Baltimore Sun: A man shouted a pro-Nazi and pro-Trump salute during a performance of “Fiddler on the Roof” at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre on Wednesday night.
Audience member Rich Scherr said the outburst during intermission prompted fears that it was the beginning of a shooting. The man, who had been seated in the balcony, began shouting “Heil Hitler, Heil Trump.” Immediately after that, “People started running,” Scherr said. “I’ll be honest, I was waiting to hear a gunshot. I thought, ‘Here we go.’”
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My confusion begins with the individual's intent and execution not really lining up. He said that the show's content had brought up his hatred for our current president. This may have been true, but there still remains the issue that he publicly did a Nazi salute, and yelled something that should have died years ago. I do not possess the ability to govern this man and how he feels about certain issues, but under no circumstances is it appropriate to create such panic with such hateful associations. ESPECIALLY in a show like Fiddler. Fiddler is not the only show that encapsulates struggles experienced by members of the Jewish community, but it is however one of the more well known ones that has been around for at least fifty years. The story and struggles remain just as important now as they did then. Our culture is one so firmly based in fear, that anything is taken as a threat. Perhaps the saddest thing is that we are so conditioned to respond to any level of commotion with "oh my gosh, it's a shooter, I may die." Hearing that this occurred in a space like a theater, where artists are encouraged to tell their truthful stories is absolutely saddening. Hatred continues to creep into our safe spaces, our homes, our places of worship, our schools and our theaters. I hope that for the rest of the run, and for other like shows, this is the worst incident that will happen.
It seems as if almost every day there is another hateful, anti-Semitic act posted in the media. I am deeply saddened that these incidents continue to occur, despite some arguing against their significance. This man’s act of shouting about Hitler and Trump in a theatre following the first act of a production about Jewish persecution simply appears as hate speech to me. While some may argue that he was drunk and shouting in passion as a way to challenge Trump, the act was entirely aggressive. Because he incited fear within the audience members, it ruined the rest of the performance for everyone. The idea that it’s “the equivalent of shouting ‘fire’ in a theater” is entirely valid because it could have been avoided. The rhetoric in this nation has become unfiltered and disrespectful. It is no longer someone exercising free speech—the words lack thought and human decency. The language in our country needs to change, and that example needs to be set by our leaders.
It is so terrible and horrifying to see acts like this in the world. This is something that I've been thinking about a lot recently; the idea that stage managers, house managers, and theatre administrations are going to have to be more attentive and prepared for worst case scenarios. Theatres are homes to diverse thoughts and controversy able to be explored through new media, so it is in our best interests to be vigilant about security in the theatre industry. At the theatre I used to work at, they began doing bag checks. I wonder if that is something that will be more prevalent at theatres around the country. Additionally, the action of making political assertions at theatres has been increasingly seen. These words carry weight. It is not someone protesting at a rally. It is hate. It is fear striking. There is no place for it in the theatre.
Oh my gosh. I feel like this could have ended so so much worse. I can not imagine how those poor audience members must have felt. We now live in a world where if you are in a public place, and some one starts yelling, you could be in serious danger. It is scary to go out to large events now. Seriously, I feel like I am always checking over my shoulder, or looking for possible means of escaping a room or area. It has even gotten to the point where I have started noticing potential places for shooters to be stationed in public areas. Why do we have to live like this? I hate this. To return back to the article, this man's actions confuse me. Like, you hate Fiddler on the Roof, but you still bought a ticket to go see it? Wait, so you yelled heil Trump, but you then say you hate Trump? What is wrong with this guy, honestly. And alcohol is not an excuse. You still believe those things when you are sober.
How disgraceful and how terrifying. I wonder if this man bought a ticket to this show for the sole reason of shouting this and causing a nuisance. If so the jokes on him, the money he paid went to support all of the ideas and beliefs which I assume are in direct contradiction to his own. But either way it had to be a totally shocking and upsetting experience. I hope this man can be charged with some kind of crime because it is far worse than just shouting fire in a crowded theatre. I do not blame the patrons for thinking it was the beginning of a shooting, especially with the proximity in time to the Tree of Life massacre. I could not imagine the power the second act had, the weight with which the plot resonates with the current climate, especially that tense climate within the theatre itself. Like usual it said it is supposedly protected under free speech, just because you can do something under the first amendment does not mean it does not come with consequences.
This could have ended so, so badly. I think all of us in Pittsburgh know that well, given the events that have occurred in the last few weeks. I completely understand why some people’s first instinct was to run. In today’s age, you never know when someone could unleash their hate in a much more physical, violent manner. This person had the audacity to walk into Fiddler on the Roof, a production based heavily in Jewish tradition, and yell “Heil Hitler, heil Trump.” Every time I hear about something like this happening in 2018, I want so badly for it not to be real. We all want to believe that the country has made progress, but it simply has not. The Trump administration certainly is not helping either, and their actions and open hatefulness embolden people like Anthony Derlunas and make their actions something the government does not wish to punish. I am glad the man was removed from the theatre, but I wish his disgusting actions came with more punishment.
This incident really highlights the strange and sometimes frightening position we put ourselves in when we chose to make live performance our career. We are literally inviting sometimes thousands of random people into our space and hoping that they don't do what this man did, or worse. My initial reaction to the headline of this article was just tired. I'm tired of seeing this hate in the news, I'm tired of knowing that there are so many people in this country who might hold the same values that I think this man holds, but upon reading this article further, it really seems as if this man simply didn't know what he was doing. According to the article, his sentiment was one of anti-trump, and trying to evoke similarities between hitler and trump. Even knowing this, his actions are pretty inexcusable. I agree with the analogy the article presents, which is like shouting fire in a crowded theater. Being drunk does not excuse disrupting the experience of the rest of the audience, and while I do believe his speech is protected by the first amendment, I believe he should have been ticketed for disturbance of the peace or some equivalent, given that his words had almost the same reaction as shouting fire.
This is just awful, especially in the wake of the shooting in Squirrel Hill. I think a lot of us see articles like these on a daily basis, and it’s just so tiring that we as a society haven’t moved past hate. What this man did was dangerous and clearly incited fear into everyone else around him, and I wish he hadn’t gotten off with just a slap on the wrist. I hate how the stupid and hateful actions of a single person can affect so many lives around them and reshape communities, and I wish that we could go out to public events without risking our lives. Events like these is what makes shows like Fiddler on the Roof relevant- if hate like this still exists, we need to devote energy to calling attention to it and doing our best to stop it and prevent others from being hurt by it.
It was just like an echo of all the hatred that have left scars in people’s heart. While the man was obviously drunk, it does not mean what he said is not intentional. The hate will always be there and it is a collective fight for us to continue fighting for. As the long-standing tradition that alcohol is allowed in the theater, I found it hard to judge being drunk in theaters an inappropriate behavior. What is more concerned to me is that we see hatred as irrational and then avoiding understanding the people with it. Why this man put Hitler and Trump in the same phrase is important. Is there any misunderstanding between this government and its people? Did he feel hurt in a way that some actions like this must be taken to address his opinion to the public? I would consider a talk between this man(or any other people have similar feeling) and Trump worthy, since conversations is the only way of establishing mutual understanding. It was shocking at the scene, and preparing for this kind of situation by having a protocol is essential. But, is there one more step to take so we can dig even deeper into the problem? And so we might have chance to solve it from its deep, unseen root.
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