Students in Clemons Library around 1 a.m. Monday morning witnessed a seemingly anti-Semitic performance by a group of newly-cast members of First Year Players.
Blindfolded, the group performed parts of “Springtime for Hitler,” a musical number from Mel Brooks’ “The Producers.” FYP, a Contracted Independent Organization which produces a new theatrical production or musical each semester, will perform “The Producers” in November and previously used the song in its callback auditions.
Katie Thompson, FYP producer and fourth-year Batten student, released an apology to the University community on behalf of the organization.
“In the process of welcoming new students to our organization on Sunday, our excitement became tied to themes of this semester’s production of the 12-time Tony award-winning musical ‘The Producers,’” the statement read. “The show is a love letter to Broadway and simultaneously a parody of Nazi Germany and Hitler’s rise to power. We regret if the performance of some of its content without context inadvertently offended our fellow Hoos.”
The performance came as a part of an FYP tradition known as “roll,” intended to welcome newly-cast first years and first-year transfer students to the organization.
Traditionally, older members drive to cast members’ dorms and pick them up late at night. Exactly what older FYP members do with their individual “rollees” is not pre-determined. According to an email sent to FYP members, “roll” participants are typically blindfolded and told to complete tasks such as drinking milkshakes or participating in dance parties, often while wearing a costume.
Later, all participants convene in a communal area, where the newly-cast members are welcomed to FYP.
According to the email, the comfort and well-being of new members during this event was to be taken into account.
“Please ask them if they are cool with being blindfolded first,” the email read. “And safety is our number [one] priority, so make sure you keep an eye on them.”
Problems arose, however, when several new members were escorted to Clemons Library and instructed by older members to perform the song “Springtime for Hitler,” which includes lyrics such as, “Ev’ry hotsy-totsy Nazi stand and cheer,” and the repetition of the phrase, “Springtime for Hitler and Germany.”
Spectators immediately expressed their discontent on the popular social media app Yik Yak, which allows students on college campuses to anonymously post thoughts and comments. Some Yik Yak users wrote they were offended by the performance, which they perceived as anti-Semitic.
Thompson noted that the number could be easily misconstrued when performed apart from the play as a whole. “The Producers” details the antics of two men who wish to produce the worst show in the history of show business.
“One of the great things about theater is that it can be offensive, it can be thought provoking, and it can make you think about what has happened in the past,” Thompson said. “‘The Producers’ does that really well — but out of context, it is incredibly offensive. On behalf of FYP, I apologize to anyone who was offended by our actions.”
Thompson speculated older members became caught up in the excitement of the moment and did not thoroughly consider how the performance could be perceived.
“[The members] really weren’t thinking, but it wasn’t out of malicious intent,” Thompson said. “Out of context, it absolutely was, and I understand why people in the library responded in the way that they did.”
The Office of the Dean of Students was contacted multiple times but did not provide comment on any issues pertaining to the roll event.
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