A group of students wearing black T-shirts, carrying large signs and singing emerged onto Syracuse University’s quiet Quad at 12:37 p.m. Monday.

Members from the cast and crew of First Year Player’s “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” filled the Quad, slowly at first, and grew into a much larger group singing “Come Follow Me,” a nursery rhyme.

Students filed onto the Quad from Carnegie Hall, Link Hall and Hendricks Chapel to raise awareness for the play’s performances this weekend.

The group circled a large bag of “money” around several times until everyone proceeded to Schine Student Center. Many passersby failed to acknowledge the commotion and continued on their way.

Leading the group was Ray Lapena, FYP’s public relations director, holding a large sign to remind students to purchase tickets for this weekend’s performance.

The group walked past the Hall of Languages and into Schine, where the packed student center came to a standstill. The group circled the middle of Schine, still holding signs and singing until the progression stopped at the doors leading down to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Once they stopped signing, they began clapping and chanting ‘FYP.’

Ashley Mitchell, a junior psychology major, said she liked the flash mob and thought it was an effective way to promote the play throughout campus.

Lapena, organizer of the flash mob, said there was very little preparation for the event. There were no rehearsals for the mob because the size of the cast and crew resulted in scheduling conflicts, he said. In lieu of practicing, Lapena said he sent a PowerPoint explaining to cast members where they would be placed and how they would enter the Quad.

“I wanted it to be big,” Lapena said. “I wanted it to include both the staff and the performers.”

This year’s production involves a cast of 24 members, but the mob included the production crew and cast members of previous productions put on by FYP.

Rachel Dentinger, a cast member and freshman music education major, said she thought the flash mob was successful because it raised awareness of the production.

“They definitely heard us,” she said.

 

Published on April 12, 2010 at 12:00 pm