What it's like to spend 12 hours in SNL's standby line

[TMC]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-ag...l-standby-line

For safety reasons, NBC has developed an email system so that people waiting in the Saturday Night Live standby line don't have to camp out for more than 12 hours. Still, “it’s become a little community of people" that the cast has come to appreciate, says SNL star Alex Moffat. Mollie Hersh, who camped out for Jake Gyllenhaal's episode in April, says of the experience: "Though the elements can be tough, there is something unifying about the standby line. People watch out for each other by sharing tarps and blankets, and trading coffee runs through the night. One standby line camper who lived around the corner offered up his apartment bathroom to his curbside neighbors during the campout for Benedict Cumberbatch earlier this month." Hersh adds: "With the exception of brief food and bathroom breaks, using a friend to hold the spot for the night will mean getting kicked to the back of the line. Once you’re in it, you’re there for the whole night."