What was that flashmob in Schine?

If you didn’t see it in the campus story, the First Year Players (FYP) surprised everyone with a Flashmob in Schine’s Atrium. #CompletelyUnexpected.

Isn’t this the best way to enjoy your in-between ten-minute class transition?

The First Year Players is a student-run theatre organization that puts on a Broadway-quality musical every spring semester. The last two they did were The Addams Family (2015) and Rent (2014).

The annual flashmob is a FYP tradition to announce their next show, and this year it’s Heathers: The Musical   Check out Welcome To My Candy Store, Spotify it it’s cool.

The Tab spoke to Civil Engineering major Collin Jacobs, one of the of FYP producers, to get a sense of what this musical and this organization are all about:

Collin, how did you decide this show?

“We had a long list of shows we had to consider. We wanted the best show which fits the mission of FYP, to provide a professional theater quality experience for first years coming in.

We spoke with all the different members of our e-board and went through each and every single team of FYP and we said ‘why would this show be best for this team?’ [Heathers] was actually the one that came through the best. We felt this would be the chance for us to incorporate every single team and get the best of each and every single one of them.”

In two sentences, how would you describe the show Heathers?

“Hmmm two sentences…. That’s a tough one…

“It’s about this group of girls in high school, all named Heather, they’re very popular and they pick another girl to add into the group named Veronica. She is different because she has friendships with outcasts, and she, by joining the Heathers, changes up how people perceive the populars.”

Can you give us the date of the show?

“April 14, 15, 16.”

How do you get from an idea to the actual show?

“It’s a very long process. There’s a lot that goes in to it between budgeting for different aspects of the show, and designing sets and costumes. The director has such a great vision of what he wants for the show itself, which was a deciding factor, and he is working with the rest of our teams to make his vision a reality.” [Shout out to the director, Paul Mancano].”

What would you say to those people who say: FYP, the bunch of nerds that do a play?

“I would definitely say, as cliché as it is, don’t judge a book by its cover. There are so many different people from so many different backgrounds with so many different stories, from so many different locations with so many different majors, it’s like a microcosm of the entire SU Campus.

“You’ve got a little bit of everything and I think it helps people in the organization to understand there is a lot more out there than just themselves and what they’re doing.

“It helps me understand the big picture that there is so much more out there, and no matter how important I may be, I’m just a small piece to this massive puzzle.”

Any message for the freshmen on campus?

“To those interested in auditioning, my big piece of advice is don’t be afraid to put yourselves out there and really get involved. I understand that there are some people we won’t be able to take because of auditions, we’re going to have to make cuts. Which definitely sucks, it’s my least favorite part of my whole experience.

But there are still so many opportunities to get involved in this organization, especially on staff moving forward.

You get what you put in. To all freshmen, don’t be afraid to really put yourselves out there, stay true to yourselves,  find who you are, and find your place on campus.”

Any expectations for the show and the organization? What’s the legacy you want to leave as the “CEO” of FYP?

“Oh goodness…the legacy I want to leave…Oh Jeez…That’s a dodging question.

“I don’t really think I have much of a legacy I want to leave necessarily. I just want to be able to put on a great show.

“I want to be able to, at the end of the day when the show is being performed, look to all the cast, crew, pit, all the teams that are a part of the org, I want to look at them all and say ‘did I get the best out of all of them? Did I get as much as they could give me?’ I want to be able to say yes to those questions.

“I just want to get the best out of everybody and try to create the best experience I can possible.”