By Amaya Lopez ’15, Staff Writer

From January 23^rd to the 24^th, the IB Acting students put their determination and talent to the test by putting on full plays — written and produced in only 24 hours. This entailed writing the script, memorizing the lines, and rehearsing several times.  This frenetic acting exercise, termed the 24 Hour Playwriting Festival, has become a staple of the IB Acting class’ curriculum.  The idea first became popular among professionals after 9/11; it was a successful way to involve celebrities in raising money for victim’s families.  This was Newark Academy’s fifth time putting on the festival, chaperoned by Mr. Scerra, Ms. Addison, and Mr. Jacoby.

The festival saw three plays, and the three writers were chosen in advance by the chaperones; Matt Thekkethala, Abraham Ratner, and Hannah Zack. They were given 12 hours, from 7:30 pm to 7:30 am, to write their plays.  The other 12 students were left to mingle amongst each other and sleep, but most took the time to reread old scripts from previous years — keeping their acting skills sharp. Upon completion of the scripts, three directors were chosen: Jake Mundo, Sydney Mann, and Grace Alofe.  These directors were given the daunting task of transforming these writers’ pieces of work into actual performances and casting the remaining nine students. They were then left with about ten hours to memorize the play, set up the props, fix the lights and create costumes from only the material in the Black Box. “This year it was very focused on the writing, and what was written, and this was the first year it allowed for the writers to revise what they had previously written while the actors were performing,” Mr. Scerra explained. “Writers did a phenomenal job and the actors couldn’t have been happier,” said Sydney Persing and Alex Tarowsky, two IB Acting students. Mr. Jacoby could not complain either, praising the “spirit of the group and the attitude each student had within the time constraints.”

The plays, performed the next day, were certainly a success — students commented on the heavy praise from audience members. They also commented on the rewarding nature of what Mr. Scerra coined a “mini June Term.” Sydney Persing explained, “When you work with the same people for 24 hours under a time limit… You build a solid relationship with the group and you manage to go above and beyond what is required.” As an audience member, one really gets to see how hard work and dedication, from the writer to the director and the actors, can really produce phenomenal pieces.  These students are given very strict deadlines and a brief window to put on a performance for a large audience, but their passion for this class, this subject, and the material they have been given really shows through in their work.  Even though we have to wait another two years for this event, The Arts section of The Minuteman recommends everyone save the date in advance to see what the next group of talented actors, writers, and directors can pull off in only 24 hours!