by William McEvoy

Bowling Green, KY - The Public Theatre of Kentucky and The Sunshine Express are proud to announce the production "Long Days Journey Into Night . . . Back Into Day . . . And Back Again Into Night;" a record-setting twenty-eight continuous hour improvised performance. The show begins Friday, August 23rd at 6:00 pm and ends on Saturday, August 24th at 10:00 pm at the Public Theatre of Kentucky, 545 Morris Alley, Bowling Green, KY. Proceeds will go to the National Aphasia Association.

"Long Day's Journey . . ." will feature The Sunshine Express improvising twenty-eight hours of plays, musicals, 1-man shows, rock operas, freestyle rap sessions, dance contests and other competitive events, as well as standard improvisational structures. The material will range from provocative and shocking "adults-only" content in the late hours, to a full-blown "fun for the whole family" children's show on Saturday morning. All material will be improvised on the spot.

"Mostly, we are going to try to sleep the day of the show, stay awake as long as we can, and then rest in short shifts when it comes to that." said troupe member Gabe McKinney. "With just four of us, this will be tough. We are preparing now by exercising to get our endurance up, as well as weaning ourselves from caffeine. This will enable the caffeine to have more of an affect when we drink coffee, etc., during the show. Other than caffeine and nicotine, however, we plan to perform drug-free."

The Sunshine Express is a four-person sketch and improv group from Bowling Green, KY, whose members have performed at the Chicago Improv Festival and at the Upright Citizens Brigade's "Del Close Marathon."

"Long Day's Journey . . ." claims to surpass the previously held record for hours of consecutive improvisation, held by Austin TX's, The Well Hung Jury (see previous Improv Review article). However, that production, explains Jury's Jeremy Lamb was "performed by one single troupe of performers and told one long form improvised narrative. Officially, we unofficially credit ourselves with the "longest continuous improvised narrative". I've heard of shows at SAK Comedy Lab in Orlando and LA Theatresports which are in excess of 30 hours without being longform as well."

There are no hard feelings though, especially since the Sunshine Express's show will be a benefit performance. Proceeds from this show will go to benefit The National Aphasia Association. Asked about how the troupe selected this organization, Mr. McKinney explained, "Jason Meares's godfather has Aphasia, so when we decided to do the show for charity, that seemed the best one, since it was something close to the group. Also, it is a little-known disease and organization, so we thought they could use the publicity and money more than, say, a Habitat for Humanity or American Heart Association" Aphasia is a communication disorder usually suffered as a result of stroke.

Tickets will be $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for students, and $3.00 for children under 12. Tickets may be purchased at the Public Theatre of Kentucky on the day of the show and anytime during the performance. Seating is granted on a first-come basis and reservations will not be taken. Once patrons purchase admission, they will receive a wristband that will enable them to come and go freely throughout the twenty-eight hours of performance, as long as the wristband in worn. As the maximum capacity of the theatre is expected to be reached (especially on Friday and Saturday nights), the purchasing of a wrist band does not guarantee admittance. ARRIVE EARLY. Doors open at 5pm on Friday, August 23rd. For more information, or if you would like to help sponsor the event, please contact The Sunshine Express at longdaysjourney@hotmail.com or the Public Theatre of Kentucky at 270-781-6233.