Theater Reviews : Students Make Time Fly in ’24 Hours A.M.’ : The work of 12 directors at Orange Coast College is lively, tight and perceptive, especially noticeable in the weakest written of the brief plays.

COSTA MESA — When the assignments for the 10-minute plays that make up “24 Hours” were given out at Burbank’s Playwrights Lab in 1981, the guidelines were for complete plays, with beginning, middle and end.

It’s obvious in the production of “24 Hours A.M.” at Orange Coast College (the 12 hours that make up “P.M.” were done at OCC several years ago), that some of the pieces hit that mark squarely, while others don’t come within shouting distance.

In the case of this revival, the problem is no longer one for the playwrights. It has become the directors’ problem to bring these snippets to life through characterization and shaping of mood and tempos.

For the most part the work of the 12 directors is lively, tight and perceptive, particularly noticeable in plays that are little more than extended jokes.

The best of the plays give their directors an easier job. For starters, they have characters crossing a threshold, finding their way through undiscovered country or making a sea change in thought.

Will Mackenzie’s “Love Sonnet” is a good example. It concerns a mother writing a silly poem as a birthday present for her 30-year-old son. She also reminisces to her husband about the night the son was conceived, which draws from him a tirade about her sloppiness, which, years ago, made that night the last they spent together connubially.

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Her shame and his anger is intensely shaped by director Bronwen Bitetti, highlighting the gentle, filmy performance of Kristina Leach as the wife, and the haunted, bitter and eventually comprehending husband of Todd Kulczyk.

Dave Barton’s insightful direction of David Link’s “Sleeping Together” also stands out for its sensitive handling of the complicated changing of patterns and attitudes as a gay man’s bed partner announces, “I’m sorry, I thought I was gay.” Pilou Chapeaud’s containment as the former, and Steven El Ray Parker’s frank naivete as the recently divorced man with his closet door barely ajar help give the piece its solidity.

“Five Minute Romance,” Allan Miller’s snapshot-quick chronicle of a young relationship, is effective under the crisp, cheerful and understanding guidance of Pilou Chapeaud, and through artful and equally cheerful performances by Jeff Krise and Trisha Le.

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Barbara Schultz’s “Pelicans,” about a senior couple who ran away from their retirement home (directed by Bill Nelson, with Steuart Brenneman and Tannie Gentry), and Miller’s “Lemons in the Morning,” about a pushy stage mother and her jaded daughter (directed by Donna Ham, with Jan Herotin as Mom and Debi Ham as the kid), are characterized by solid writing informed by good direction and colorful performances.

The balance of material suffers from that one-joke syndrome of many short plays; Marcia Rodd’s fascinating “Four in the Morning,” though well-acted by Montica Reeves and Diana Brooks, loses much of its ground in the opaque direction of Jody Marler.

* “24 Hours A.M.,” Drama Lab Studio, Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m. $5. (714) 432-5932. Ends Sunday. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes. Pilou Chapeaud: Kelly

Steven El Ray Parker: Jackson

Todd Kulczyk: Lou

Kristina Leach: Ada

Jeff Krise: Man

Tisha Le: Woman

Jan Herotin: Claire

Debi Ham: Betsy

Steuart Brenneman: Jake

Tannie Gentry: Lottie

An Orange Coast College Theatre Department production of 12 plays from Playwrights Lab’s “24 Hours.” Directed by Darren Zinzer, Dave Barton, Jeff Krise, Jody Marler, Jaimie Sweet, Bronwen Bitetti, Craig Droz, Bill Nelson, Trisha Le, Donna Ham, Pilou Chapeaud. Lighting design: Rob Stayner. Sound design: April Gentry. Stage manager: Kelly Tickner.