Beetlejuice co-stars Alex Brightman and Sophia Anne Caruso, along with more Broadway favorites, took part in the 10th edition of The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues May 26. Tony winner Michael Cerveris, Tony nominee Maria Dizzia, Merle Dandridge, Jason Biggs, Elizabeth Marvel, and Solea Pfeiffer also participated.
The videos were streamed every 15 minutes on Instagram (@24HourPlays) beginning at 6 PM ET and are now available on 24HourPlays.com.
In the biggest round yet, 28 actors were paired with playwrights. Rounding out the lineup of on-camera talent were Mirirai Sithole, Aya Cash, Jessica Hecht, Ben Shenkman, Alexander Hodge, Gabriela Quezada Bloomgarden and Nina Quezada Bloomgarden, John Doman, Evan Handler, Deirdre Lovejoy, Zabryna Guevara, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Danny Pudi, Tony Meneses, Anson Mount, Johanna Day, Ben Ahlers, Ronald Peet, Brett Gelman, and Liza Jessie Peterson.
Contributing monologues in this edition were Mallery Avidon, Trista Baldwin, Chad Beckim, Rachel Bonds, Emily Breeze, John J. Caswell Jr., Joshua Conkel, Laura Eason, Alex Edelman, Rebecca Gilman, Daniel Goldfarb, Dylan Guerra, J. Holtham, Garlia Cornelia Jones, David Lindsay-Abaire, Wendy MacLeod, Donald Margulies, Caroline V. McGraw, Tony Meneses, Itamar Moses, Dan O’Brien, Scott Organ, Brian James Polak, Andrew Rincón, Andrew Rosendorf, Alexis Scheer, and Jonathan Marc Sherman.
The process began May 25 when the performers shared brief orientation-style videos to allow the writers to get to know them better. After introductions, writers got to work crafting new monologues specifically for their performer. Monologues were then distributed the morning of May 26, with the actors filming their performances throughout the day. The 24-hour cycle was completed with the launch of the videos at 6 PM.
Other episodes of the series have included a special director’s collaboration, a look at the intersection of COVID-19 and incarceration, and a musical edition.