The 24-Hour One Act Challenge
I recently had the privilege of participating in a 24-Hour One Act Challenge at the Howard Fine Acting Studio with Heidi Helen Davis. It’s a simple premise. Students who have been part of the Studio for at least one year can be involved as a writer, director, or an actor. Writers script a short play between 8-10 pages in length, directors are assigned a script, and actors are cast in the roles. We were given scripts on Saturday night at 7pm, and each cast did a reading on stage. After meeting with our directors for a short time after, we were left to our own methods of crash preparation until our 9:30am rehearsal the next morning, with shows scheduled for 7:15 and 9:30 Sunday night.
You learn a lot about yourself as an actor during a 24-hour challenge. Having studied at HFAS for 2 years, you’re ingrained with a certain process when it comes to creating a role. Writing backstory becomes a luxury when you’re concerned with actions and “learning the lines.”
It was exhausting, frustrating, humbling and extremely rewarding. You learn that training will always pay off. You learn that you can be ready if you’re cast in something in the 11th hour. You learn that it’s OK to be human. And you learn that you love this more than you realized.
If you ever get the chance to be in any acting challenge, do it.
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