Most participants agree: Pulling an all-nighter is rarely this much fun.
Friday night marks the beginning of Bare Bodkin's spring semester 24 Hour Theater Festival. Participants are challenged to create a "sitcom-length" (22 minute) show in only 24 hours, and then perform their finished product for an audience. Judges chosen by Bare Bodkin for their theatrical knowledge then rank the shows and award prizes as they see fit.
"The whole idea of [the 24 Hour Theater Festival] is just to do something fun," said senior Hillary Shayne, a Bare Bodkin board member. "We chose 'expert' judges, but the process is really informal."
Although the 24 Hour Theater Festival is focused on creativity, there are rules that contestants must follow. This year's festival will follow its usual format. Students who sign up to participate will be divided into three groups at 8 p.m. on Friday. Then, board members will all write down a different sentence, put them in a hat, and pull one at random. Each group of participants must use the chosen sentence as the first line in its show.
Bare Bodkin board members may also impose additional requirements on the contestants. Past requirements have included a musical number or a specific prop or costume.
"A lot of times we try to come up with something new or something one of the judges is an expert in," said senior Elizabeth Harelik, director of Bare Bodkin.
According to Shayne and Harelik, the 24 Hour Theater Festival draws students from all areas of study and all levels of experience.
"It's a very fun, relatively low-key experience," Harelik said. "Anybody can participate, even if they've never been involved with theater before. We get a lot of writers interested in comedy and usually end up with something funny and ridiculous."
Senior Douglas Foote has participated in the 24 Hour Theater Festival twice, and encourages students to try it out.
"It's a cool concept and a crazy experience that takes up the whole weekend," Foote said. "But there's no real pressure and you don't need to have done anything related to theater to have a good time."
Last semester, Foote took on a leading role in his group, which he says taught him "to be flexible and understand what is possible" in such a short period of time.
"You just want to make sure it's funny," Foote said. "The absurd things are the best things. You have to realize that you're not going to produce 'Death of a Salesman' in 24 hours."
Although Foote's group slept for about four hours, some students get no sleep during the festival.
"Not sleeping was the worst thing," said senior Greg Smith, who has participated in the festival twice. "But [the 24 Hour Theater Festival] was the first thing I did at Tufts, and it kind of gave me a chance to get to know people. It's a nice way of starting up."
Smith and Foote agree that the collaborative atmosphere of the festival is one of its best elements. Participants are involved in all aspects of the show, including writing, acting and directing.
"It's a great way to get to know people in and out of the theater community," Foote said. "A lot of times, people in the theater community who don't usually act like producers or directors participate in the festival because it's an opportunity for them to act and be more creative."
Even for students who aren't interested in participating, the festival's final performances are enjoyable to watch.
"It's one of the coolest things we do at Tufts because the funny stuff that we come up with appeals to everyone," Foote said. "It's a good first play to see."
Students interested in participating in the 24 Hour Theater Festival should sign up on the call board at Aidekman Arts Center by 5 p.m. on Friday. The final performances and judging will be held Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Crane Room of Paige Hall.
