John Krasinski, Tracie Thoms, Justin Long & More Set for 24 HOUR PLAYS ON BROADWAY Benefit

Urban Arts Partnership and The 24 Hour Company are proud to announce the 15th annual performance of The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway benefit on Monday, November 16. This gala event attracts some of the most distinguished artists in the entertainment industry, who join forces in an extreme theater endeavor: writing, directing and performing six originalshort plays in 24 hours. Proceeds from the performance support Urban Arts Partnership, New York City's largest arts education organization, in its efforts to close the achievement gap in NYC's underserved public schools.

Urban Arts Partnership advances the intellectual, social and artistic development of underserved public school students through arts-integrated education programs that close achievement gaps. Now in their 20th year, The 24 Hour Company brings together extraordinary artists to create time-limited theater around the world, raising millions of dollars for charity.

Urban Arts Partnership has recently launched a new campaign called #ArtMakesMe, which invites people across the country to share the unique ways that art inspires them on a daily basis and shapes their identities.

This year's company members (schedule permitting) include actors: Sasha Alexander, Lala Anthony, Jason Biggs, Billy Crudup, Rachel Dratch, Jesse Eisenberg, Edie Falco, Ashley Fink, Justin Long, Ke$ha, TaranKillam, John Krasinski, Adrienne Moore, Diane Neal, Rosie Perez, Jay Pharoah, Alison Pill, Molly Ringwald, Julia Stiles, Cecily Strong, Amber Tamblyn, Tracie Thoms, Olivia Wilde, Wilmer Valderrama, Constance Zimmer; directors Andy Fickman, Thomas Kail, Leigh Kilton Smith, Patricia McGregor, Kathy Najimi, Eduardo Ponti; writers David Lindsay-Abaire, Rachel Axler, David Cross, Dael Orlandersmith, Jonathan Marc Sherman; Musical Guest: The Filharmonic.

"Sincere thanks to our amazing cast of brave and talented artists as they put themselves on the line to help underserved young peoplereach their true potential through the arts," says Philip Courtney CEO of Urban Arts Partnership. "The 24 Hour Plays uniquely embodies the essence of UAP and especially our new campaign, #ArtMakesMe, where we are asking people how the arts impacts their life. This incredible pressure cooker of creativity forces the talent and audience alike to deeply think about the power of thearts and how young learners can be creatively impacted every day."

The marathon process for The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway begins at 10 p.m. on Sunday, November 15th - the night before the performance, when six writers, six directors, 24 actors, special musical guests and the production staff gather at the American Airlines Theater. Each actor shares a costume piece, a prop, reveals a special skill and something they've always wanted to do onstage, after which each writer is tasked with composing a ten-minute play by 6 a.m. that morning. With the ink barely dry on the script, directors return at 9 a.m. to meet with their cast for the first time. Less than 12 hours later, the plays debut in front of a live audience at 8 p.m.

"We are thrilled to continue our 20th anniversary celebration with our friends at Urban Arts Partnership," says Tina Fallon, Founding Producer of The 24 Hour Plays. "Going from a tiny theater on the Lower East Side to Broadway has been a thrilling journey for all of us at The 24 Hour Plays, and we couldn't have done it without UAP."

Joining the cast will be Steven Wody, 20, an alumni of The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, a professional intensive for young artists run by The 24 Hour Company. Wody is a junior at Queens College, CUNY, where he is pursuing his B.A. in Drama and Theatre. "It's going to be an educational, boundary pushing, theatrical ride," Wody says. "That's what The 24 Hour Plays was founded to do."

"The 24 Hour Plays and Urban Arts Partnership share a commitment to arts education," says Mark Armstrong, Executive Director for The 24 Hour Plays, "and we're thrilled to be sending one of our young artists from The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals to the big stage at the American Airlines Theater."

KEVYN AUCOIN BEAUTY will sponsor the evening's makeup looks, using essential and timeless Kevyn Aucoin products to create classic, flawless faces for The 24 Hour Plays cast.

SVEDKA Vodka - the second largest imported vodka brand in the United States - is the exclusive spirit sponsor of the evening's festivities.

For ticket information please email events@urbanarts.org. Special access packages are available at www.citiprivatepass.com.