Donald Keough, Editor-in-Chief
The annual Burpee all-nighter was conducted in similar comedy-centric, entertainment driven fashion this weekend, cracking up audience members and bringing in one of the highest fundraising amounts the group has raised.
For the entirety of the event, the Burpees acted out sketches and played improv games, and had audience members for 22 hours of their show.
“We started off with a lot of energy at 8 p.m. on Friday, and I felt like we came back with that same energy on Saturday at 7 p.m.,” President of the Burpees Josie Hansen ‘26 said. “And then, the 22 hours in between, those are super fun. They definitely hit a lull at some point. Sometimes when we hit that low, that’s when we start pulling out games we’ve never played before. It’s exciting, but you definitely have to push through.”
Some of these games came from one of the Burpee’s pride artifacts: a Google document with hundreds of games that have been invented or played by the Burpees. They also switch from short-form improv to long-form improv to help burn some of the slower hours.
“I think some of the best times are when we don’t have an audience, and we’re just performing for one another, and we do the craziest, silliest stuff,” Hansen said.
Many of the Burpees pushed themselves to their acting limits, and two of them made it through without sleeping at all.
“I think one thing that sticks out to me is that period of time right around 4 a.m., when most audience members have left and it’s really just us onstage,” Natalie Casa ‘27 said. “We all bring our blankets and lay down and take turns telling stories while some go to sleep. Overall, the 24-hour show is really special because it really bonds us as a group and we’re so fortunate to have people who support us and the causes we raise money for.”
When deciding where to direct their fundraising efforts, the Burpees typically choose organizations with strong local ties to Denison and its surrounding community or those addressing timely, relevant issues. This year, they supported the Ohio Immigrant Alliance (OIA).
Hansen said she is proud of the group for the money they raised. She also thanked alumni support and attributed some of their fundraising success to them.
“I’m really proud of us,” Hansen said. “I think we had a lot of alumni support this year, like alums who graduated years ago, and… even alums who hadn’t ever done the 24-hour show, tuned in on the live stream, and they donated money. So I think we raised a lot of money partially because of how much alumni support we had.”
Their next and final show of the semester, “Out With the Old, In With the New,” will be held on May 3. In this show, the senior Burpees and newest members, Burplings, act together in a symbolic gesture as the seniors say their goodbyes.
It’s also where the Burplings receive their Burpee names from the graduating seniors, as well as their honorary embroidered Burpee shirts. After she graduates, Hansen said that her Burpee shirt will hang in her closet forever.
“I’ll definitely keep mine so that I can come back in and wear it with everyone,” Hansen said, referring to alumni events. “The seniors and I have actually talked about, under our graduation gowns, we’ll be wearing our Burpee shirts.”c