The University has many eccentric traditions, but the 24-hour comedy show, run by the student improv comedy troupe Desperate Measures (DM), is especially extreme. Over the past weekend, from Friday, April 26 to Saturday, April 27, DM performed their annual 24-hour show, during which they improvised for a full day. The show took place in Exley Science Center’s Woodhead Lounge and consisted of various performances and games in short and long form. Each hour had a different focus, and at times, special guests such as alumni performers and members of the New Teen Force (NTF) improv group took the floor.

For anyone unfamiliar with the workings of an improv show, it involves performers putting on short-form or long-form scenes and games, all based on ideas sourced from the audience, such as locations or types of relationship between two people. Pulling off an improv show requires the members to think fast, have high energy, and be funny. 

Fascinated with the concept, I decided to attend the first and last hour of the show. Both hours were equally exciting and hilarious, to say the least. Even as the group struggled to stay awake in their last hour, they persisted in filling the crowd with laughter.

You might be thinking, “Why would anyone choose to do improv for this long? How does someone even attempt this?”

Ariana Blaustein ’24, a senior performer in the troupe, spoke to the longevity of this tradition.

“It’s been reinvigorated as a yearly thing starting my freshman year, but it’s been happening for a while,” Blaustein said. 

When I asked about the success of the show, members had nothing but praise. 

“I think that the 24-hour show is such a special thing,” Ivor Clarke ’24 said. “To spend 24 hours with any group of people sounds overwhelming, but…of course I’m gonna spend 24 hours with them.” 

Izzy Marcus ’27, a first-year student who is relatively new to the club, agreed.

“Overall, the experience was amazing,” Marcus said. “It’s maybe the single best thing I’ve ever done in my life before.” 

Marcus went on to mention that joining DM has shaped his first-year experience.

“My freshman year with DM has been nothing short of amazing,” Marcus said. “I’d say that it has really changed my experience here at Wesleyan as well as my life from here on out, to be honest.”

Performing improv for 24 hours straight is far from an easy task. Many members struggled in the constant battle against sleep. 

“Every single year I have a moment where I feel like I’m gonna die,” Blaustein said. “It’s typically around eight in the morning after our sunrise hour, because then I’m confronted with about 12 more hours of the show.”

Marcus even admitted to falling asleep once during the show. 

“I fell asleep during the hour-long scene and woke up in the middle of it,” Marcus said. “And then I just went offstage and fell asleep on the floor.” 

There were many memorable moments from the night, including the group watching the sunrise on Foss Hill. 

“Sunrise hour, which is…a one hour break [from] 6 a.m. to 7 a.m., we went on to Foss Hill and watched the [sunrise] together,” Marcus said. “And that was a really sweet bonding moment I’ll never forget.”  

Blaustein said that she especially loved performing during the themed hours of the show, such as the medieval murder mystery at midnight. She mentioned that this type of structure is not common for the group.

Members of DM spoke very highly of the group’s culture. The 24 hours would never have gone as smoothly as they did without the constant positive support from each other.

“A big part of improv is being supportive and there for your [scene] partner,” Clarke said. “We try to embrace that as much—inside and outside of improv—as possible.”

Blaustein echoed this sentiment, discussing the importance of group chemistry in comedy.

“We all really love each other and I think that’s reflected in our improv,” Blaustein added. 

Additionally, the group received enormous encouragement from their fan base. Even as the hours passed, audience members continued to show up, giving the show much-needed energy. Two people tackled the whole marathon, attending all 24 hours.

“The audience is great,” Blaustein said. “It’s always so interesting to see who is coming in at different hours.” 

According to Clarke, the distribution of audience engagement over the hours was different from past years.

“I was surprised that this year our biggest audience was from 12 a.m to 2 a.m.,” Clarke added. “I think there was almost a full room at the time.” 

Although I was not present for the entire improv show, from the part I experienced and the input of others who went, it’s clear that the group delivered a fantastic performance. My favorite segment has to be the long-form story in the first hour, in which Marcus played a landlord who would accept artistic payments. I laughed so hard that tears formed in my eyes. The troupe performed the scene so naturally I could hardly believe they did not script it.

 

Maggie Smith can be reached at mssmith@wesleyan.edu.