On any given Friday night at Grinnell College, one can find students occupied with a wide variety of activities. Some choose to have a low-key night in with their friends, some have too much work to take any kind of substantial break from the grind and still others choose to imbibe with the masses on High Street. However, on Friday, March 27 at 8 p.m., around 35 Grinnellians traipsed to James first floor lounge to experience the comedic stylings of Tuesday Afternoon Dead.
Those expecting clean fun would be disappointed, though. The show featured sketches titled “Puppet Greg Heffley is a Puppet Bitch” and “Penis Explosion Chamber.” In one slightly meta sketch, several of the actors pretended to be planning the very show they were doing when Bella Takata `28, dressed as a sexy staircase, showed up and tried to seduce various members of the group.
Tuesday Afternoon Dead is made up of co-founders Takata, Maya Comer `28, Elizabeth “Zeb” O’hara `28, Xavier Boeding `29 and Noelle Buehrer `26. Comer, Takata, Ohara and Buehrer all had their hair dyed pink, which Takata said was mostly an accident.
“A three word description of the show would be ‘us being crazy,’” Comer said.
The sketches varied in length and subject matter including the slow-moving and potentially arousing Grinnell train to elaborate puns on the word “temple.” However, the throughline seemed to be straightforward ridiculousness.
“There are just so many things in life where I approach it and I’m like, ‘this is absurd, this is ridiculous, I want to point out how absurd and ridiculous this is,’” Comer said.
Between each sketch was a song. Without listening carefully, it may seem that the extremely disparate songs were chosen at random, however Takata said that each song connected to the preceding sketch in some way, either in the lyrics or the vibes.
28 and Elizabeth "Zeb" O'hara `28 perform a sketch in James first lounge. (Julia Marlin)The troupe cultivates a laidback atmosphere, beginning with the choice of location. Takata said the group picked James lounge specifically for its coziness. She also said that their choice of attire — normal clothes — is a part of keeping the show relaxed and informal.
The informality and DIY attitude is inherent to the show’s construction — they do not put on performances via the College and its resources. Further, Comer said that although the group is a registered student organization, they do not request a budget and make all of their props using cardboard and paint from the Stonewall Resource Center.
“I think all the things we have contribute to the idea of, like, you’re hanging out with your friends and they’re doing weird stuff,” Takata said.
But nonetheless, the show takes preparation. Takata said that much of the writing happens individually, with members pitching sketch ideas to the whole group and then writing a draft on their own. Comer said that much of the revision process happens during rehearsal, when actors bring something new to another member’s draft. Despite this preparation, the group stands firm on its unserious mission.
“I think there’s a desire to just play rather than make something that people are really going to think about and have to take apart,” Takata said, “Because we do that all the time in school. This is our time to be really stupid and enjoy it.”
And they do enjoy it. Referencing the puppet show that opened the performance, Comer said, “You could tell we were just making up new lines trying to make each other laugh.”
The group has two more shows planned for the semester, one in Bob’s Underground to accommodate a more themed show with an expanded concept, Takata said. The final show, though, will be a homecoming to James first lounge.
