Masque and Triangle, Colgate’s very own theater group, hosted their semi-annual One Night Stand last Friday night in Persson auditorium. During each One Night Stand, actors and directors come together for a mere two hours before the show to craft a scene in its entirety. This time around, four groups performed humorous skits, script-in-hand, for an intimate audience of friends and theater lovers.

The opening scene, “A Word, Timothy,” from “A Bit of Fry and Laurie,” was directed by senior Eric Bryden and featured a mother, played by sophomore Allison Spanyer, and her 25-year-old son Timothy Forest, played by Bryden, still living at home. After Timothy opens a seemingly stuck drawer, his mother tells him the legend of his birth and how he is, in fact, “The Chosen One,” destined to defeat an evil villain, Pewnack the Destroyer, who conveniently lives in Syracuse. Timothy’s mother then helps him develop a plan to defeat the villain, which involves moving out and getting a job – really, this moment of “destiny” was a clever ruse to get her adult son to move out of the house.

“Arabian Nights,” directed by sophomore Alanna Ticali, featured a traveler in Morocco, played by senior Pablo Sasso, looking to buy souvenirs with his “helpful” translator, played by senior Kara Schmidt. Upon entering a souvenir shop, the traveler meets a young Moroccan woman, played by sophomore Lee Tremblay, and an unlikely romance ensues with the help of the dramatic, and not particularly accurate translator.

“Time Flies,” by David Ives, directed by junior Lillian Laiks, told the story of two “lowly mayflies” on a date struggling with their mortality. After returning home from a party, the mayflies, played by senior Rodney Agnant and junior Sue Escobar, turned on the TV only to learn from Sir David Attenborough, played by sophomore Julia Horne, that they will die before dawn and therefore only have enough time to mate before they meet their impending death. This reality puts a strain on their relationship, which leads to an argument about the expectations of mating – the highlight of the mayfly existence. She expresses her disappointment at the probable absence of multiple orgasms and he is sensitive that she doubts his sexual experience. However, the couple calms and performs the mating ritual, only to be once again reminded of their mortality by a frog attack.

The final scene, “The Sports Department,” directed by senior Mary Rose Devine, was really a delightful rendition of Abbot and Costello’s famous skit, “Who’s On First,” featuring the talented juniors Mac Baler and Erica Weston. Baler, president of Masque and Triangle and a seasoned theater veteran at Colgate, believes the spontaneity of this event makes it accessible to everyone.

“We believe strongly that you don’t need any theatrical experience to participate in our events, especially something as fun and low-commitment as the One Night Stand,” said Baler.

Although this semester’s One Night Stand has already come and gone, interested individuals have plenty of opportunity to get involved in theater during this year’s Fringe Theater Festival, which will be held on Saturday, April 12. The event will consist of performances of all varieties, including well-rehearsed scenes, 24-hour projects, improvisational theater, musical theater or really any other format possible.

“We just want everyone to have fun and bust out some good theater, so we’re giving people an option to commit as much or as little as they want,” Baler said.