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KEITH DUFFY, YASMINE Akram, Peter Coonan and Caroline Morahan are all known for their entertainment and acting chops. But can they help produce and present six short plays in 24 hours for the Abbey stage?
They’re among a large cast (including Sarah Greene, Reeve Carney and Jonny Beauchamp), who will perform in The 24 Hour Plays at the Abbey Theatre tonight.
The writers include John Butler (The Stag), Róise Goan (Ros na Rún) and Michelle Read, while the directors are Oonagh Murphy, Dan Colley and Gerry Stembridge.
This is the fourth 24 Hour Plays in Ireland, and all the money raised goes to Dublin Youth Theatre – it has raised €25,500 for DYT over the past four years.
So, how does it work? Well, six short plays will be written, rehearsed and presented all within 24 hours by the voluntary team (who are helped by over 20 theatre technicians, as well as producers from The 24 Hour Company in New York).
The show is now sold out. The 24 Hour Plays originated in New York in the mid-90s and was brought to Ireland by producers Philly McMahon and Eva Scanlan in February 2012.
Unusual and difficult situations
Scanlan tells TheJournal.ie that as “a nerd for logistics and making things happen in unusual and often difficult situations”, she relishes the challenge of the “mayhem” of pulling the 24 Hour Plays together.
Although it’s a 24-hour long production for the cast and crew, the two producers work on the concept for six months of the year.
It’s finding the right mix of actors and directors across ages and experiences. We have some new actors and experienced people in the cast.
While the backstage crew were “terrified” at first, by its second year they were “comfortable – they feel a little less scared”, says Scanlan.
“You don’t have the luxury of time to dwell on little decisions. You say yes and make it happen, or say ‘give me 10 minutes’ to come up with answer and hope they forget,” she laughs. “We advise that it’s advisable not to promise anybody anything in the room. I’m very much a believer in if someone really, really wants to do something they will try to make it happen by hook or by crook.”
Just as time is tight, so is the budget. Each show gets €20 for things like extra props and costumes. It’s about “thinking on the spot and improvisation”.
How it all works
The clock starts on the Saturday night with a meet and greet. The actors present themselves in turn with a prop and a costume, and tell the team what their special skill is.
The props and costumes are gathered, and the playwrights get thinking. “We ask them to come with no preconceived notions and ideas,” says Scanlan. They have from 11am to about 6am to write the plays, which are 10 – 12 minutes each.
Rehearsal goes from 9am to 6pm, and then the Abbey curtain goes up at 7.30pm. This year, the musical guest is Jerry Fish.
“It’s blink and miss it,” says Scanlan. The show isn’t recorded or filmed. It all just happens right then and there.
“We do get quite a theatre crowd, but as well people who might not have been theatre ever who would come for the more famous TV names that they might only know as TV actors,” says Scanlan of the audience. “It’s always exciting to bring people into a theatre who haven’t been.”
“It’s fun live – it’s terrifying and absolutely anything can go wrong,” adds the producer. She won’t name names, but says that “when actors corpse [break character or laugh etc] on stage is pretty much my favourite thing in the world”.
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Why do the journal not name the tramps that have been charged with the vicious assault on Tom Niland?
@Gavin Linden: they will be named soon enough.
@OConnelj: They are named every where else though.
@Gavin Linden: I didn’t know that Gavin, I haven’t looked.
@OConnelj: when you say “everywhere else” do you mean reputable news sources or some posts on social media?
@OConnelj: RTÉ have named them on their site
@Gavin Linden: they are named in the article about them
In all honesty, though, who gives rice milk to children and thinks it’s a healthy choice?
@sean o’dhubhghaill: It’s scary that they even have to tell people this, but I remember some poor Belgian child dying a few years ago cause their vegan parents somehow thought it was a good idea to wean them on to the like of this. Remember this is a world where they need to put warnings on microwave manuals, to not put animals in them.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: people who’s children have an intolerance to diary which is very common. The problem is people try alternatives without consulting a nutritionist. Probably due to the expense.
@Rmaybe: goats milk is a safe alternative, the makeup of goats milk is the nearest of all milks to breast milk.
The world is gone mad isn’t it?
@Paul Gorry: is it though? Was it always? And now we are of an age to see it for what it really is?
@Dearbhla O Reilly: caps of to you Dearbhla very fair point.
Cows milk is for calves. I’ll take my chances with arsenic atm
@Susan McMahon: cows milk may be for calves but if you think drinking something natural like that is wrong how to you reconcile drinking milk from rice. Rice! Surely something that can only exist as a result of an industrial manufacturing process can’t be better than drinking cows milk? Does your cat feel the same way? I mean how do you even milk rice? Their nipples must be tiny.
@Susan McMahon: I’m sure you drank your fair share of milk when you were young, so if it’s only for calves, that would make you a cow now.
@Susan McMahon: cows milk is for calves. Correct. There is no evidence to show that cows milk is harmful for humans. Also correct
@Susan McMahon: It’s been good enough for humans for the last 10,000 years. So much so that we’ve almost lost our adult lactose intolerance that other mammals keep. Now that’s progress!
@Ivan Connolly: Cats have lactose intolerance. Even though they may enjoy the odd plate of milk, they tend to have nasty diarrhoea afterwards.
@Susan McMahon: Thats not what the article is about, it about possibly poisoning children with oat extract.
Vegan warriors trying to push their way on us .. if I want a sizzling steak with cheese and a big pint of milk I will have it so pipe down . 95% of the country like it that way
@Gerrard: who are you telling to pipe down? Reading through the comments it doesn’t look like anyone is trying to dictate to you.
This got a mention on Joe Duffy yesterday as a viable alternative.
@Pat Barry: As part of a balanced diet, rice milk can be fine. As a substitute for infant formula or breast milk – not so much.
Rice extract can be a usual diet supplement. It is not milk, nr is any of the other overly prices “milks” being sold. It is extract from nuts.
The arrogance of people to decide to feed a child a substance that can kill the child due to their beliefs is frightening.
Not surprising as there are plenty of anti vaxers out there.
As for vegans, fine if you want to be one, off you go. Just please do not hold a high and mighty attitude and lecture us. Who choose not to be. I respect your decision, not respect mine. I dont want to be told that I am eating a baby, when eating meat. I am eating a farm animal. Possibly a young farm animal. Not a baby. Besides all you do is make me more determined to eat more meat. I try and eat as much free range and ethically farmed meat as possible. It is not always possible on a pension. I am not a middle class professional earning good money.
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