Photo Coverage: The 24 Hours Plays

Montblanc presented The 24 Hour Company Production of The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway on Monday, October 22 at the American Airlines Theatre.  Proceeds benefited Working Playground, an organization that brings arts education into New York City classrooms.

This year's company members included actors Elizabeth Banks ("Scrubs"), comedienne Margaret Cho (The Sensuous Woman), Billy Crudup (The Pillowman), David Cross ("Arrested Development"), Hope Davis (American Splendor), Tony Award winner Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Seth Green (The Italian Job), Mamie Gummer (Mr. Marmalade), Peter Hermann (Talk Radio), Kristen Johnston ("Third Rock from the Sun"), Matthew Lillard (Scream), Janel Maloney ("The West Wing"), Rosie Perez (Chair of Working Playground Artistic Board), actor/comedian Chris Rock, Andre Royo ("The Wire"), Ben Shenkman (Angels in America, The Wire), Fisher Stevens (A Prairie Home Companion), Lili Taylor ("Six Feet Under"), Marlo Thomas (Free to Be You and Me), Tracie Thoms (Rent), Lynn Whitfield (Madea's Family Reunion); and Michael Kenneth Williams ("The Wire").

Playwrights include David Lindsay-Abaire (2007 Pulitzer Prize Winner), Julia Jordan (Tatjana in Color), Warren Leight (1999 Tony Award Winner) and Theresa Rebeck (2004 Pulitzer Prize Finalist); and directors Kwame Kwei Armah (2003 The Evening Standard New Playwright Award), Christian Parker (Atlantic Theater Company) and Ari Edelson (The Orchard Project); and musical guest Nellie McKay (Three Penny Opera).

An annual benefit event for Working Playground, a not-for-profit cultural organization founded in 1991, to bring the arts into New York City classrooms with the belief that art is essential to human development, education and culture. The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway attracts some of entertainment's biggest names as they join forces to participate in a rite of extreme live performance:  writing, directing, and performing six original short plays…all in just 24 hours!

Photos by Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.