Montblanc attracts Hollywood stars

The year 2011 marks the fifth year that Montblanc, global luxe manufacturer of classic fine writing instruments, handcrafted timepiece collections and timeless jewelry designs, will be the title sponsor of The 24 Hour Plays On Broadway. Montblanc’s continued support is born out of the brand’s pledge to encourage arts patronage and proper funding of arts education initiatives for aspiring young artists; a goal that is not only at the heart of Montblanc’s philosophy of helping others but is also at the center of the efforts executed by the charity beneficiary, Urban Arts Partnership. 

Hollywood’s most talented stars joined forces on this night and participate in an exciting stream of live performance: writing, directing, and performing six original short plays – all in just 24 hours! The event will be produced by The 24 Hour Company and Kevin Chinoy and Francesca Silvestri of the Freestyle Picture Company.

Former participants of the “Plays” include Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Chris Rock, Kyra Sedgwick, Brooke Shields, Sarah Silverman and Elijah Wood. The event featured (pending schedule) Jennifer Aniston, Leslie Bibb, Seth Green, Zachary Levi, Eva Mendes, Kathy Najimy, Rosie Perez, Sam Rockwell, Nia Vardalos and other actors, writers and directors.

The creative process of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS in Los Angeles started at 10:00 p.m. on the night before the show. Six writers, six directors, twenty-four actors, a musical guest and production team met at The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College of Performing Arts. Each cast member will brain-storm ideas before the writers begin composing the plays, which was completed by 6:00 a.m. the next morning. With only twelve hours to rehearse, the actors will perform the six new plays, interspersed with musical acts, for the very first and only time before a live audience.

Philip Courtney, Executive Director of Urban Arts Partnership, explains: “We are excited to develop our programs nationally with the help of such an innovative fundraising platform, while expanding our long-term partnership with Montblanc and The 24 Hour Plays.” This is the fifth year that Montblanc, the international luxury brand, will be the main sponsor of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS BENEFITS FOR URBAN ARTS PARTNERSHIP, demonstrating their on-going support of Arts and Culture. Joining forces with the program’s supporting company, Urban Arts Partnership, this celebration of theater will offer Los Angeles’ audience the ultimate experience – being there to witness the quick wit and amazing talent of Hollywood’s brightest stars.

“Montblanc reaffirms our support and patronage of Arts education with The 24 Hour Plays: Los Angeles, a benefit for Urban Arts Partnership.”, said Jan-Patrick Schmitz, President and CEO of Montblanc North America. “For five years, Montblanc has been the proud partner of Urban Arts Partnership. We have been able to provide thousands of students with arts education programs in New York. Now, we are pleased to be able to sponsor this exciting and important program in Los Angeles.”

The proceeds from the event will benefit Urban Art Partnership’s work in developing and launching Fresh Prep, an innovative student-centered curriculum that uses Hip-hop music to review the key content and skills tested in the academic curriculum. Leveraging the appeal and mnemonic power of music, Fresh Prep’s standards-aligned instruction builds the confidence, critical-thinking, and writing skills that students need to graduate high school. Urban Arts’ Fresh Prep curriculum and credit recovery program will align with California’s State standards to be piloted in partnership with the Los Angeles schools during the Spring of 2012.