On Saturday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m., Ashland University theatre department will be displaying 24-hour theatre in which the students will set up, write, and perform a play all within a 24-hour period.
In 24-hour theatre, at 7 p.m. on Friday, students will be divided into various groups and teams which range from writing, lighting, set design, and acting.
“Their overnight job is writing the play on Friday,” Dr. Teresa Durbin, artistic director explained. “At about 6 a.m. the next day the actors show up and there is a director.”
Several students have been involved with this production throughout their time at AU. Tobin Grendzynski, a senior musical theatre major, has been a part of this production since his first year.
He has partaken in various roles such as the construction, lighting, and acting team.
“I signed up for the acting team and lighting team,” Grendzynski said, as Dr. Teresa Durbin highlighted how many roles students can have in a single play.
He will also be on the construction team, which builds the equipment for the production.
Throughout the night, the construction writing teams will be working together to brainstorm and assemble a set. Their goal is to have it done by the time the actors arrive in the morning, at 6 a.m.
The 24-hour theatre was started by the honorary fraternity called Alpha Psi Omega, where Leanna Uselton is currently the president.
She has taken the project as one of the wills of the Fraternity. Her job is to make sure things are done smoothly and to ensure that facilities are open so students can arrive in the middle of the night to work on the project.
“I really love theatre,” said Uselton. “Alpha Psi Omega has made it a traditional thing at Ashland, it is the fact that it is traditional, new, and fresh, and it’s a great way to get involved in the theatre department.”
The reason 24-hour theatre is a concept is because it allows people to try theatre in only a day to see whether they like it or not.
The theatre major isn’t going to be a major eventually at AU, but it is a will that was brought upon Uselton and the rest of the fraternity that can keep 24-hour theatre alive for everyone to try out.
“As far as us as a department, we are still going strong and a lot of good people are involved and if anyone is interested in being in the department 24-hour theatre is the best project for it because we have so many different options for people,” Uselton concluded.
