Carpe Diem
Date: TBD 2024
PCT’s 24 Hour Theater Festival
Carpe Diem
Have you been missing that creative bug? Do you need a break from the world? Come to PCTs third annual 24 Hour Theatre Festival! Carpe Diem is a 24 hour theatre festival that puts you to the test—creating a whole play within 24 hours!
What is Carpe Diem?
Below is a video we made for our first ever Carpe Diem in 2020 (right before that pandemic changed all our lives!). While the dates presented below are not applicable to this years Festival, the format is the same. For details of this years Festival see below.
PCT’s 24-hour play festival! Over the course of 24 hours, actors audition, and plays are cast, written, rehearsed, and performed.
Directors are paired with writers and they draw two challenges; a prop and a situation, both of which need to be written into the script. These can be representational as long as it's clear that they were included. With only these stipulations and the writer's imagination, the cast is chosen and plays are written directly after. Plays are short, around 10 minutes, and simple to stage.
The 24 hours begin at Auditions. Actors can do anything for their audition and are encouraged to be as creative as possible in 1 minute or less. This can mean performing a monologue, singing a song, reading a poem, telling jokes, or even reading funny reviews. The auditions help the writers and directors get an idea of who the actors are and the auditions may even give them ideas to include in their scripts! Everyone who auditions is cast, so it's absolutely zero pressure. After auditions, directors and writers meet to put the actor into “casts” for each writer to write for. Everyone goes home, and the writers begin writing!
The next day, casts, directors, and writers meet back at the theatre bright and early to begin rehearsals! The writers hand out their new scripts and the actors and directors get to work! Each group works in different parts of Nye Street Theater (rotating time spent in each space to give equal time to each group to rehearse on the stage). Community members are invited to watch the final shows at Nye Street Theater that night.
24 hours from auditions to performance!
Carpe Diem Schedule
Typical Schedule [TBD for 2024]
Day 1
6 pm: Auditions at Nye Street Theater. Directors and Writers Choose their actors
7 pm - 7 am: Writers WRITE!
Day 2
7 AM: Scripts Due! Welcome meeting for all directors and writers and helpers; oh my!
7:15 AM: Actors and Directors start rehearing.
5 PM: Final Dress Rehearsal with all acts
6 PM: Curtain!
Sign Up for Carpe Diem Below
