(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – For the third year in a row, WAM Theatre and The Mop & Bucket Improv Company (MopCo) will bring together over 50 theatre artists from the Berkshire and Capital Region areas to produce the Berkshires/Capital Region 24hr Theatre Project. Together, these artists will mount five short works; all written, rehearsed, and performed in 24 hours. The 3rd Annual 24hr Berkshires/Capital Region Theatre Project culminated with a performance at the Black Box Theatre at John Sayles School of Fine Arts at Schenectady (N.Y.) High School, on Saturday, May 18 at 8pm.

Tony Award-nominated actress Jayne Atkinson (Berkshire Theatre Group, TV’s House of Cards and 24) joins the project as a director this year. Also directing will be Michael Burns (artistic director of the Mop & Bucket Company), Dina Janis (artistic director of the Dorset Theatre Festival), Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill (artistic director of Capital Repertory Theatre) and Kristen van Ginhoven (artistic director of WAM Theatre).

This year’s playwrights are Ellen Kaplan, Kat Koppett, Shami McCormick, Jeffrey Sweet and Randolyn Zinn.

Nearly 100 submissions of interest were received this year for the project, which brings together professional actors, directors, playwrights, designers and technicians from the Berkshire and Capital Region areas.

“What is magical about this 24hr Project is that it combines the spontaneous creativity of improvisational theatre with the rigorous professionalism and production value of scripted theatre. It’s the best of both worlds,” says Kat Koppett, co-director of the Mop & Bucket Company.

“We can’t wait for the clock to start ticking down again. It is always amazing to see how much comes together in 24 hours”, says Kristen van Ginhoven, artistic director of WAM Theatre.

Tickets ($20, $15 for students and industry) are available for purchase by calling Tickets at Proctors at (518) 346-6204 or online. Seating is limited at the new location; advance purchase is highly recommended.