One Day Plays (ODP) returned to the Patricelli ’92 Theater on Saturday, Feb. 3, marking its second appearance this academic year as well as the first Spike Tape show of this semester. In typical ODP fashion, students collaborated to produce 6 short plays within 24 hours. Writers wrote their plays and cast the actors from 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2 to 2 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3. Directors arrived at 7 a.m. to read over scripts and receive directing assignments, determined randomly by a spinning wheel. The actors then arrived at 8 a.m. on Saturday to rehearse, and each play was performed at 7:30 p.m. that same day, opening the doors to whoever was willing to laugh their heart out.

Coming from a director’s perspective, as I did direct one of the plays (which play you ask? well, that will be kept secret for a little while longer), I truly did not know what to expect. I was unprepared for how much passion each actor, writer, and director put into bringing their production to life. As I stood up, telling my actors, “try enunciating,” or “let’s try that one more time, but be louder,” I realized how much everyone wanted to be there. Everyone wanted to put on a show and make others laugh, and that motivation is the secret to ODP’s continuing success.  What makes ODP special is the delirious, weird, and fantastic energy given off by each play, so much so that audience members (including the ODP coordinators, or overlords, as they say) could not contain their laughter—a good sign, if you ask me. 

To fully understand ODP’s concept and its success, one must understand each play and the stories behind them. So buckle up and listen to how each play contains just the right amount of insanity.

The Seaman and the Squid

“The Seaman and the Squid,” written by Anne Kiely ’24 and Celeste McKenzie ’27, is about a fisherman (Josh Kirkfield ’27) communicating—or should I say, miscommunicating—with the owner of a lake (Stuart Conrad ’26), who is petrified that the “end is nigh” following the possible invasion of squids. What was so funny about this play—also directed by Conrad—was that the fisherman mishears everything that the owner is saying, so much so that at one point, his sex life becomes the topic of discussion, much to the chagrin of the owner (and of everyone, I guess). Discussing outlandish topics such as the fisherman’s love for macramé—a form of textile produced by knotting—this play definitely set the standard for the humor that we saw in the rest of the show. 

“Baby” 

“Baby,” written by Bee Forman ’27 and Sarah Higgins ’27, showed the relationship between Remi (Ayden Crispe ’26) and Gino (Charlotte George ’24) as they discuss whether they should have children, something Remi desperately wants after five years of being together. What I liked about this play was Gino’s anti-baby attitude, which leads to him call his niece Louisa “Loseria (amirite?).” Crispe and George had fantastic chemistry while interacting with each other, and their facial expressions could make even the most serious person break out into laughter. The play—directed by Kendall McDermott ’25—ended with the most factually accurate line in all of history. 

“And this is why you should listen to women,” Remi and Gino say.

“Moose Tracks” 

“Moose Tracks,” written by Emma Gun ’24 and Haden Embry ’24 and directed by Viv Orthwein ’27, saw Cody (Yumiko Takahashi ’25) and Michelle (Ting Tsai ’27) break the fourth wall and become Takahashi and Tsai after Tsai trips over a mysterious lump (Nat Wheeler ’25) on the floor following her big musical number. Tsai and Takahashi then figure out ways to move the lump so that they can have their big break. Following their exit, Wheeler has a big break of their own, asking the audience what life is in a monologue that also covers moose tracks ice cream. This play had enough nonsensical energy to make every audience member crack up.

“The Broken Tricycle”

“The Broken Tricycle,” written by Henry Owens ’25 and Sophia Flynn ’25, introduces the audience to a déjà vu moment for a barkeep (Cheyenne McLaskey ’26) where a customer (Hannah Sodickson ’26) keeps ordering the same drink. The drink, which contains “one part pickle juice, two parts vermouth, four and half mint leaves, and six dashes of aromatic bitters. Fill the glass the rest of the way up with Blue Curacao. If you don’t have Blue Curacao, Tito’s is fine,” comes at the recommendation of the customer’s subconscious mind, an entity known as Sigmund. Directed by Cameron Scott ’24 and Sloane Dzhitenov ’24, this play was delightfully ridiculous.

“Spike Tape: The Musical”

“Spike Tape: The Musical,” written by Owen Wiley ’25, offered a musical history of the student-run organization Spike Tape, spotlighting its founder, Charlotte George ’24 (played by Kyra Kushner ’24), and Ensemble One (Nora Jacobsen ’25). The outlandish bursts of song—parodies of popular musical numbers, including one where Charlotte pledges to build “not a Spike Tape of angels, but a Spike Tape of men”—were reminiscent of the musical numbers in “Moose Tracks.” Directed by yours truly, the play had the perfect amount of musical spontaneity to make the audience laugh, cry, and maybe, just maybe, sing along.

“It’s Complicated”

“It’s Complicated,” written by Audrey Chan ’26, Fana Schoen ’24, and Sarah Linsly ’24, showed the consequences of changing your status on Facebook to “It’s complicated” right before your wedding. Janet (Brynn Heller ’27) and Fil (Chan) find themselves at odds years into the future, dealing with the disastrous fallout of that minuscule choice. A whimsical dose of time travel and the introduction of a laugh track made this play, directed by Eliana Bloomfield ’25, both ambitious and hilarious.

ODP will always have a special place in my heart, mainly because of the amount of joy it brings to audience members. Filled with creativity, innate humor, and passion, ODP continues to show the University why it never hurts to tune in to student theater.

Oluchi Chukwuemeka can be reached at ochukwuemeka@wesleyan.edu.