About the Documentary

One Night Stand is a funny, intimate, behind-the-scenes journey from the blank page to the live stage, as top Broadway and Hollywood writers, actors, and directors produce four original short musicals, all within 24 hours.  Think A Chorus Line meets Project Runway  –  a window into the creative process with a compressed time frame: the spark, the camaraderie, the sheer panic and the ultimate thrill of expression. Why would anyone volunteer for such an insane proposition? Artists sign on for the chance to put their creativity to the test, and to support the theater community.  The event is organized by The 24 Hour Company as a fundraiser for The Exchange, which supports innovative American and British Theater artists. One Night Stand takes you through the 24-hour process, beginning at 8 p.m. when everyone meets, teams are formed and the creative chaos begins.  Four groups of composers and writers choose their casts and hunker down for the night;  each group has until 6 a.m. to create an original 15-minute script and score.  At 8 a.m. the actors and directors arrive and rehearsals begin for the 8 p.m. one-night-only performance. Filmmakers Elisabeth Sperling and Trish Dalton accumulated sixty-five hours of footage over the twenty-four hour period.  The final product, edited down to 74 minutes, gives you an up-close, personal glimpse of some of America’s favorite actors as they step out of their comfort zones — from Cheyenne Jackson’s “fear, sweat, adrenaline and Red Bull” to Rachel Dratch’s mounting dread at the prospect of singing alongside Broadways’ finest voices.  Richard Kind sums it up, “It’s like a rollercoaster.  You want to throw up, but it’s fun!”  One Night Stand  is a record of an insane theatrical challenge and keeps you on the edge of your seat and laughing. View full cast and crew credits.