"You look like you could use a dildo," Ricky the sex toy salesman said to a group of horrified subway riders.
It was 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, and "Toys," Masque and Gown's first ever 24-hour show, had begun.
For most students, the time period between 6 p.m. on Friday, November 10, and 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 11, was uneventful. But those hours passed very differently for the students in involved in Bowdoin's first ever performance of "24-Hour Theater."
At 6 p.m. on Friday, a team of five writers - Sacha Chiniara '10, Nick Kasprak '08, Josh Kierstead '07, Omm Lucarelli '09, and Emma Verrill '10?began writing the script. By 6 a.m. the next morning, the writers, many of whom did not know each other before the project began, turned over a completed script to co-directors John Ferriss '08 and Matt Herzfeld '07. The directors, actors, and crew had only 12 hours to completely stage and direct the 45-minute show.
Tensions among the writers and producer were high when the cast performed the play for a group of curious students the next day. Kasprak, who at performance time had been awake for 32 hours straight, said the play was "funny to people who haven't slept" but was uncertain of its wider appeal.
Kierstead echoed this worry. "Overall, it's pretty funny considering the time that we have," he said.
The laughter from the students in the audience quickly put to bed the concerns of quality. From its hilarious opening to its surprising conclusion, "Toys" was a hit. Centered on a mismatched group of people trapped in a stalled subway car, the play created comic pairings among the subway riders. A mother considering an affair (Astrid Rodriquez '07) bonded with a mentally ill young rider on his way to see his therapist (Sam Duchin '10). A disheveled rider who claimed to have fought in both the Vietnam and the Gulf wars (Seth Kelley '10) gave acting tips to a bombastic young actor (John Ferriss '08) on his way to an audition.
The most hilarious characters of all, however, were the enterprising sex toy salesman Ricky, played by co-director Herzfeld, and a dissatisfied publicist played by a horrified Aislinn Curry '09. Ricky's enthusiastic peddling of his handcuffs, dildos, and lube in the face of indifference, discouragement, and outright hostility gave cohesion to the narrative and provided a seemingly endless supply of jokes and humor. Herzfeld's ability to memorize his lines while at the same time directing the other actors was especially impressive. He said that memorization happened naturally through the repetition of rehearsal.
Production manager Rachel Leahy '07 was instrumental to bringing "24-Hour Theater" to Bowdoin. First learning of the practice in high school, Leahy introduced the idea to Bowdoin and recruited participants through e-mail, posters, and word of mouth. Leahy and her able team of writers even dealt with last minute dropouts and miscommunication by having directors double as actors and changing the sex of the young actor character so seamlessly it was impossible to tell any alteration had occurred.
Leahy, who described the play as a "complete experiment," like many among the audience was highly impressed with the talent of the actors and writers.
"At 6:30 last night this show didn't exist in any way, shape, or form," she said after the performance.
The creativity and humor of the play clearly proved what every procrastinating student already knows: With determination and what one writer called "the wonders of coffee," college students are capable of anything.