Cynthia Nixon, Michael Urie & More Join Directors Cut Edition Of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS: VIRAL MONOLOGUES

The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues adds an exciting new twist with tonight's special edition: Directors' Cut, airing on IGTV @24hourplays and at https://24hourplays.com/viral-monologues/. Through a special collaboration with director Leigh Silverman, the 2016 recipient of The 24 Hour Plays Artistic Inspiration Award, 21 theater directors have each been paired with a single collaborator to craft unique pieces for the ninth edition of the Viral Monologues. From 6 PM until midnight, the new monologues will be published, one every 15 minutes.

Directors being spotlighted this week include Zi Alikhan, Jake Beckhard, Adrienne Campbell-Holt, Sammi Cannold, Carolyn Cantor, Matt Dickson, Sean Daniels, Timothy Douglas, Gordon Greenberg, Kristin Hanggi, Raja Feather Kelly, Patricia McGregor, Molly Beach Murphy, Cynthia Nixon, Taylor Reynolds, Colette Robert, Leigh Silverman, Danya Taymor, GT Upchurch, Michael Urie, and Mia Walker. Their cohort of collaborators include Todd Almond, Lemon Andersen, Heidi Armbruster, Maddie Corman, Eisa Davis, Kristoffer Diaz, Veronika Duerr, Ari Graynor, Kate Hamill, Lauren Speed Hamilton, Danny Hoch, Lovell Holder, Lily Houghton, Zoe Lister Jones, David Lindsay-Abaire, Ted Malawer, Cat Miller, Talene Monahan, Christopher Oscar Peña, Noah Robbins, Cobie Smulders, and Ryan Spahn.

"I have always felt a deep connection to The 24 Hour Plays - their ambition, sense of fun and dedication to charitable work," said Leigh Silverman. "However, in the last two months, I have been blown away watching them adapt their signature insta-theater into streaming content to unite our isolated creative community. With today's announcement, The 24 Hour Plays are transforming once again to spotlight theater directors taking part in the inspired world of their Viral Monologues."

"I have been a theater director for my entire adult life," said The 24 Hour Plays artistic director Mark Armstrong. "Theater directing is a singular, important art form to which American artists have made indelible contributions. I'm thrilled to have worked with our friend Leigh Silverman to bring so many of those greats to our series this week."

Last night, all participants shared brief orientation-style videos to allow The 24 Hour Plays team to get to know them better. By 6 PM, teams of two collaborators each were made - writer-types will work with non-writers, and actors were assigned to directors. Writers worked on their monologues through the night, and the non-writers of each pair received their monologues this morning at 10 AM. After the teams make edits together, actors will film their performances throughout the day, and at 6 PM their videos begin to be released to the world, completing the 24-hour cycle.

More information for those who would like to support The 24 Hour Plays or attend a live performance in the future is available at https://24hourplays.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos