What could you do in 24 hours? Watch all eight “Harry Potter” movies and then begin the process again? Write an extensive research paper on the commercialism of art in modern America? Read all of Leo Tolstoy’s works in his native Russian?

How about produce a play, complete with actors, costumes and sets, within this 24-hour time constraint?

That’s what the sixth annual 23:59 Play Festival is all about — playwrights and directors creating six 10-minute plays in less than a day.

This festival was originally the idea of the Graduate Theatre Organization, which hosts the event.

Alumnus Matt Fotis is one of the founders of the 23:59 Play Festival.

“We started the festival as a way to give graduate students in the theatre department more opportunities, to raise money for research and to more fully integrate GTO into the department,” Fotis said. “I also wanted it to be a place where everybody got a chance. There is a lot of rejection in theater, so I wanted this to be a place of inclusion — a place to celebrate the creative process.”

On the Friday night before the festival, there is a meeting at 8 p.m. where the playwrights (four graduate students, one undergraduate student, and Fotis) are given the theme and a line to include in their play. This year, the theme is “Sex and Death.”

Natalie McCabe is a graduate student and vice president of the Graduate Theatre Organization.

“This theme is going to be interesting,” McCabe said. “It’s not bunnies and flowers — it’s sex and death. But the writers don’t have to be serious; some of the plays might be comical.”

A veteran of this festival, doctoral student and instructor Will Palmer, said that this theme is intriguing as well.

“When I was an undergrad, one of my professors said that theater is just sex and death,” Palmer said. “I might have to play off that idea.”

After receiving the theme and a line, the playwrights get to work and begin writing their plays until 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Each team is composed of one playwright, one director and around four actors. Similar to the distribution of playwrights, the group of directors is composed of four graduate students, one undergraduate student, and Ed Hanson, artistic director of Talking Horse Productions.

Palmer strategically approaches writing his play within the time constraints by playing to his actors’ strengths.

“I have some ideas already floating around, but the actors really make the piece,” Palmer said.

For further inspiration, Palmer retreats to IHOP to write, a practice that has become tradition.

Fotis, however, approaches writing his play like every other play he writes.

“The only difference is that I don’t have the same simmer time,” Fotis said. “I can’t sit with an idea and change it or adapt it or let it marinate. I pull a lot on my background in improv. I take the first solid idea I have and then I ‘yes-and’ the crap out of it and hope it works.”

In order to counteract the frenzy before show time, Palmer feeds on all the energy and likes to think about the fruit of all the artists’ labors.

“My favorite part is seeing the end product, all the works coming together for the night, because I’m not able to see the other plays until the performance,” Palmer said.

The teams rehearse right up to 7:59 p.m., when they will begin performing their 10-minute plays.

Because this festival is “last minute,” McCabe said that the costumes, sets, and technical effects are kept to a minimum.

The finished plays will be performed Sept. 27 at 7:59 p.m. at the Corner Playhouse.

Fotis said he hopes the festival helps introduce new actors to the theater community.

“I hope that there are some brilliant plays that thrill the audience and have a life beyond the festival,” Fotis said. “I hope that new artistic connections are formed between people who never otherwise would have worked together. And mostly, I hope it’s a lot of fun.”