What is it? The quick answer is that it's a 24-hour play festival. Six 10-minute plays are written, cast, rehearsed and produced over the course of 24 hours. It's produced by San Antonio Theatre Coalition.

However ... The '24-hour play festival' is a bit of a misnomer. It takes a little longer than that to pull the whole thing together. Actors are lined up a few weeks before the festival to make sure the writers know what they'll have to work with. And of course, the writers and directors come on board well in advance, too.

The directors: Jim Mammerella, Vincent Hardy, Sidney Burnett, Vanessa Eichler, Paula Rodriguez and Christine Godin.

The actors: Veronica Antillon, Larry Bailey, Debbie Basham-Burns, Matthew Byron Cassi, Kenneth Cates, Katy Fulkerson, Anna Gangai, Kathleen Graham, Heather Kelley, Chris McDowell, James Peden, Ayn Phillips, Casey Pikla, Martha Prentiss, Pete Sanchez, Gloria Sanchez, M. Vance Sarlow, Glen Scallion, J.T. Urick, Joe Vaquera, Jimmie Vohs, Sara Witter and Nikki Young.

On your mark ... The fun for the third annual event begins at 7:30 Friday night at McCreless Theatre at San Antonio College. The playwrights — Eli Rios, Laurie Dietrich, Sharon Argo, Sharon Shepherd, Modrea Mitchell-Reichert and William Razavi — will gather to receive a few key elements for their scripts. They will pick a prop and draw a San Antonio-related phrase, both of which have to be incorporated into what they write. They will also draw a cast list, which will include gender and age ranges of the actors available to them. Then they'll dash out into the night to get started.

Get set ... The playwrights have until 6 a.m. Saturday, when they have to turn in their work. Event administrators will print 'em out and make enough copies for all of the actors and directors. Actors and directors will meet at 8 a.m. Saturday at Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, where they will spend all day rehearsing.

Go! It all comes together at 8 p.m. Saturday at Guadalupe Theater. Admission to see the finished product costs $10 for members of the San Antonio Theatre Coalition and $15 for nonmembers. Call (210) 351-7787 for reservations.

— Deborah Martin

San Antonio Express-News publish date Sept. 9, 2006

http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/stage/stories/MYSA090806.WK.asap.50ad1e.html