Wayne Brady, Michael Urie & More Featured on Latest Edition of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS: VIRAL MONOLOGUES

A fourth evening of The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues streamed last night and is available now on IGTV @24hourplays and at https://24hourplays.com/viral-monologues/. 22 actors were paired with an unrivaled group of theatre writers, who worked through Monday night to create unique pieces especially for their actors. From 6 PM until midnight, the new monologues were published, one every 15 minutes.

Joining the storied lineup this week were actors Reed Birney, Wayne Brady, Bill Camp, Michael Cyril Creighton, Crystal Dickinson, Brandon J. Dirden, Deanna Dunagan, Ben Feldman, Ethan Hawke, Marin Ireland, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Mia Katigbak, Vella Lovell, Justine Lupe, Elizabeth Marvel, Adriene Mishler, Portia, Armando Riesco, Marlo Thomas, Raviv Ullman, and Michael Urie. They performed pieces written by Melis Aker, Will Arbery, Kevin Artigue, Lee Edward Colston II, Karen Hartman, Joy Kecken, Dan Kois, David Lindsay-Abaire, Roger Q Mason, Michael Mitnick, Mara Nelson-Greenberg, Christopher Oscar Peña, Max Posner, Erica Saleh, Sarah Schulman, Betty Shamieh, Jonathan Marc Sherman, Charly Evon Simpson, Blair Singer, and Lizzie Stern.

Elizabeth Marvel and Bill Camp kicked off the evening with "Best Case Scenario," as an ex-couple navigating the challenges of being quarantined together with their daughter. "Best Case Scenario" was written by Erica Saleh.

Ethan Hawke uses the story of his bowtie collection, and the history of the apparel, to relay his thoughts on the state of the world in "The Body of Our Kingdom," written by Jonathan Marc Sherman.

In "One Last Visit," Crystal Dickinson reckons with the effects of the virus on her hard-hit community and one particularly special neighbor. "One Last Visit" was written by Joy Kecken.

Armando Riesco deals with a series of annoyances as he talks himself through a life-altering decision-making process in "A Taste of Old New York," written by Betty Shamieh.

Justine Lupe mourns a romantic getaway lost to self-isolation, imagining what could have been through the eyes of her dream man, in "Pas de Deux (a monologue)". "Pas de Deux (a monologue)" was written by Karen Hartman.

Brandon J. Dirden, like so many others, is using Tiger King to get through isolation. He insightfully compares what happens on the show to American life itself in "Darnell-You-Crazy, Or, Damn These White Folks Be Trippin', Or, That Bitch Carol Baskins!," written by Lee Edward Colston II.

In "Ana Banana's Dating Video," Vella Lovell is a young heiress who decides to try her hand at virtual dating with a hilarious and surprisingly revealing video introduction. "Ana Banana's Dating Video" was written by Mara Nelson-Greenberg.

Adriene Mishler is having an awful recurring dream in "Bluebonnets," which she recalls to the person in the dream with her. "Bluebonnets" was written by Will Arbery.

In "Two Hands," Michael Cyril Creighton is an insomniac reckoning with his anxiety late into the night while serving as a caregiver for his father, who sleeps for hours on end."Two Hands" was written by Lizzie Stern.

Ben Feldman is an exuberant cycling instructor teaching "Class 622: Mount Everest" virtually, and makes well-meaning but questionable attempts to motivate his "pedalers" as they climb. "Class 622: Mount Everest" was written by Michael Mitnick.

Marin Ireland is constantly taking her "Temperature," emphasizing her worries about the virus and all of the dangers of the world around her. "Temperature" was written by Charly Evon Simpson.

Who says isolation has to be boring? In "Girl.," Rebecca Naomi Jones shares an unbelievable story about how she managed to upgrade her quarantine experience. "Girl." was written by Kevin Artigue.

Marlo Thomas's husband has encouraged her to make "The List" to calm down after an argument as they quarantine together, and it gives her a chance to release all of her frustrations. "The List" was written by Blair Singer.

After an intense fight with friend Suzanne, Deanna Dunagan struggles to find the words to explain herself, to ask for forgiveness, and to wish Suzanne a "Happy" birthday. "Happy" was written by Max Posner.

As novelist "Patricia Maria Davis," Portia has achieved success beyond her wildest dreams, but at the cost of a close friendship. While she catches her lost friend up on her life, she ponders the end of the relationship and the state of the world. "Patricia Maria Davis" was written by Sarah Schulman.

Reed Birney is terrified by the state of the world, and particularly threatened by neighbors who are always "Knock Knock Knock"-ing on his door - until he finds out why. "Knock Knock Knock" was written by Dan Kois.

Wayne Brady has a sweet surprise for the love of his life, "Nadine," that takes him down memory lane on her birthday. "Nadine" was written by Roger Q Mason.

Mia Katigbak finds an unexpected confidant in "Reunion," and uses the listening ear to face her past and reflect on her regrets. "Reunion" was written by Melis Aker.

In "Tiger Daddy," Raviv Ullman uses "The Hills" as an analogy to help make a bombshell confession about who he really is. "Tiger Daddy." was written by Christopher Oscar Peña.

To conclude the evening, Michael Urie explains his side of the story after he's caught on video accosting a jogger who comes too close in "Six Feet, Dipshit." "Six Feet, Dipshit" was written by David Lindsay-Abaire.

"The 24 Hour Plays are theater's rapid response team and when times are tough, we go to work," said deputy director Coleman Ray Clark. "Our small non-profit organization has always made work about the most challenging moments in our lives, and being unable to gather couldn't stop us from continuing to do that now."

"The 24 Hour Plays is committed to supporting theater education during these difficult times," said producer and licensing representative Madelyn Paquette. "Last week, we launched our licensing program to produce your own version of The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues with pay what you can licenses for schools and educational groups, and we've already seen an incredible response. We are honored to be able to help our friends around the world make sense of this moment, and hope that we can welcome even more artists and audiences into our community moving forward."

On Monday night at 6 PM, 20 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 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.

Additionally, to celebrate the continued success of the Viral Monologues, The 24 Hour Plays has partnered with B-Unlimited to create a brand-new, limited-time-only line of T-shirts, hoodies and beanies. Fans who wish to support The 24 Hour Plays during the COVID-19 shutdown can purchase apparel at https://24hourplays.com/merch.

As previously announced, Methuen Drama, one of the oldest and most well known play and performing arts publishers, will publish The 24 Hour Plays Book of Viral Monologues in print and digital form. Howard Sherman, who inspired The 24 Hour Plays to develop The Viral Monologues, will serve as the editor.

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.