Several Silvercreek residents on June. 10 voiced their displeasure following a performance at Silvercreek High School. On Friday evening, the SHS theatre arts department, in conjunction with the SHS orchestra, presented their production of “Orpheus in the Underworld” under the direction of faculty member Marcus Richter. The world-famous opera, which first premiered in the 19th century, features the song “Galop Infernal” from composer Jacques Offenbach in the final act. The song is often associated with the can-can dance, in which a group of dancers perform a series of synchronized high kicks. During Friday’s performance, Richter enlisted the SHS cheerleading squad for the dance, which drew the ire of those in attendance. Marcia Carmody, 55, was among several Silvercreek residents who walked out of the auditorium after the cheerleaders took the stage. While she sent a formal letter of complaint to the Silvercreek Independent School District, she said the blame rests squarely on Richter’s shoulders. “That man should be ashamed of himself,” Carmody said. “Some of those girls probably aren’t even 16 and they were paraded out there like harlots in those short skirts. I honestly couldn’t even believe my eyes.”
“That man should be ashamed of himself,” Carmody said. “Some of those girls probably aren’t even 16 and they were paraded out there like harlots in those short skirts. I honestly couldn’t even believe my eyes.” Alfred Perkins, 44, said he attended the performance along with his wife and had seats in the front row. “We saw everything up close,” he said. “Those poor girls were out on display like pieces of meat. I don’t know what things are like where Mr. Richter is from, but that’s not how we do things in this country.” Richter, who originally hails from Germany, said that while the reaction of the audience surprised him, he does not chalk it up to a difference in cultures. “It isn’t a matter of differing mindsets or the American society versus European,” Richter said. “The can-can dance is known worldwide and isn’t any more risqué than some of the cheers the girls do at football games. While the show was lively, it was presented innocently, and I can’t be in control of where the mind of an audience member wanders.” Alex Macready, one of the cheerleaders who performed in the opera, said she thinks the audience overreacted to the dance.
“I mean, like, there are demons and stuff in the show and people are going on and on about seeing our legs or whatever,” she said. “It’s like, priorities. Grow up.” Richter said the school originally planned for the production to run weekly through the month of the show is in jeopardy. “The incredible amount of hours we put into this show only for the audience to turn on us before the finale of the first performance is heartbreaking,” Richter said. “Everything was going so well until the end, and now, it’s up to the district to decide whether or not all of our hard work was for nothing. These kids have put their hearts and souls into this for weeks, so I hope they let us carry on with the original schedule.” At the time of publication, a request for comment from SISD has not been returned.
