you're sitting around with your friends discussing the plays and they say, "Hey, did you write that or did the director do that?" The whole thing is exhilarating.
The 24-Hour Theater Project performances take place April 26 at 7 and 9 p.m. at The Center for the Arts, 17 New South St., Northampton. Tickets are $10/students and seniors, $12/general. Call (413) 584-7327 for tickets.
