Whether you're at the library, in a frat basement or arguing on the phone with EBAs about whether or not meatball pizzas are actually a thing, you'll see students out and about at essentially any point in the night. Talk to the right people, however, and you'll find that we at Dartmouth truly go above and beyond the "work hard, play hard" college cliche. Ranging from a cappella and dance auditions to Dog Day Players' 12-hour improv marathon, a wide array of student groups have organized activities that persist until the wee hours of dawn.
A cappella auditions have traditionally taken place from early in the evening until the early morning of the next day. Although the concept may seem absurd, timing plays a major role in the auditioning process.
Logistically, the nighttime setting is convenient, as there tend to be fewer conflicts with other activities, according to Clark Moore '13, a member of the Dartmouth Aires. However, the primary objective of late-night auditions is to test secondary characteristics in addition to skill.
"We do a cappella auditions overnight so that we can see [the students'] talents and the range of their abilities," Moore said. "But we also really want to see how they perform as the hours go on and as they become more tired and stressed out."
For those who are ultimately accepted into a group, the end of auditions is not yet the end of the night. Deliberations range from several hours to a day, and pre-existing members of each a cappella group welcome new members in various ways, almost all of which (very appropriately) include a serenade in the early hours of the morning.
"The nighttime setting just adds to the excitement," James Ragan '16, a member of the Dodecaphonics, said. "It's worth every ounce of effort it took to bring your A-game for so many hours straight."
Veronica Burt '16, a member of the dance group Sugarplum, attributed the overall fatigue from the audition process to the long hours of both physical and mental exertion.
Dancers who made all three rounds of auditions faced the challenge of picking a group as well as learning different styles of choreography.
However, Moore, who is also one of the directors of Sugarplum, credits the high-strung atmosphere of the process for bringing out greater authenticity from each candidate.
"What we saw was that as the night progressed, attitudes started to change," he said. "A large part of being a part of these groups is social dynamic. As tensions became heightened, it became clear which personalities clicked with which groups."
Dog Day has a different kind of up-all-night tradition. Every spring, Dog Day stages an annual 12-hour performance in front of Dartmouth Hall not only to entertain audiences, but also to hone the performers' improvisation instincts, according to Dog Day President Priya Shanmugam '13. Shanmugam said that the nighttime setting brings out the best in Dog Day members, as it is the time when the improv becomes the most "organic."
If 12 hours really isn't enough for you, WiRED can offer a full 24 hours of entertainment. WiRED is a 24-hour playwriting festival held once a term by the theater department and the student-run Displaced Theater Company. Three to five writer-director pairs begin scripting at 8 p.m. on a Friday night, and at 8 a.m. the next morning, actors audition for parts. At 8 p.m. on Saturday night, a full 24 hours later, the show begins.
"As the night goes on, we start to see lots of loopy giggle fits and inside jokes," production manager Diane Chen '14 said. "But when people are so rushed to put on a show, emotions run high. Everyone's seriously just wired!"
If you're still attempting to shed your Freshman 15, The 50, Dartmouth's famed 53-mile hike of a segment of the Appalachian Trail from campus to the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, is quite the workout. The 50 generally lasts from 24 to 30 hours, and roughly 30 percent of the teams end up dropping out, according to Trevor Nibbi '13, who directed the 50 during his sophomore summer.
Nevertheless, like the other all-night activities, the mental and emotional fatigue of the 50 is far more taxing.
"As far as I know, nobody's ever stopped to sleep," he said. "Although it doesn't happen to everyone, people definitely do hallucinate."
That said, if you're among the vampires of Dartmouth who are never to be seen during the day, consider joining one of the above groups. Chances are, you're already well conditioned to withstand this test of time.
Or if you're like me, you could just waste your nights online shopping, befriending the EBAs dude and procrastinating on articles due the next day. Real talk.
Moore is a former member of The Dartmouth Staff.
