Hi Katherine! I think any short play without an overly complicated set or costumes would work for this purpose, but if you or the students aren't the ones writing it, you're going to have to check with the publisher about production rights.
I wouldn't completely rule out the writing aspect though it eliminates the concerns about rights, plus it's my favorite part of the entire process! If you give them some "tools" like a prompt, a required prop, a required line and/or some sort of interesting photo to base their work around, they can help inspire some really impressive results. There are some fantastic ideas for these on the 31 Plays in 31 Days website:
http://31plays31days.com/archive
There might even be plays here that you could use (again, with permission), the idea is that participants write a new play every day for an entire month, so that would fit into the 24 hour theme.
If time is the concern, you could have them write their plays in class, take time to do edits and rewrites, then do the 24 hour design/production on a different day.
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Ginny Butsch
Community Manager
Educational Theatre Association
Alexandria KY
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-09-2017 21:25
From: Katherine Apperson
Subject: 24 Hour Play Script
Hi all!
It looks like many of you have participated in 24 hour theatre projects where the students write their own scripts, but has anyone done an adaptation of an already created script for a 24 hour project? How does it work? Are there certain works that lend themselves better than others for adaptation? Any issues with production rights?
It does take away the writing aspect, but it still allows students to direct, design, and perform which would be ideal for the group of students we have this year. Just trying to add new things to their theatre experience.
Thanks!
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Katherine Apperson
Teacher
James B. Conant High School
Schaumburg IL
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