BUCKFIELD — Mike Miclon won’t mind if somebody falls asleep the next time he performs.

For “Oddfest 24” — a 24-hour-long variety show beginning Saturday night at
Miclon’s Oddfellow Theater in Buckfield — some ticket buyers are
already planning to bring their pillows. He’s preparing beds in the apartment upstairs for some of his performers.

“I’m not sure I’ll make it through,” he joked. “We call it the ‘first annual,’ but it could be the ‘last annual.'”

Appropriately enough, the idea came during a nap.

Longtime collaborator Jason Tardy of AudioBody was catching a bit of rest with his wife and newborn daughter when he woke and started scribbling on a piece of paper at his bedside.

“I was half awake and this idea popped in my head,” Tardy said. He called Miclon.

That was three weeks ago.

Miclon and Tardy now have about 40 artists lined up for the show. They have a charity: Camp Sunshine in Casco. And they have a fundraising goal.

“We’re trying to raise a minimum of $7,000,” Miclon said. The money will help send several families to the camp, which operates as a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

The goal for Miclon, Tardy and so many Oddfellow Theater regulars is to put on the best show they can in hopes of drawing a crowd.

Their plan is to break up the 24-hour performance into several segments, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The first and the last pieces will be versions of Miclon’s monthly Early Evening Show. At midnight, local band SKOSH plans to headline a three-hour set. At 3 a.m., Jason Tardy and his brother Matt will lead something they’re calling “The Red Eye Review. Miclon plans to host a “Coffee and Donuts Morning Show,” beginning at 7:30 a.m. And from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the theater will host the “Oddfellow All-Stars.”

People may purchase a 24-hour pass for $50, tickets to either the first or second half for $30 or an “insomnia pass” that will cover the midnight to 7:30 a.m. segments.

Miclon hopes people start out with the show and cannot resist sticking around.

“We’re hoping that their curiosity will drive them insane,” he said.

And there will be no intermission.

Among the planned guests are comedian and juggler Brent McCoy, sword swallower Roderick Russell, the Half Moon Jug Band, magician Scott Jameson, storyteller Antonio Rocha, and juggler Morten Hansen.

Fritz Grobe, another longtime collaborator, plans to perform with Steven Voltz and their act, Eepybird. The guys, known worldwide for their viral videos with Diet Coke and Mentos and with sticky notes, might give the audience a glimpse of their next experiment.

“We hope to have an announcement,” Grobe deadpanned.

However, like many of the performers Grobe plans to show up in lots of different guises. With so much time to fill, they plan to bring out favorite characters and skits, from the comedic “Buckfield Department of Tourism” and the “Buckfield synchronized swimming team” to juggling or contortionist routines that haven’t been performed in years.

There will also be lots of improvisation, both on stage and behind it.

“What I’m looking forward to are those moments backstage when we’re figuring out what comes next,” said Grobe, who plans to make an appearance at least once an hour. “I want to see what’s going on at four in the morning.”

Grobe, Tardy and Miclon all look forward to working with the other performers, many of whom are close friends.

“This place is such a creative home for us,” Grobe said.
“It’s lovely to get together as a family of performers.”

The closeness and an accepting audience make the theater a place to experiment. It also made the show possible with just four weeks of planning.

“We can get an idea and run with it,” Miclon said. “That’s the glory of owning your own theater.”

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Mike Miclon, front, with Aaron Dewitt, left, and Shane Miclon of the Oddfellow Theater in Buckfield will be among the performers participating in a 24-hour-long fundraiser for Camp Sunshine in Casco.