Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Zachary Levi, Julia Stiles & More Set for 24 HOUR PLAYS on 11/18

Montblanc announced today the 13th annual performance of The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway will be held in New York City onMonday, November 18, 2013. An annual benefit event produced by the 24 Hour Company and Freestyle Picture Company for Urban Arts Partnership, The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway attracts some of entertainment's biggest names as they join forces to participate in an extreme rite of theater: writing, directing, and performing 6 original short plays, all in just 24 hours. Proceeds from the evening's performance will support Urban Arts Partnership, NYC's largest arts educational organization, in their efforts to close the achievement gap in our city's underserved public schools. Tickets can be purchased through http://www.smarttix.com with special access packages available through www.citiprivatepass.com.

This year's company members (schedule permitting) include actors Sasha Alexander, Jason Biggs, JAMIE CHUNG, David Cross, Natalie Dormer, Rachel Dratch, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Greta Gerwig, Gina Gershon, Karen Gillan, Bryan Greenberg, Hill Harper, Gaby Hoffmann, Zachary Levi, Anthony Mackie,Zosia Mamet, Diane Neal, Rosie Perez, James Purefoy, Fisher Stevens, Julia Stiles, Mickey Sumner, Tracie Thoms. Directors include America Ferrera, Ari Edelson, Andy Fickman, Kathy Najimy and Thomas Kail. Writers include Rachel Axler, David Lindsay-Abaire, Lynn Nottage, Theresa Rebeck and Jonathan Marc Sherman.

"Urban Arts Partnership is proud our students have the opportunity to work with such incredible talent. Success in The 24 Hour Plays requires persistence, ingenuity, and critical thinking - qualities that are developed when students have arts education in their lives," said Philip Courtney, CEO of Urban Arts Partnership. "Young people attending underserved New York City public schools get the short end of the stick when it comes to the arts, and thanks to our supporters we are giving them a fighting chance."

A sixth participating writer was announced as the winner of The 4th Annual Montblanc Young Writers Program, held on October 21, 2013. Urban Arts playwriting alumni had the opportunity to compete for a chance to write on Broadway. In a 24-hour period, six students penned short plays that were performed by actors before an audience of industry professionals and a panel of judges. The winning playwright, Devin Mojica, will create one of the six short pieces for The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway with Craig "muMs" Grant as a mentoring playwright. Mojica is a sophomore at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts studying theater and playwriting. His winning play, entitled "Naughty List," was directed by Ari Edelson and read by HBO actors Hoon Lee and Frankie Faison and Urban Arts faculty member Kaya Chwals. The Montblanc Young Writer's Program is a testament to Montblanc's DNA and brand heritage as it enhances the classroom experience and fosters emerging talent.

"The production of The 24-Hour Plays on Broadway, presented by Montblanc, is a demonstration of our continued commitment to the underserved public schools in New York City," said Jan-Patrick Schmitz, President and CEO of Montblanc North America. "For 8 years now, Montblanc and Urban Arts Partnership have joined forces to ensure arts education programs are continued to be integrated into students' curriculum and we proudly celebrate this year's production."

The creative process for The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway will begin at 10PM on Sunday, November 17th - the night before the show - when a group of six writers, six directors, 24 actors, two musical guests, and a production staff gather at the American Airlines Theatre. After each of the cast members share a costume, prop, their special skills and stage desires-- each writer is tasked with composing a ten-minute play by 7 AM the following morning, when the directors return to read and select their piece. The casts will meet for the first time at 9 AM and, over the next 12 hours the plays are rehearsed and produced for a live presentation. At 8:00 PM, ink barely dry, the six new plays - interspersed with six musical acts - will be performed for a live audience.

For this year's production, hair styling will be provided by ECRU New York and New York Streets with makeup provided by Kevin Aucoin. The Roots frontman,Questlove will DJ at the sponsor and cast after-party.

For over 100 years, Montblanc has embraced the traditions of lasting value and exquisite craftsmanship. The company's uncompromising principles of design, style, quality and workmanship have allowed them to create heirloom collections that are passed from generation to generation. The iconic Montblanc Star is a symbol of excellence - the pinnacle of luxury writing instruments, timepieces, jewelry and leather - and the brand has made an enduring commitment to encourage excellence through cultural advancement. Montblanc is pleased to partner with the 24 Hour Company and Urban Arts Partnership to bring arts and culture to the city's youth. www.montblanc.com

Urban Arts Partnership, NYC's largest arts education organization, advances the intellectual, social and artistic development of underserved public school students through arts-integrated education programs to close the achievement gap. Through a dynamic range of programs including playwriting, theater, media, music, dance, spoken word, photography and the visual arts, Urban Arts Partnership empowers youth to develop the creative and analytic impulses that will serve them as students, professionals and responsible citizens. The 24 Hour Plays in the Schools runs throughout the academic year. www.urbanarts.org

The 24 Hour Plays is a long-running institution in New York and international theater, but its work is always fresh and new. Inspired by Scott McCloud's 24 Hour Comics, creator Tina Fallon intended The 24 Hour Plays to be a one-time-only event when debuted on Manhattan's Lower East Side in 1995. Eighteen years and thousands of plays and musicals later, The 24 Hour Company produces these time limited events, including "The 24 Hour Musicals", on Broadway and in cities all over the world. In New York, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Florence, Dublin, and Athens, theater icons and newcomers alike regularly participate in what insiders call "the 2-4." Through collaborations with organizations like the Old Vic, The Festival Del Sole, Dublin Youth Theatre and Urban Arts Partnership, The 24 Hour Company produces celebrity benefits that have raised millions for a variety of worthy causes. www.24hourplays.com

The founders of Freestyle, Kevin Chinoy and Francesca Silvestri, teamed up with the 24 Hour Company in 2001 to use the 24 Hour Plays concept in the creation of a truly unique sponsored benefit event. This partnership continues with this 13th year of the event in NYC, and has also brought the event to LA. Freestyle is a TV and film Production Company based in LA.