John Krasinski, Traci Thoms and More Set for 24 HOUR PLAYS ON BROADWAY Benefit Tonight

24 HOURS PLAYS ON BROADWAY, for Urban Arts Partnership and The 24 Hour Company, takes place tonight, November 16th, featuring a cast that includes John Krasinski and Traci Thoms.

This gala event attracts some of the most distinguished artists in the entertainment industry, who join forces in an extreme theater endeavor: writing, directing and performing six original short plays in 24 hours. Proceeds from the performance support Urban Arts Partnership, New York City's largest arts education organization, in its efforts to close the achievement gap in NYC's underserved public schools.

Urban Arts Partnership advances the intellectual, social and artistic development of underserved public school students through arts-integrated education programs that close achievement gaps. Now in their 20th year, The 24 Hour Company brings together extraordinary artists to create time-limited theater around the world, raising millions of dollars for charity.

Urban Arts Partnership has recently launched a new campaign called #ArtMakesMe, which invites people across the country to share the unique ways that art inspires them on a daily basis and shapes their identities.

This year's company members (schedule permitting) include actors: Sasha Alexander, Lala Anthony, Jason Biggs, Billy Crudup, Kevin Daniels, Rachel Dratch, Jesse Eisenberg, Edie Falco, Ashley Fink, Justin Long, Ke$ha, TaranKillam, John Krasinski, Adrienne Moore, Diane Neal, Rosie Perez, Jay Pharoah, Alison Pill, Molly Ringwald, Julia Stiles, Cecily Strong, Amber Tamblyn, Tracie Thoms, Olivia Wilde, Wilmer Valderrama, Constance Zimmer; directors Andy Fickman, Thomas Kail, Leigh Kilton Smith, Patricia McGregor, Kathy Najimi, Eduardo Ponti; writers David Lindsay-Abaire, Rachel Axler, David Cross, Dael Orlandersmith, Jonathan Marc Sherman; Musical Guest: The Filharmonic.

The marathon process for The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway began at 10 p.m. last night, November 15th - the night before the performance, when six writers, six directors, 24 actors, special musical guests and the production staff gather at the American Airlines Theater. Each actor shares a costume piece, a prop, reveals a special skill and something they've always wanted to do onstage, after which each writer is tasked with composing a ten-minute play by 6 a.m. that morning. With the ink barely dry on the script, directors return at 9 a.m. to meet with their cast for the first time. Less than 12 hours later, the plays debut in front of a live audience at 8 p.m.

Joining the cast will be Steven Wody, 20, an alumni of The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, a professional intensive for young artists run by The 24 Hour Company. Wody is a junior at Queens College, CUNY, where he is pursuing his B.A. in Drama and Theatre. "It's going to be an educational, boundary pushing, theatrical ride," Wody says. "That's what The 24 Hour Plays was founded to do."

KEVYN AUCOIN BEAUTY will sponsor the evening's makeup looks, using essential and timeless Kevyn Aucoin products to create classic, flawless faces for The 24 Hour Plays cast.

For ticket information, email events@urbanarts.org. Special access packages are available at www.citiprivatepass.com.