Hugh Dancy, David Cross, Nia Vardalos and Daphne Rubin-Vega are among 13 actors named for The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, the one-night benefit at the Todd Haimes Theatre on Monday, November 2 at 7PM. Six writers and six directors are confirmed alongside them, and more casting is still to come.
The full list of actors announced so far: Justin Bartha (The Hangover), David Burtka (It Shoulda Been You), Chris Chalk (Fences), David Cross (Arrested Development), Hugh Dancy (Hannibal), Crystal Dickinson (The Chi), Jin Ha (Proof), Josh Hamilton (The Real Thing), Alano Miller (Loving), Keith Nobbs (The Blacklist), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) and Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Further names will follow.
The six plays will be written by Eboni Booth (Primary Trust), Sarah Burgess (Dry Powder), Julia Jordan (Murder Ballad), Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen), David Lindsay-Abaire (Kimberly Akimbo) and Jonathan Marc Sherman (Things We Want).
Every director on the bill comes from the circle of associates and assistants around this year's honoree, Thomas Kail: Sherri Eden Barber (The Bad News Bears); Nichole Greene, resident director of Hamilton; David Ruttura (Electra in a One-Piece); Tiffany Kate Sullivan (Nineteen); Patrick Vassel, supervising director of Hamilton; and Deanna Weiner (Townhall's Spring Shout Gala).
That is by design. Kail, a Tony Award-winning director and Kennedy Center honoree, first worked on a Broadway stage through The 24 Hour Plays and met many of his regular collaborators there. “Many of my subsequent assistants and associates were directors I met through The 24 Hour Plays and I’m delighted many of them will be participating this year,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what this talented group of theater-makers cook up for the evening.”
“It’s an honor to have these incredible artists, both repeat offenders and new friends, taking the stage at The Todd Haimes Theater to celebrate Thomas Kail and raise needed funds for The 24 Hour Plays ongoing arts education and artist service programs,” said Mark Armstrong, artistic director of The 24 Hour Plays.
The schedule is unchanged. Everyone meets at 7PM the night before for a short orientation, the actors go home, and the writers spend the night on a 10-minute play each. In the morning the actors receive their roles and the directors start rehearsing, and all six plays are performed at 7PM that evening. Our earlier report on Kail's selection as honoree has more on the format and the organization behind it.
Tickets start at $150 and are on sale at 24HourPlays.org/Broadway, which also lists VIP packages and sponsorship options. Proceeds go to The 24 Hour Plays' year-round arts and education programs, among them The 24 Hour Plays Nationals, a free professional development intensive for early-career theater artists in New York and Los Angeles.
