THE 24 HOUR PLAYS: CINCINNATI EDITION Announced

The 24 Hour Plays has announced a special Cincinnati edition round of The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues, which they will host in partnership with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and featuring brand-new monologues written, rehearsed and recorded in 24 hours by 12 actors and playwrights.

Beginning at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, May 25th, one monologue will be released every 15 minutes exclusively on Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's Instagram - @cincyshakes.

The evening will feature performances by actors in the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's Resident Ensemble including: Marcus Anthony, Angelique Archer, Geoffrey Barnes, Hayley Clark, Jeremy Dubin, Christopher Guthrie, Candice Handy, Courtney Lucien, Miranda McGee, Kelly Mengelkoch, Torie Wiggins and Crystian Wiltshire.

A stellar combination of Cincinnati-based and nationally-known playwrights, including Trista Baldwin, Rachel Bonds, Liz Coley, J. Holtham, David Bar Katz, Gabe McKinley, Talene Monahon, Dan O'Brien, Sung Rno, Alexx Rouse, Derek Snow and Caridad Svich, will write the monologues.

"The 24 Hour Plays: Cincinnati Edition is one way we are contributing to the creation of new theater," said Brian Isaac Phillips, Producing Artistic Director, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. "This aligns with CSC's mission, purpose, and vision: to, above all, bring Shakespeare and the Classics to life for all - all voices, points of view, experiences, beliefs, and values. By commissioning bold new plays, CSC seeks to the feed the dialogue in our audiences in new and creative ways. By investing in the creation of compelling new works, we are championing the stories from new and established artists here in Cincinnati and around the world. Together we are amplifying the voices of emerging playwrights, shining a spotlight on stories not yet told."

"We're thrilled to be entering this new partnership with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company," said Mark Armstrong, artistic director of The 24 Hour Plays. "One of our major goals is to establish anchor partners for our work in major theater cities across the country. Cincinnati has been on my bucket list and I can't wait to get to work with this incredible company of actors and writers virtually, as well as join them in person for The 24 Hour Plays: Cincinnati live event next year."

The Playwrights Workshop at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), the hub for writers and new play development in Cincinnati, partnered on the selection of the playwrights.

Beginning at 6:00 PM on Saturday evening, the actors will share brief orientation-style videos to allow the writers to get to know them better. By 7 PM, writers and actors will be paired, and writers go to work on crafting new monologues especially for their assigned actors. Actors will receive their monologues on Sunday morning at 10 AM, will film their performances throughout the day, and at 6 PM their videos begin to be released to the world, completing the 24-hour cycle. The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues are produced by Coleman Ray Clark and Madelyn Paquette. CCM Playwrights Workshop, the hub for writers and new play development in Cincinnati, partnered on the selection of the playwrights.

Since March 2020, The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues have generated over 400 new free-to-view theater pieces that have been viewed millions of times. Actors and writers from across the American arts and entertainment industry have come together to write, rehearse, perform and produce new works in just 24 hours. The incredible lineup of luminaries who have written and performed for the Viral Monologues includes Alan Arkin, Wayne Brady, Nicholas Braun, Matthew Broderick, David Cross, Hugh Dancy, Andre De Shields, Daveed Diggs, Dagmara Domínczyk, Rachel Dratch, Minnie Driver, Jesse Eisenberg, Raul Esparza, Marcia Gay Harden, Santino Fontana, Tavi Gevinson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, William Jackson Harper, Daniel Dae Kim, Richard Kind, Aja Naomi King, David Lindsay-Abaire, Kenneth Lonergan, Vella Lovell, Zosia Mamet, Alex Moffat, Cynthia Nixon, Lynn Nottage, Brittany O'Grady, Larry Owens, Ashley Park, Pedro Pascal, David Hyde Pierce, Danny Pudi, AnnaSophia Robb, Andre Royo, Tony Shalhoub, Michael Shannon, Cobie Smulders, Patrick Wilson, Rita Wilson and many more.

New editions of The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues stream on select Tuesday nights on IGTV @24hourplays, on The 24 Hour Plays' Facebook and YouTube channels, and at https://24hourplays.com/viral-monologues/.