Sauk announces third annual '24-Hour Theater Project'

Corey Murray, Hillsdale Daily News
·2 min read
The 24-Hour Theatre Project” features plays that are cast, rehearsed, designed, fully-staged and performed in just 24-hours. Pictured is a scene from the 2022 performance of “Miracles in Store."
The 24-Hour Theatre Project” features plays that are cast, rehearsed, designed, fully-staged and performed in just 24-hours. Pictured is a scene from the 2022 performance of “Miracles in Store."

JONESVILLE — The Sauk, Hillsdale County's community theatre, will present its third annual “24-Hour Theatre Project” with auditions on Sept. 15 and a public performance at 8 p.m. Sept. 16.

The fun begins at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, when five directors and five playwrights gather together. They will be given a topic to inspire the creation of a new, 10-minute play. At 8 p.m., auditions are held. The directors and playwrights then select the actors to inspire their new theatrical work. Once the cast is set, the writing begins. Playwrights have until 7 a.m. Saturday morning to write their new works. At 8 a.m., the actors gather to read the scripts for the first time. Rehearsals begin immediately after and then at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, the five new plays will be presented.

"This is such a fun event," said Sauk Executive Director Trinity Bird who is producing and coordinating the event. "It has been really amazing what can happen in that 24-hour period. I am excited to see what happens this year!"

The directors for the evening are Tim Ambrose (Pittsford), Andy Anderson (Jackson), Savannah Bruton (Horton), Angela Forant (Hillsdale) and David Trippett (Hillsdale). The playwrights are MJ Dulmage (Hillsdale), Sarah Gray (Jonesville), Scott Mullen (Burbank, California), G.M. (Bud) Thompson (Grand Rapids) and Matthew Weaver (Spokane, Washington). Mandee Leigh Howard is stage manager with lighting design by Bird and sound design by Joella Hendrickson.

"Anything can happen and it probably will," Bird added. "The public can follow the entire process including live feeds from meetings and rehearsals on The Sauk's Facebook page."

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Tickets will not be sold in advance. The box office will open at 7 p.m. Sept. 16. This is a Pay What You (Generously) Can Fundraiser for the community theater.

Auditions will begin at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15. Each person will have up to two minutes to show off what they can do (perform a monologue, tell a story, sing a song, dance, perform a special skill or a combination of these things). Anyone age 15 and older can audition. Actors cast in the project must be available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16.

"The 24-Hour Theatre Project" is sponsored by Flagstar Bank and State Farm agent Jason Adcock. The 2023 season is sponsored by Joyous Journey Photography. The 2023 media sponsor is WCSR Radio Hillsdale and 99-5 The Dale. The Sauk is supported by the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Sauk is at 240 E. Chicago St. in Jonesville. Call 517-849-9100 or visit www.thesauk.org for more information.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Sauk announces third annual '24-Hour Theater Project'