Theatre Lab is New Home for the 24-Hour Theatre Project
The event, to be held Sunday, April 30 to Monday, May 1, unites local playwrights, actors, directors and technicians for a 24-hour period to write, rehearse and perform up to nine short plays.
Theatre Lab, the professional resident company of Florida Atlantic University, is the new home for the 24-Hour Theatre Project, an initiative started by Naked Stage co-founders Katherine and Antonio Amadeo. The event, typically held Sunday evenings through Monday nights – the “dark” days for most theaters – unites local playwrights, actors, directors and technicians for a 24-hour period to write, rehearse and perform up to nine short plays. Theatre Lab’s first 24-Hour Theatre event will take place on Monday, May 1 at 7 p.m. at the Theatre Lab in Parliament Hall, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. Individual tickets are $24. For tickets and more information, call 561-297-6124 or stop by the Box Office in FAU’s Student Union.
The Amadeos have decided to move west to continue their lives and artistic pursuits, but were adamant about finding a way to continue one of Naked Stage’s most impactful programs.
“When we began this thing 10 years ago, we didn’t fully understand what it would become,” said Katherine Amadeo. “We thought we were just doing a fundraiser. It wasn’t until that first curtain call, when we saw all these wonderful members of our community on stage together for a final bow that it really hit us. This event was more than a fundraiser. It was a chance for all the incredible artists in South Florida, who are always so busy working on their own amazing projects, to unify as a community around a single, and slightly crazy, creative endeavor. We didn’t like the idea of that leaving town with us.”
During the 24-Hour Theatre Project, playwrights will be provided with a randomly selected cast and director on Sunday, April 30 at 7 p.m., and have until the next morning to finish a script. Directors and actors arrive at on Monday, May 1 at 7 a.m., and then have a few hours to rehearse the pieces, add in tech, and be ready to perform by 7 p.m. that night.
“We were thrilled to be asked to continue this tradition,” said Matt Stabile, associate artistic director of Theatre Lab. “I’d been involved in the past two 24-Hour events, first as an actor and then as a writer, and I had an amazing experience. It’s insane, exhausting, and one of the most artistically rewarding experiences I’ve ever been a part of.”
The May 1 event will serve as a fundraiser for the Theatre Lab’s New Play Festival, which takes place May 10-14 on FAU’s Boca Raton campus, with plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from the event to a charity selected by the Amadeo family.
“We had both worked with Theatre Lab during their first season of readings and were really interested in the work they were doing and their commitment to the community,” said Antonio Amadeo. “And what better place to host an event about creating new work overnight than a company dedicated to new work in American theater?”
Theatre Lab was established on FAU’s Boca campus in September 2015 under the direction of Louis Tyrrell, founding artistic director of Florida Stage and the Theatre at Arts Garage, and current FAU Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in the Arts. Theatre Lab is generously supported by Edith and Martin Stein, and Marta and Jim Batmasian.
“Katie and Antonio have contributed so much to South Florida theater, and Theatre Lab at FAU is honored to carry on their important 24-Hour Theater Project,” said Tyrrell.
Theatre Lab is open one hour prior to performances with light refreshments and a gallery exhibition. For more information and directions, call 561-297-4784 or visit www.fau.edu/theatrelab.
-FAU-
Tags: arts and letters | community