A 24-Hour Improv Extravaganza

“For twenty-four hours, we will not sleep. We will not eat. We will not urinate. That is my promise to you. We will only improvise comedy.” This is what co-captain Jack Flynn ’26 of Three Letter Acronym said to the audience as the troupe began their 24-hour improv marathon on Feb. 21. 

Kicking off at 8:00 p.m., captains Flynn and Katie Silverman ’27 led TLA through its first hour of the team’s long journey to bring a day of laughs and joy to improv lovers on campus. Undergraduates watched as TLA performed a variety of games throughout the night at the Signet Society building, a club founded on fostering artistic disciplines.  

The 24-hour performance returned after a pandemic-related hiatus. TLA alumna Haley Stark ’25 shared a brief history of the event and its significance. “The 24-hour [show] concept is something that’s built into the TLA club Constitution on this campus,” she said. “[It] was written into our original doctrine that TLA was going to commit to the 24-hour show annually, and then COVID happened, and then I started here, and we [had] not done it, and I’m so happy that this particular group was game enough to do it.”

“[TLA] is a group that was founded on unconventional improv practices. It’s a group that, from its beginning, has been a coalition of people who wanted to ‘prov’ outside the norm,” Stark continued. “The 24-hour show, just in its idea, is such an outrageous bit to anyone who hears about it, and TLA is nothing if not a group that commits to absurd, outrageous, and impressive bits.”

As I walked into the opening of the show, it was unsurprising to find a very large crowd of around 100 people cheering on the energized cast as they embarked on their marathon. 

Flynn introduced the group as “Harvard’s number one ‘Harold’ improv show, and top two if there was another one.” TLA then promised to perform 24 Harolds throughout the night—one at the midpoint of every hour—and 24 of their classic “Sex with me is like…” improv games before the end of each hour.

A Harold starts with a word chosen by the audience. Three TLA cast members then share a monologue from their life they associate with the word. After these (typically comical) stories are shared, the entire troupe joins to bring one scene to life, weaving together each storyline—the product is often chaotic and hilarious. Throughout the performance, various signals, such as a clap, can signal scene changes or cut scenes (similar to “Family Guy,” if the group references a past or future event, they may cut to a mock of it). There is absolutely no planned-out plotline, but somehow Harolds seamlessly blend three narratives based on the actions of about ten improvisers on stage. 

Following the first Harold, the still-energetic group moved on to the “Sex with me is like,” game—another TLA specialty. This raunchy activity lines up the troupe members at the front, as they take one word from the audience. Once decided, members take turns (in no particular order) coming to the front to somehow make a connection: “Sex with me is like the Library; I put my wide-in-her,” a TLA member jested. The game brings great laughs, and honestly is hard to describe outside of just watching. 

As the clock struck nine, I left the show to continue to Widener Library—actually, I promise. Unfortunately, I was not built to watch, let alone perform improv, for 24 hours. I later returned at around 1:00 a.m., and to my surprise, the room was filled with about 75 people. It seemed that TLA had a dedicated fanbase that remained with them into the wee hours of the night. Even though this brief check-in was highly enjoyable, I needed a good night’s rest to fully appreciate the comedic effect of this stellar crew; I departed at 2:00 a.m. 

As we moved into Sunday, I returned to the Signet space twice before my third and final watch of the day at 7:00 p.m.—the closing hour. Throughout the first two visits, even as the formerly packed room was rather empty, there was a notable attendee each time. 

Undergraduate Celina Varchausky ’28 challenged herself to be at the show for all 24 hours. As a guest the entire night, she let me in on one of the most touching observations she made. “[The production] really shows the commitment of Harvard students, as [they] will show up to support their friends,” she said to the “Independent.” “The people that I’ve met are super willing to be there for you.”

“A lot of recurring jokes are ‘wink’ inside jokes for the people who have been there,” she added.

Leading into the last two hours of the show, some TLA members and alumni reflected on their experiences completing the marathon performance. 

Members Hudson Brown ’28 and Callie Loeffel ’28 offered a comedic reflection on the magnitude of their achievement. “People get together to do amazing things. Einstein at [age] 26, the Lakers in 6 [games], and TLA in 2026, it’s just one of those moments,” Brown said. 

“It’ll go down in history, like when they discovered gravity,” Loeffel concurred.

One of the most impressive parts of the event was the preparation of food, sleep, and care for the members. Speaking with the captains, Flynn and Silverman, I learned that the TLA troupe had an entire system in place to ensure all its members were safe. “[We] created sort of a tentative hour-by-hour schedule for the whole thing, and also made sure that people were getting the right amount of breaks,” Flynn said. 

As the show entered its final hour, what looked to be the largest crowd I witnessed packed in. The visibly exhausted TLA members pushed on to end the night, conducting a Harold on the ironically audience-given word “marathon” and finishing off with one last game of “Sex with me is like.” 

As the clock hit 8:00 p.m., the team had accomplished an amazing feat: planning, directing, staffing, and pubbing a show that went on for 24 hours. Best of all, through audience donations, the team raised $348.52 for St. Francis House, a homeless shelter in Boston.

TLA brought back a unique event that pleased large crowds and raised hundreds for people who need it most. I couldn’t speak highly enough of a group that dedicates so much time and effort to an event that is so positive for campus culture. 

If you didn’t get the chance to hit up the TLA 24-hour show, follow their Instagram to see one of their many regular-length shows, or stay tuned for next year’s 24-hour show. 

In the words of Silverman, “Yeah, we’re bringing this back.”

Kalvin Frank ’28 (kfrank@college.harvard.edu) is the Arts Editor for the “Harvard Independent.”