A Day of Plays

A+Day+of+Plays

Photo by Jessica Tang

In only one day, playwrights, directors, stage managers, tech crew, and actors produced five one act plays and performed in front of an audience in the second annual 24 Hour Play Festival on December 10. It all began with the playwrights who chose actors to perform in the play they wrote overnight. Then early in the morning the playwrights arrived to the NMU where the event took place to share the scripts they had prepared. Afterwards the actors began memorizing and rehearsing their lines. Once they are ready, the actors picked out a costume for their assigned character. A big part of the event were the costume helpers and tech crew, who organized all of the costumes and managed the music to make the plays run smoothly. All directors and actors worked hard to perfect their scenes for the final performance in front of a large crowd that same night. It was also the second time Sophomore Jeareiri Mejia participated in the event. At first, Mejia was very nervous and unsure of what it would be like,  but in the end, she had a great experience.

   “I participated in the 24 Hour Play last year and I was very nervous. I had absolutely no idea what I had gotten myself into, but it was really fun. You learn new skills like acting, public speaking, and also meet a lot of people that quickly become your friends.”said Mejia.

   Mejia expected more students to take part in the plays (especially the freshmen) and she also wished for a larger audience to attend. She was thrilled to have younger students participate and even had a few words of advice for them.

   “For this year I am expecting for the experience to be the same but expecting more people because it was such a success last year. My advice for the newcomers is to not get too nervous because it is a one time thing. Have fun! It’s a really new and awesome experience,” said Mejia.

    However, one particular freshmen, Ariana Mendez, did not feel nervous at all. She got involved through the drama class and was very enthusiastic to be able to participate.

   “No, I’m not nervous. Personally I feel more comfortable on-stage than off-stage,” said Mejia.

   There was great excitement for this year’s one-act plays, and a larger audience attended as Mejia hoped. Every single person who contributed in the event was crucial to create each one-act play and perform admirably with only 24 hours.