It looked like a toy chest exploded last Monday night in a Willard Building classroom for No Refund Theatre's rehearsal of its original production The Nickelodeon Throwback!

Robin Kowa (senior-psychology) apologized for the mayhem as she tried to rein in the cast.

"You give them toys and they act like 4-year-olds," Kowa said.

But who could blame them?

The room was filled with reminders of the '90s: Barbie suitcases, Care Bears, My Little Pony and portable radios were among the plastic contraptions that serve as props for this week's show.

Just as the toys may arouse emotions of nostalgia, so might the four adaptations of the Nickelodeon classics the cast will be performing -- Doug, Hey Arnold!, Salute Your Shorts and The Adventures of Pete and Pete.

Kowa said she and Assistant Director Pete Kadushin picked these favorites for two reasons.

"They are the most stereotypical Nickelodeon," she explained, "and the most applicable to the stage."

Kowa said they tried to pick episodes that everyone could remember by going to theorangesplat.com, a Web site dedicated to popular Nickelodeon episodes that aired back in the day. Some shows that didn't make the cut were Clarissa Explains it All, Hey Dude and Are You Afraid of the Dark?

She said they wanted shows with memorable casts to feature the actors.

"We picked people who could over-play without being annoying because this isn't exactly a serious show," she said.

She added she hopes audience members walk away with good memories of their childhood.

Cast member Vinny Del Prince (senior-mathematics) said it was hard in the beginning to get work done when random conversations about their favorite episodes would interrupt rehearsal.

And during Monday's rehearsal, Del Prince, who plays Doug, was describing the technical aspects in playing Quailman when one of these side conversations started among cast members.

"Legends of the Hidden Temple sparked my major," Buddy Ruse (sophomore-classics and ancient Mediterranean studies) said.

Ruse, who plays several characters in each of the episodes, said he dreamt of going on that show as a child. He hopes people leave the theater remembering a simple time and how much Nickelodeon actually influenced their lives, he added.

Kadushin, Class of 2008, said he heard the idea for a Nickelodeon show his freshman year and held onto it ever since.

"It's not an exact replica of the shows," he said. "It's like a Nickelodeon cover band."

He said they are trying to be as authentic as possible.

"TV shows can't exactly switch onto stage," Kadushin said, adding what he thinks is really exciting is getting to see characters that you've never seen come to life.

"You get to see stuff that rose out of them being together," he said. "Stuff that you don't get out of a cartoon."

And as a viewer, one of his reasons for anticipating the show is a little more juvenile.

"Seeing someone dressed as Quailman will be priceless," he said.