Six professional Washington, D.C. area theatre companies will write, direct, rehearse and perform original plays based on similar themes in only 24 hours. Produced by the Bethesda Urban Partnership and Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Play in a Day will be held onSaturday, March 2, 2024 at 8pm at Imagination Stage, located at 4908 Auburn Avenue in downtown Bethesda.

Play In A Day kicks off on Friday evening, March 1st when playwrights and directors come together to receive their assigned themes and props. Playwrights then work through the night to create their ten-minute masterpieces. As the sun comes up, rehearsals begin as teams of directors and actors prepare anxiously to make the 8pm performance deadline on Saturday, March 2, 2024.

Participating theatre companies include: Adventure Theatre MTC (Glen Echo, MD); Flying V (Bethesda, MD); Imagination Stage (Bethesda, MD); The Keegan Theatre (Washington, D.C.); Olney Theatre (Olney, MD) and We Happy Few (Washington, D.C.).

General admission tickets are $18 and can be purchased online at www.bethesda.org. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door beginning at 7pm. Parking is available next door in the Auburn Avenue/Del Ray Avenue public garage.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the theatre companies that are selected for Best Writing, Best Direction, and Best Acting Ensemble. These prizes will be awarded by this year’s accredited judges: Quique Aviles, poet, performer and Theatre Lab instructor; and Nancy Bannon, performer, writer, director and American University, Department of Performing Arts.

From award-winning theatre to independent films, downtown Bethesda’s Arts & Entertainment District is filled with inspiring artists and art venues. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is managed by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc., and is the producer of The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Bethesda Painting Awards, Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, “Paint the Town” public mural program and Bethesda Film Fest.