18 Hour encourages student involvement with theatre
18 Hour Theatre Festival offers an opportunity for both beginners and experienced directors, writers, and actors to participate in theatrical performances. The students write and perform original plays in the duration of 18 hours. The productions are completely student run and are open to anyone who wants to participate.
Ayla Dvoretzky, junior, participated in 18 hour last year and again this year. She decided to try it out without any theater experience and suggests it to others who want to get involved but may not have either the time or the experience necessary to dedicate to a full scale production.
Jenna Shechter, Jillian Cotone, Noah Varav, juniors, and Izzy Bordagaray, senior, perform in the first play of the night “Christmas Dinner.”
Many others who are active in theater credit 18 hour as a great environment for beginners to join theater. Craig Hastings, a sophomore who is very avid in theatre productions, said, “If you want to start theater, 18 hour is just the thing for you.” He continued praising 18 hour, saying, “You make friends so fast and it’s such a low commitment, so the pressure is off.”
One of the main reasons both Dvoretzky and Hastings praise the program is its low pressure nature. All the work is completed in an 18 hour time period which means there is no previous preparation required.
Shira Goldstein, a sophomore who has participated in two previous 18 hours, says you might need some stamina to get through 18 hour. “Sometimes you have to be there as early as 3 in the morning and leave as late as 10 at night,” she explains.
Brandon Treiber and Nathan Zager, seniors, dance during the final scene of “The Party’s Dead,” directed by Sydney Clark, senior.
However, the hard work is rewarding for Goldstein who said that she, “definitely recommends the experience for everyone.” This seems to be a resonating thought with Goldstein, Dvoretzky, and Hastings, who all say the experience was a lot of fun and they would highly recommend it to anyone
