Raúl Esparza, J. Smith-Cameron And More Help THE 24 HOUR PLAYS: VIRAL MONOLOGUES Fundraise For Juxtaposition Arts

Last night, The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues released nine all-new pieces to benefit Juxtaposition Arts on IGTV @24hourplays and at https://24hourplays.com/viral-monologues/. A storied group of writers and actors paired up to write, rehearse, perform and produce new works in just 24 hours. Beginning at 6 PM ET, the new monologues were published, one every 15 minutes.

J. Smith-Cameron started things off with "A Good Virus," a piece by David Lindsay-Abaire.

Frankie J. Alvarez performed "Top Chef: New Orleans," written by Tony Meneses.

Mariama Whyte is "Breaking Up With Racism" in a piece by Garlia Cornelia Jones.

April Matthis performed "Plum Ridge," written by David Cote.

Jaime Ray Newman & Patch Darragh starred in Steve Yockey's "Parade."

Raúl Castillo performed "Handstand," written by Audley Puglisi.

Maria-Christina Oliveras had a virtual "Date Night" in a piece by Chisa Hutchinson.

Bojana Novakovic performed "Red, White and AAACHOOOO," written by Clay MacLeod Chapman.

Raúl Esparza closed the evening with Matt Barbot's "Frijoles."

The artists involved in this edition took on this unique theatermaking challenge in support of Juxtaposition Arts, a teen-staffed art and design center, gallery, retail shop, and studio space based in North Minneapolis. Since the uprisings in Minneapolis began, JXTA has played a critical role in building community alternatives to the police, led by Black, POCI and other youth who are already building the abundant and just future they envision. The 24 Hour Plays team is accepting donations for this fundraiser through June 20 at 24hourplays.com/JXTA.

On Monday night at 6 PM, actors shared brief orientation-style videos to allow the writers to get to know them better. By 7 PM, writers and actors were paired, and writers got to work on crafting new monologues especially for their assigned actors. Actors received their monologues Tuesday morning at 10 AM, filmed their performances throughout the day, and at 6 PM their videos began to be released to the world, completing the 24-hour cycle. The monologues are available to view on IGTV and online for four days after their initial airing courtesy of an agreement with Theatre Authority, a nonprofit organization managed by Actors' Equity.

The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues are produced by Coleman Ray Clark and Madelyn Paquette. The artistic director of The 24 Hour Plays is Mark Armstrong.

The 24 Hour Plays are known for their work on Broadway, off-Broadway and around the world. Since 1995, their events have brought together extraordinary artists to create time-limited theater. Past participants including Jennifer Aniston, Laverne Cox, Billy Crudup, David Cross, Rosario Dawson, Daveed Diggs, Peter Dinklage, Rachel Dratch, Jesse Eisenberg, Edie Falco, America Ferrera, Greta Gerwig, Oscar Isaac, John Krasinski, Anthony Mackie, Julianne Moore, Tracy Morgan, Cynthia Nixon, Anna Paquin, Rosie Perez, Phylicia Rashad, Chris Rock, Sam Rockwell, Liev Schreiber, Amanda Seyfried, Michael Shannon, Gabourey Sidibe, Sarah Silverman, Marisa Tomei, Naomi Watts and more!

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.