As theatre companies and events look for ways to go digital during coronavirus-caused social distancing, Will Swenson, Patrick Wilson, Tavi Gevinson, and a slew of stage alums participated in The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues March 17. Every 15 minutes on Instagram (@24hourplays) from 6 PM ET until midnight, performers acted out a monologue specifically written for them in the past 24 hours.
Check out highlights on 24 Hour Plays' IGTV here.
The process began March 16, when 20 actors and writers were paired. After brief introductions, writers got to work crafting new monologues specifically for their performer. Monologues were then distributed the morning of March 17, with the thespians filming their performances throughout the day. The 24-hour cycle was completed with the launch of the videos at 6 PM.
Joining the three above in the virtual experience were Marin Ireland, David Cross, Richard Kind, Rachel Dratch, Bobby Moreno, Amy Hargreaves, Andre Royo, Joel Marsh Garland, Denis O’Hare, Timothy Douglas, Hugh Dancy, Russell G. Jones, Isabelle Fuhrman, Katherine McNamara, Ashlie Atkinson, and Dagmara Domińczyk.
The original monologues were written by David Lindsay-Abaire, Hilary Bettis, Hansol Jung, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Christopher Oscar Peña, Howard Sherman, Jesse Eisenberg, Simon Rich, Sam Chanse, Kathleen Hale, Jenny Rachel Weiner, Lily Padilla, Harrison David Rivers, Ken Greller, Rachel Axler, Lily Houghton, and Monique Moses.
“We've always made work about the most difficult moments in our lives, from 9/11 to Hurricane Sandy to the 2016 election. After my friend Howard Sherman called me with a perfect idea, we figured out how to do just that now without physically getting people together,” said The 24 Hour Plays Artistic Director Mark Armstrong.
Swenson and Gevinson were slated to perform in the upcoming Classic Stage Company production of Assassins while Patrick Wilson was to appear in a presentation of The Courtroom.
