Artistic director and actor Katherine Amadeo is a talented, glamorous presence both on and offstage. But come the evening of Oct. 28, the Naked Stage cofounder (she launched the company with hubby Antonio Amadeo and pal John Manzelli) may be looking a little sleep-deprived and frazzled. That's because she'll be near the end of the seventh edition of the popular 24 Hour Theatre Project, a creative fundraiser that brings South Florida's theater community together for some made-overnight art.
This year, the peripatetic event takes place at Palm Beach Dramaworks. At 7 p.m. Oct. 27, eight playwrights -- Andie Arthur, Christopher Demos-Brown, Jessica Farr, Tony Finstrom, Michael McKeever, Marj O'Neill-Butler, Deborah Sherman and Paul Tei -- will gather to choose titles, some deliberately bizarre, from a list devised by Amadeo. The writers will draw the names of directors and actors from a hat, then scurry to a private place to spend the night creating brand-new short plays.
Early on the morning of Oct. 28, the eight shows go into rehearsal. And that evening at 8 p.m., the one-time-only performance of 24 Hour Theatre 2013 takes place.
Invariably, conflicting work commitments cause some of the participating artists to jump ship before the event (sending Amadeo into crisis control mode). But at this point, the directors are slated to be Adalberto Acevedo, Kim Ehly, Desmond Gallant, David Hamphill, Michael Leeds, Leland Patton, Andy Rogow and Kim St. Leon. This year's actors are Irene Adjan, Alex Alvarez, Tracey Barrow-Schoenblatt, Sally Bondi, Cliff Burgess, Clay Cartland, Oscar Cheda, Clive Cholerton, Natalia Coego, Dave Corey, Nick Duckart, Lela Elam, Patti Gardner, Nanique Geridian, Laura Hodos, Wayne LeGette, Dan Leonard, Noah Levine, Margery Lowe, Amy McKenna, David Meldman, Nicholas Richberg, George Schiavone, Adam Simpson, Karen Stephens, Shane Tanner, Pierre Tannous, Barry Tarallo and Gregg Weiner. Lots of Carbonell Award winners and nominees in that bunch.
For plenty of hardcore South Florida theater fans, 24 Hour Theatre is a can't-miss event, no matter where it's taking place. Dramaworks' Don & Ann Brown Theatre is at 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach, right in the heart of the city's lively downtown.
General admission tickets are $30, VIP tickets (with reserved seating and a souvenir poster) run $50. For info or tickets, call 561-514-4042, ext. 2, or visit the Dramaworks web site.
(Photo of Katherine Amadeo by Miami Herald photographer Patrick Farrell)
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