Maranatha’s 24-Hour Play Festival

Maranatha Performing Arts hosted its first annual 24-Hour Play Festival.

The festival took place last Saturday, May 7, in Maranatha’s newly updated Student Center and was produced by MHS Drama 3 class as their final project of the year. Students had exactly 24 hours to write, direct, and act in original one-acts. Students arrived Friday evening at 6:30 pm to meet their randomly assigned groups. Writers were then given two props that must be incorporated somehow into their story. After a short discussion with their actors and directors, the writers were sent home to crank out their scripts and only given from 7:00 am-7:00 pm to fully write their one-act plays.

The next morning, the directors and actors met on campus from 9:00 am-5:00 pm to rehearse and memorize their lines. The audience trickled into the Student Center on Saturday evening and at 7:00 pm, exactly 24 hours after that initial meeting, the students presented two world premiere plays!

Abigail Schiedler ’22, the playwright of Bait remarked, “The 24-hour Play Festival allowed me to stretch my ability as a writer. It was a really challenging, but fulfilling, experience. I also got to build up my vision with my sleep-deprived team.”

Lily Amateau ’23, the playwright of Out of all the Stars in the Sky commented, “The festival changed how I saw myself. I didn’t know I could write a powerful one-act that impacted the audience the way it did. I am so thankful that God gave me the talent to write for Him, and that He gave me the characters that will be with me forever.”

Natalie Powell ’23, who directed Bait, also reflected, “I really enjoyed participating in Maranatha’s first 24-hour Play Festival. As my final for Drama 3, I was a little nervous going into it, but I had so much fun directing and having friendly competition against the other team!”

Click here to view more photos of the event.

Maranatha High School, 169 S. St. John Avenue, Pasadena, (626) 817-4000 or visit www.maranathahighschool.org.