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Eagle Media

The test of time and performance

Prepare for an all-nighter
The Florida Gulf Coast University’s 24-Hour Festival is returning for its eighth year Sept. 12. Produced by Professor Barry Cavin, the event puts creativity in a pressure cooker and brings students together.
“The 24-Hour Festival does just that,” Cavin said. “It may be for one night and it may be that they’re working on separate projects, but they are all engaged in a collective activity that will be shared cooperatively corporately at a moment when everyone is together for a shared experience.”
A list of items, ideas and themes included in each piece will be handed out in the Arts Complex at 6 p.m. the evening of the event. Work must be submitted by 6 p.m. the following day. Viewing of visual art pieces will begin at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 in the Arts Complex lobby, while theater, music and film submissions will be shown in the Black Box Theater at 8 p.m.
What do students struggle with the most?
“Trying to wrap their minds around the weird stuff I throw at them,” Cavin said. “Once they free themselves and allow the elements to inspire their own thinking, they get really excited and are able to push right through the sleep deprivation.”
Entries are split into four categories: film, theater, music and visual art. Each entry will go before a panel of judges and a winner will be chosen for each category. A $500 scholarship will be awarded to each winner, and their work will be displayed in the Art Lab for “After 24 Hours”: winning works of the eighth annual 24-Hour Festival.
Even if you don’t plan to participate in the festival, you can still enjoy it. For Cavin, each year brings an increasing variety of styles and approaches.
“(I love) all of it: the good, the great, the unexpected, the confusing, the strange. All of it happens under a common pressure, and what we see is rough and real and immediate. It’s good theater, and it’s good community.”

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