Contemporary Theatre Company kicks off season with 24-Hour Play Festival

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Directing the CTC's 2012 24Hour Festival, Dave Price with cast members (l-r) Matt Royality-Lindman, Amelia Giles, Pat Hayes, Robin Deering, and Maggie Papa. Photo credit: Blacknight Studio.

Wakefield's Contemporary Theater Company kicks off its 10th Season with The 10th Annual 24-Hour Play Festival on January 10. This celebration of creativity and collaboration is a collection of six short plays written, rehearsed, and performed in a single day.

“The 24-Hour Play Festival is the event that defined our company in our early years,” says Artistic Director Christopher Simpson, “and the spirit of supportive, generous collaboration that it fosters has sustained us through ten years of growth and change.”

The playwrights begin the process at midnight, writing through the night until actors and directors arrive in the morning and begin casting and rehearsing the plays. Photos, videos and stories are uploaded to the company’s website and Facebook page throughout the day, allowing the audience to keep up with the process as it unfolds.

The event draws large crowds each year, and at the end of the evening, the audience gets to vote for their favorite plays, actors, and writers.

“The energy and excitement of the event really shows in the performances,” says the festival’s production manager, Maggie Cady. “With so many different styles from the writers and directors, we always end up with a great range of shows.”

As the company enters its tenth year, the play festival brings together the old and the new for a day full of theatrical mayhem and magic.

What can you expect from the 10th Annual? Simpson says, “Seeing veterans of all CTC eras sharing the stage for the anniversary of our first decade - it's going to be something very special.”

The performance is January 10 at 8 p.m. at the South Kingstown High School Auditorium. Tickets are $12.

A complete schedule of events and more information is available at contemporarytheatercompany.com or by calling 401-218-0282.

Editorial note: Written from a press release.