The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues And Classic Black Present FISTS UP/UNDERLYING CONDITIONS

Last night, The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues presented "Fists Up/Underlying Conditions," a special event featuring entirely Black artists to benefit Communities United For Police Reform, on IGTV @24hourplays and at https://24hourplays.com/viral-monologues/. Twelve impactful pieces spotlighting exclusively Black talent were all produced in just 24 hours. Portia and russell g. have curated the evening as Classic Blackproductions baptized in our stories. Beginning at 6 PM ET, the new monologues were published, one every 15 minutes.

The evening benefitted Communities United For Police Reform. The team has raised over $2100 thus far and is still accepting donations at 24hourplays.com/cpr.

Rosalyn Coleman performed "Because She's White," written by Craig T. Williams.

Nina Domingue Glover performed Christina Anderson's "It is Within Us 2 Do So."

Benton Greene starred in "Gua Sha" by Beresford Bennett.

Susan Heyward performed "Chest Up & Breathe," a piece by Stacey Rose.

Angela Lewis performed Nikkole Salter's "Happy Milk."

Kara Young starred in "Twan's Sister Or On the eve of Super Woman's Retirement," written by Monique A. Robinson.

Elijah Smith led a "Lab Session With Buck Clown" in a piece by Amina Henry.

Salena Steward performed "Mississippi Trail," written by Angie Bridgette Jones.

Cherise Boothe performed "Restorative Rage," written by Zakiyyah Alexander.

Stephanie Berry starred in "#Uprising2020," written by Shawn Randall.

Craig Scott performed Levy Lee Simon's "Erzulie."

Keith Arthur Bolden closed the evening with "Movement," written by Jaymes Jorsling.

"To be Black is to adopt a cultural response which denies and negates the traditional implications of being white or non-white or negro. We are without reference to what others may name us or name themselves." - Langston Hughes - A Pictorial History of African Americans

"We are excited to have been able to curate for The 24 Hour Plays Viral Monologues because it enables high caliber theater makers to deliver intimacy at a time when all aspects of being human are under literal attack," said Portia and russell g., who are Classic Black productions baptized in our stories. "With a belief in the transformative power of theatrical experiences and the potential for artists to be partners in change, we are excited to be raising funds for Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) in an unprecedented campaign to end discriminatory policing practices in New York and to build a lasting movement that promotes public safety and reduces reliance on policing. CPR runs coalitions of over 200 local, statewide and national organizations, bringing together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change. The partners in this campaign come from all 5 boroughs, from all walks of life and represent many of those most unfairly targeted by the NYPD."

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 will be available to view online through June 13th courtesy of an agreement with Theatre Authority, a nonprofit organization managed by Actors' Equity.

Curators Portia and russell g. are Classic Black - productions baptized in our stories. 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.