Alpha Psi Omega and the Department of Theatre transformed the Fulks Theatre into a swamp in 24 hours.
Theatre majors and others participated last weekend in the 24 Hour Musical – preparing and performing Shrek in a single day.
The 24 Hour Musical is an annual event during which actors find out their parts 24 hours before the performance and learn songs, lines and blocking in that timespan.
“My favorite part about the 24 HR play is probably the challenge it presents to the production team and cast,” said Hayden Casey, producer of the show and president of Alpha Psi Omega. “To completely learn a new musical in a day is a daunting and very difficult task and to teach a cast of 45 a musical in a day is even harder.”
The 24 Hour Musical started in 2014 and has put on musicals such as Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Godspell and The Little Mermaid. This year’s show follows the journey of an ogre saving his home and storybook characters. This performance had many songs and even a tap dance piece.
Those who auditioned prepared lines from various plays in order to keep the chosen play secret. Producers selected similar plays and color themes to judge those who auditioned. About 70 people auditioned and 45 were cast.
“I love that this is an event that invites and gathers students from all across campus,” Dawne Swearingen Meeks, associate professor and chair of the Department of Theatre, said. “It was awesome to see a full house last night after two years of COVID. It was indeed a night of celebration.”
Last year, the play was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. During rehearsal, performers wore masks and the play was tailored to promote social distancing.
On show night, the Fulks Theatre was packed with over 350 people in the crowd.
“Every year, to my knowledge, every 24-Hour musical has had a full house,” Hayden Casey, senior acting and directing major from Grapevine, said.
All proceeds are donated to Living Water International, an organization that provides clean water to third-world communities and spreads the gospel of Jesus. This year, over $2,000 was raised to go to this organization.
“I am incredibly proud of our ACU students. It is a huge feat to mount a full musical in 24 hours and then to do it in the middle of COVID with all the required protocols is such a statement of intention,” Meeks said.
