Star-Studded 'The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway' Tonight Oct.22

Montblanc presents The 24 Hour Company Production of The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway on Monday, October 22 at the American Airlines Theatre.  Proceeds benefit Working Playground, an organization that brings arts education into New York City classrooms.

This year's company members include actors Elizabeth Banks ("Scrubs"), comedienne Margaret Cho (The Sensuous Woman), Billy Crudup (The Pillowman), David Cross ("Arrested Development"), Hope Davis (American Splendor), Tony Award winner Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Seth Green (The Italian Job), Mamie Gummer (Mr. Marmalade), Peter Hermann (Talk Radio), Kristen Johnston ("Third Rock from the Sun"), Matthew Lillard (Scream), Janel Maloney ("The West Wing"), Rosie Perez (Chair of Working Playground Artistic Board), actor/comedian Chris Rock, Andre Royo ("The Wire"), Ben Shenkman (Angels in America, The Wire), Fisher Stevens (A Prairie Home Companion), Lili Taylor ("Six Feet Under"), Marlo Thomas (Free to Be You and Me), Tracie Thoms (Rent), Lynn Whitfield (Madea's Family Reunion); and Michael Kenneth Williams ("The Wire").

Playwrights include David Lindsay-Abaire (2007 Pulitzer Prize Winner), Julia Jordan (Tatjana in Color), Warren Leight (1999 Tony Award Winner) and Theresa Rebeck (2004 Pulitzer Prize Finalist); and directors Kwame Kwei Armah (2003 The Evening Standard New Playwright Award), Christian Parker (Atlantic Theater Company) and Ari Edelson (The Orchard Project); and musical guest Nellie McKay (Three Penny Opera).

Tickets are available at www.SmartTix.com or (212) 868-4444.  Visit www.24hourplays.com.

An annual benefit event for Working Playground, The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway attracts some of entertainment's biggest names as they join forces to participate in a rite of extreme live performance:  writing, directing, and performing six original short plays…all in just 24 hours!

The creative process for The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway will begin at 10PM on Sunday, October 21 – the night before the show – when a group of six writers, six directors, 24 actors, one musical guest, and a production staff gather at the American Airlines Theater. After casts and crews have been briefed, 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 8 AM and, over the next 12 hours, the plays are rehearsed and produced for a live presentation. At 8 PM, ink barely dry, the six new plays – interspersed with six musical acts – will be performed for a live audience.

The 2007 production of The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway marks Montblanc's first partnership with the project. As a brand that embraces art and culture, Montblanc joins forces with the program's supporting company, Working Playground, to celebrate theater and offer audiences the ultimate presentation of wit and talent. The series has drawn attention from some of Hollywood's biggest names over its seven-year-tenure, with participants including Jennifer Aniston, Mariska Hargitay, and Kerry Washington, and pays tribute to the art of live theater. This year, Montblanc joins The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway to celebrate old Hollywood glamour, honoring the legendary, international entertainer, Marlene Dietrich. Montblanc will display their special-edition writing instrument created to pay homage to the star. The sterling silver and platinum-plated piece will be on display along side select pieces of the brands' fine jewelry collection. 

Proceeds from the event benefit Working Playground, a not-for-profit cultural organization founded in 1991, to bring the arts into New York City classrooms with the belief that art is essential to human development, education and culture.  Over the past 16 years, their theater, video, visual arts, dance, design and poetry programs have visited over 250 New York City public schools and engaged more than 30,000 young people, teachers and community members. Currently, Working Playground's Urban Arts Partnerships provide in-depth integrated arts education to over 40 schools and 8,000 young people citywide, and foster long lasting partnerships that enhance the artistic culture and educational practices of each school community.