Since 2001, stars from Broadway, film and TV have gathered to write, rehearse and perform new plays in 24 hours. Extraordinary artists race the clock, forge enduring creative partnerships and leave everything on the stage in a singular evening of live theater.

The 24 Hour Plays annual celebrity gala debuted on September 24, 2001, when an extraordinary group of New Yorkers including Rosie Perez, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Andre Royo and more rallied the theater community. Warren Leight made us laugh again, Christopher Shinn made us cry and a new, quintessential New York City event was born.

Over the next 25 years, The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway have left an enduring mark on American arts and entertainment, presenting singular performances of new plays by the greatest writers from theater, film and TV, directed and performed by the industry’s biggest luminaries. Our annual autumn gala connects artists in the way only time-limited theater can, and the creative relationships begun here continue to flourish on stages and screens everywhere.

Now, The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway are recognized as a New York City institution. Our enduring and enthusiastic gala audiences support our non-profit activities throughout the year, particularly The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, our annual free intensive for early-career artists that has been called the best professional development program in the country.

Past participants include Aasif Mandvi, Alan Cumming, Alex Moffat, Alison Pill, Amanda Seyfried, America Ferrera, Andre Royo, Anthony Edwards, Billy Crudup, Chris Rock, Christian Slater, Christopher Briney, Daveed Diggs, David Harbour, David Krumholtz, David Lindsay-Abaire, Edie Falco, Gillian Jacobs, Greta Gerwig, Hugh Dancy, Jennifer Aniston, Jesse Eisenberg, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Radnor, Julianne Moore, Justice Smith, Kenneth Lonergan, Kieran Culkin, Laverne Cox, Lea DeLaria, Lola Tung, Lynn Nottage, Marisa Tomei, Michael Shannon, Mo Rocca, Naomi Watts, Nia Vardalos, Oscar Isaac, Patrick Wilson, Pauline Chalamet, Rachel Dratch, Raúl Esparza, Rosario Dawson, Rosie Perez, Sarah Silverman, Thomas Kail, Tim Daly, Vanessa Williams, Wallace Shawn, Wayne Brady and many more.