You’ll often spot Theo Dolan ’24 outside of Usdan during lunchtime, leading a hacky sack circle—a testament to his commitment to making people feel welcome and engaged. Member and creator of multiple improv groups on campus, Dolan values creative outlets as a space both to meet other passionate people and deepen his strength as a performer and collaborator. The Argus gathered ingredients from Weshop to make Gigi Hadid pasta with Dolan, discussing his interests, his upcoming film thesis, and the motto that guides his day-to-day life as a Wesleyan student.
The Argus: So, Theo! Why did you choose to come to Wesleyan?
Theo Dolan: I chose Wesleyan because I wanted to go to a liberal arts school where I could study whatever I wanted. I like to learn things. I also want to be a storyteller, and I think in order to be a good storyteller, you have to know a lot about the world. By being able to take history classes and English classes, I feel like I can be a lot more knowledgeable when I talk.
A: What are your majors?
TD: I’m a Film [Studies] major and history minor. [I’m] here because of the [Film Studies] program basically.
A: Has Wesleyan lived up to your expectations so far?
TD: Yes. I came into school in the middle of COVID, and I expected nothing. It’s honestly been a kind of blessing in disguise to come into freshman year during COVID instead of having my freshman year be normal. My expectations were very low to start [with], and then I was blown away over time.
A: Can you talk about what you’re involved in on campus?
TD: I’m in New Teen Force, which is an improv group on campus. It’s one of a few. We do long-form improv, which is more like storytelling and character-based improv. It’s very fun. I really liked improv before coming to Wesleyan, and that was one of the things I really wanted to do here. [The group] recently went to Skidmore [College] for a comedy festival, which was fun. We might be going back, which is awesome. Skidmore hosts a college comedy fest with a bunch of different sketch groups, and then some real comedians. We also just recently had our first show.
I also run Awkward Silence, which is a stand-up group that accepts everybody. Stand-up is definitely not my strength and coming into Wesleyan, I never expected to do stand-up. I almost didn’t want to do stand-up at all. One of my friends, Oliver Bijur [’23] was one of the leaders of the group, so I tried it with him.
A: And you started Monkey Business too, right?
TD: This is true! I started Monkey Business. Monkey Business is a space where anyone can get involved in improv. I started it because I felt like the only opportunity to do improv on campus was audition-based. According to my philosophy, anyone can be good at improv. It’s kind of crazy to me that they didn’t already have a group like this. To me, improv is about community. A lot of my people skills have stemmed from my improv experience. Through Monkey Business, I was able to bring two improvisers to campus and they taught a little workshop. They were my teachers from New York. Once you have a club on campus, you can request funding for people to come, which is awesome! Noah Frato-Sweeney [’24] and I also do a podcast called Gummy Lunch. That’s us just doing improv on air.
A: Can you tell me a little bit about WesTonight?
TD: WesTonight started my sophomore year. Belle Brown [’22] was one of the founders. It was her Environmental Studies Capstone. She just sent a text to a bunch of people saying “Hey, I’m doing this thing. I want to do cool comedy stuff, and I think you guys are funny people! I’d love it if you were involved.” That was pretty awesome because Ivor Clarke [’24, Eliza Bender ’24, Ariana Blaustein ’24] and I were the only sophomores that were in the initial group. We made a birthday party sketch where no one went to Ivor’s birthday party, except for a little girl wandering around in the park who showed up and said “Yeah, this is so lame…. No one should come to this.”
We did two shows in one semester. It’s mostly jokes about Wesleyan. We’re gonna try and bring that back next semester. I’m also on the board of WESU [88.1 FM]. I also had a podcast with Ivor called The Theo Dolan Show, and we would just make people uncomfortable and interview them. It was really fun. Because it was during COVID, we didn’t go into the studio, so instead, we’d pick really weird locations to record. It was mostly just for the memory.
I also worked at [the] Star & Crescent [S&C]. I cooked in the kitchen and that was really fun. Especially because Hannah Goodwin-Pierce [’22], my bestie, was the chef.
And then I was an usher for a little while. So, you kind of just dress up a little nice and see a performance. I saw these shows that I would never have seen before, like experimental music shows.
A: Tell me about your thesis!
TD: [I’m] making a short film. It’s called “Quack On.” It’s about the pursuit of creativity and the embarrassment that kind of comes along with that, especially when you’re not successful or not succeeding as quick as you would like. I think a lot of us can relate to that. We’ve been doing some updates on Instagram. It’s been really a fun process. Directing was really, really fun. The thing I enjoyed the most—that I thought I was going to hate—was being in [the] arcade space. It takes place in this dark arcade. I thought that I was going to go crazy there. But I honestly loved it. There are some funny quirks about it. There’s one pinball machine that would make noise every 30 minutes. So we had a timer for that and I’d be like, we gotta get this shot before the pinball machine makes noise. It honestly kept us on pace. It was also pretty easy because I had a really great crew. I feel like it was just really fun to be on set. That was one of my main goals, to make the environment fun.
A: What’s your day-to-day life on campus?
TD: I get so much enrichment from all of my creative work. I really prioritize friendships and spending time with people and collaboration with people on campus. People are doing cool things that I want to be part of. There’s also a hacky sack circle that’s been happening. I try to prioritize that sort of aspect of college. Creative outlets and spending time with people is my highest priority. And then after all that I’m going to do my work. I’m doing things that make me happy and make me laugh. I want to be able to laugh with my friends at the end of the day. My philosophy is to live, laugh, and love. At the end of the day, do the thing that you want to do but you think you’ll regret. Do the thing you want to do! You’ll always remember a fun thing over a homework assignment.
A: What’s your version of a perfect Wesleyan day?
TD: Wake up early. Play basketball with my friends. A group of comedy people have started a tradition of playing basketball together in the morning. We all play pretty badly, but who cares? Then, maybe go to Neil’s right after to get some coffee. Then take a little walk around campus. I love a hacky sack moment. I don’t even know what I would do in the middle of my perfect day. Maybe make some food? Maybe go to S&C! Go to class, of course! I like to end the day off with a show—whether I’m performing a show or someone else is performing, it’s always really fun. A stand-up show, or improv, or theater. I like it all! At night, maybe go on an adventure. Go to Cromwell Creamery! Sing songs in the car! On the weekend, maybe go to a party where people are dancing! I love to dance. Then I’d go home and hang out with my friends. That would be my perfect day.
A: What’s hacky sack all about? Can you describe it for me?
TD: The three rules are that you can’t serve it to yourself, you can’t touch it with your hands or arms, and it’s all love. That’s sort of the philosophy. It’s all about community. We’re all a team, so we’re all supportive of each other. If someone wants to join the circle, they’re in automatically. Every time that someone gets their first hack with me, I always feel so appreciative.
A: What’s your favorite expression?
TD: “That’s awesome!” I feel like I have a lot of vocal tics that I end up using all the time even if they go in and out of fashion.
A: Do you have any final pieces of advice?
TD: Don’t take things too seriously! Don’t stress yourself out about too many things. Have fun, and do things that you’re maybe a little bit uncomfortable with, because why not?
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Abby Glassman can be reached at aglassman@wesleyan.edu.
Correction: This article has been updated to include the full list of original sophomore members of WesTonight.