College students are notorious for their sleep deprivation, but this weekend some of them are staying up for something other than studying. Beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, April 24, and ending the following day at 7 p.m., students, community members and faculty have the opportunity to enjoy the “24-Hour T-Sports” show in Olin 130. Members of Theater Sports will perform improv-style comedy the entire time, taking only short breaks and keeping multiple players on stage at all times. As with all T-sports shows, not one moment will be repeated.
“We do games depending on what hour it is,” said junior T-Sports member Alex Kerr, “like the ‘evins at seven,'” which features Evan, Devin, Kevin and Kevin for the entire hour.
“And the ‘nubes at two,'” added Kerr, which features the newbies at 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. “Every hour there will be a different gimmick.”
The annual event is a fund-raiser for the local charity Blue Mountain Heart to Heart, which describes itself as “a private non-profit organization providing positive, non-judgmental support and assistance to persons living with HIV/AIDS, their partners, families and friends,” according to the Web site.
“Usually we raise about $600 or $700,” said senior T-Sports member Evan Cartwright. “All of our money comes from student donations. We have a box set out, and we encourage everyone to give a few bucks or spare change when they come watch.”
There will also be an auction of items donated by local businesses and the occasional offer to “buy a scene,” where audience members have the option to trade donations for the choice of a game, scene or cast.
“People should come at five in the morning,” said Kerr. “Everyone is dirty and filthy by the end of it, but we’ve spent so much time on stage together that you get to know each other really well. That’s when we can really flex. That’s when the really weird stuff happens.”
24-hour T-Sports has been known to gather a crowd, including past fans and performers on campus for alumni weekend.
“I think people remember T-Sports,” said Kerr. “I mean, if they’ve been here in the last 13 years, I would like to think they will remember T-Sports.”
