Live from Brunswick, it’s Wednesday night! Continuing the legacy of Simon Brooks ’14, a cast and crew of six will take the stage next Wednesday to perform the second annual Bowdoin Night Live (BNL), a sketch comedy show parodying life on Bowdoin’s campus.
The show, borne out of Brooks’ independent study project, premiered last year to a sold-out audience in Kresge Auditorium. This year’s cast and writing staff includes Clare DeSantis ’16, John Swords ’15, Maggie Seymour ’16, Rickey Larke ’15, Alex Cheston ’16 and Tom Capone ’17. Swords and DeSantis are the only returning members from last years’ group. They recruited the rest of this year’s cast.
“We have a lot of fresh faces, which will be exciting,” said DeSantis.
Though the team is smaller than last year, members said that finding time to meet amidst the stress of spring semester is challenging. The team has been working in a “secret writer’s room” to bounce ideas off one another and workshop scripts. Unlike an improv show, BNL’s sketches are almost entirely scripted, while still leaving room for spontaneous humor.
“Whatever we were passionate about, we decided we would take charge of that project,” Capone said of the writing process.
This year’s performance will maintain the structure and thematic content of last year’s show, emulating the format of a Saturday Night Live episode. The group ensured that the writing process mirror that of the classic late-night comedy show.
“We are trying to mimic how [Saturday Night Live] actually works and do it all in a microwave time,” said Swords.
There is a strong component of teamwork in the writing process.
“One person will write the main script for a sketch, then we all come in and punch it up together,” DeSantis added.
While specific themes are being kept under wraps until the performance, the show will be entirely Bowdoin-centric, focusing on aspects of campus life that the student body can reevaluate in a silly or satirical context, said DeSantis.
“I think it’s really healthy to satirize elements of our Bowdoin life,” she continued.
“There are things to make fun of around here, but we’re not looking to target specific people,” Swords added.
While not official Ivies programming, BNL’s timing fuels the lighthearted spirit of Ivies week.
The show will take place next Wednesday evening, serving as a fun way to energize students prior to the weekend’s festivities.
“It’s a good way to kick off Ivies week,” said Capone. “It’s a different perspective on Bowdoin.”
Situated at a time when many students are focused on their studies, the night is a way to step back and look at Bowdoin from a different angle, Capone continued.
“Even though it’s not an official Ivies event, it should work with anyone’s Ivies whether you’re going to library after or if you’ve been drinking all day,” said Cheston.
The group hopes to eventually get the event chartered and hopes to hold two shows next year. This year’s show promises to stay aligned with the tone of last year’s inaugural performance, while adding a splash of variety.
“It’s becoming its own entity,” DeSantis said. “Last year it was an offshoot of improv in a lot of ways, and this year its its own operating thing.”
Free tickets will be at the Smith Union Info Desk. The performance will take place in Kresge Auditorium.