Future stars test their skill in Old Vic's 24-hour plays

Fifty stars of the future get the chance to perform at the Old Vic this weekend in seven new plays they have to create in under a day.

The venture is funded by the popular 24-Hour Plays event - the annual celebrity gala in which famous names face the same challenge.

Kevin Spacey, the Old Vic's artistic director, said the new variation, part of the theatre's training scheme, deserved equal attention.

He said: "The process of the 24-hour plays is a remarkable process in which a group of artists come together to create works from concept to performance. It can be very engaging, very amusing and lots of fun, particularly when you add young practitioners."

Participants will write, rehearse and perform seven plays in just 23 hours on Sunday - one hour less than usual because the clocks go forward on Saturday night.

The 24-Hour Plays: Old Vic New Voices is on Sunday at 7.30pm.