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Creativity Didn't Sleep - Another Successful 24-Hour Play Festival
This past weekend, creativity didn’t sleep at Vermont Academy. Students and members of the VA community came together for the 13th annual 24-Hour Play Festival, giving the community room to become an actor, director, or technician. This exciting theatrical challenge in which original short plays are written, cast, directed, rehearsed, and performed in just 24 hours.
The festival officially kicked off at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, when the writers received their prompts and began crafting their scripts from scratch. Over the course of the evening, characters take shape, dialogue is drafted, and stories are told, all under a strict time limit with a few curveballs thrown in.
Writers and directors were given certain prompts that had to be included in each of the plays. The theme of both plays had to be “fantasy” along with including the name “Finley Rothbone III”. Another prompt was to include two props in each performance, a lantern and a six foot long stuffed animal snake. Writers were also tasked with including the dialogue “wow, I didn't see that coming”, along with including a “pet food tester”.
Through the night and into Sunday morning, the Nita Choukas Theater in Horowitz Performing Arts Hall was filled with energy as directors executed their vision, performers memorized lines, and production teams worked to build and organize lighting and sound. With no room for perfectionism and no time for second guesses, the festival thrives on collaboration, quick thinking, and creative risk-taking.
By 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, the process came full circle as the finished plays were performed for a live audience. Each short piece reflects not only the imagination of its creators, but also the spontaneity and teamwork that define the 24-hour format. No two festivals are ever the same!
The first performance was set in a post-apocalyptic world, where dinner parties are a thing of the past. Written by Asper Donath ’26 and directed by Lynn Campbell ’27, the cast included Asper Donath ’26, YeHoon Allen ’28, Gabby McCann ’27, and Evie Meyer ’28. The scene opened with our dinner host welcoming people into his home with eerie gun fire in the background. After a few moments of forced conversation and less than appetizing food, Lola (Evie Meyer ’28), questions how everyone could act so normal with the world being the way it is. After a notable dialogue, Lola takes off to the one remaining tree left in the area, where she and Sofie (Gaby McCann ’27) have a heartfelt conversation on seeing the best in what the world has become and staying strong for each other.
What is a fantasy world without a little time travel? The second performance, written by Gabby McCann ’27 and directed by Nik Dunbar ’27, included cast Raven Annson ’29, Sandrine Lau ’28, and Nik Dunbar’27. Two brothers go on a journey through time and space to retrieve the stolen lantern. Excellent parenting style by Sandrine Lau ’28 allowing both children to time travel with zero cause for alarm. Smoke poured from the stage as we were met with your classic sibling tale, the younger brother gets away with it all!
The technical teams provided excellent light and sound design to transport the audience to each fantasy. Marley Odell ’26 was the genius behind the sound board with Sofia Allsopp ’26 and Asper Donath ’26 providing light design. Under the theater direction of Marty Hennum P ’20, ’22 and Performing Arts Chair Steve Cady, the 13th Annual 24-Hour Play Festival was incredible to witness from start to finish.
For the audience, the festival offered a rare chance to see original work created almost overnight and to witness the results of an ambitious artistic challenge. For participants, it’s a memorable test of endurance, collaboration, and creativity.
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Writers and directors were given certain prompts that had to be included in each of the plays. The theme of both plays had to be “fantasy” along with including the name “Finley Rothbone III”. Another prompt was to include two props in each performance, a lantern and a six foot long stuffed animal snake. Writers were also tasked with including the dialogue “wow, I didn't see that coming”, along with including a “pet food tester”.
Through the night and into Sunday morning, the Nita Choukas Theater in Horowitz Performing Arts Hall was filled with energy as directors executed their vision, performers memorized lines, and production teams worked to build and organize lighting and sound. With no room for perfectionism and no time for second guesses, the festival thrives on collaboration, quick thinking, and creative risk-taking.
By 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, the process came full circle as the finished plays were performed for a live audience. Each short piece reflects not only the imagination of its creators, but also the spontaneity and teamwork that define the 24-hour format. No two festivals are ever the same!
The first performance was set in a post-apocalyptic world, where dinner parties are a thing of the past. Written by Asper Donath ’26 and directed by Lynn Campbell ’27, the cast included Asper Donath ’26, YeHoon Allen ’28, Gabby McCann ’27, and Evie Meyer ’28. The scene opened with our dinner host welcoming people into his home with eerie gun fire in the background. After a few moments of forced conversation and less than appetizing food, Lola (Evie Meyer ’28), questions how everyone could act so normal with the world being the way it is. After a notable dialogue, Lola takes off to the one remaining tree left in the area, where she and Sofie (Gaby McCann ’27) have a heartfelt conversation on seeing the best in what the world has become and staying strong for each other.
What is a fantasy world without a little time travel? The second performance, written by Gabby McCann ’27 and directed by Nik Dunbar ’27, included cast Raven Annson ’29, Sandrine Lau ’28, and Nik Dunbar’27. Two brothers go on a journey through time and space to retrieve the stolen lantern. Excellent parenting style by Sandrine Lau ’28 allowing both children to time travel with zero cause for alarm. Smoke poured from the stage as we were met with your classic sibling tale, the younger brother gets away with it all!
The technical teams provided excellent light and sound design to transport the audience to each fantasy. Marley Odell ’26 was the genius behind the sound board with Sofia Allsopp ’26 and Asper Donath ’26 providing light design. Under the theater direction of Marty Hennum P ’20, ’22 and Performing Arts Chair Steve Cady, the 13th Annual 24-Hour Play Festival was incredible to witness from start to finish.
For the audience, the festival offered a rare chance to see original work created almost overnight and to witness the results of an ambitious artistic challenge. For participants, it’s a memorable test of endurance, collaboration, and creativity.
Vermont Academy is a coed college preparatory boarding and day school in southern Vermont, serving grades 9-12 plus a postgraduate year.
