Acting silly to a disembodied voice: A mass social game comes to Drexel

They stretched. They breathed deep. They played freeze tag and "human Twister." They collapsed, weirdly, for Nap Time, and rose refreshed, ready for an Epic Battle. Above all, they listened intently to "Steve."

"Steve" is the recorded voice of the MP3 Experiment, a mass social game that went down Wednesday at Race Field at Drexel University, to the great fun of those assembled. Alerted by e-mail, Facebook, and word of mouth, partakers had come from throughout the area. They downloaded the 45-minute instruction MP3, synchronized clocks, and, at the exact stroke of 5, hit play all together.

"Steve" warmed them up with silly directions ("Stand as hard as you possibly can"), thumb wars, square dancing, and pointing ("See if you can point to your home . . . Now let's point to Nicaragua. . . . Hmmm. . . . Some of you have clearly never heard of Nicaragua"). Eerie to watch: All was silent, except for giggles. All were linked by earphones to their own mobile devices, intent on Steve's instructions.

It was a looney look at what might be a new kind of fun - a genre of celebration,  a kind of gathering, that could not have happened before social media and the Web.

The group behind the Experiment is Improv Everywhere, a comic troupe brain-parented by social-media hero Charlie Todd. It's Improv's first time in Philly.

Born in 2001, Improv Everywhere (slogan: "We Cause Scenes") organizes "missions" in public places such as Starbucks, Grand Central Terminal, or public fountains (perfect for synchronized swimming!). This is done almost entirely via Web and social media. Some of the exploits are famous by title: The annual No Pants Subway Ride! The Best Funeral Ever! Improv videos its exploits, which become YouTube wildfires, and so word of mouth travels.

Participant Addie Weyrich, a second-year student at Masterman School, says, "I heard it through a Facebook event, but I've been watching their videos for a long time." Megan Marti, a senior in health science at Drexel, says, "I've wanted to be part of one since forever." She heard about it "from everywhere" and got a Facebook invite from a friend.