Ishy
Whenever Ishy makes his obligatory cameo in each production, all current and former FYP members cheer. There have been a number of undocumented traditions surrounding Ishy as well, as it is now considered good luck to kiss Ishy before the show. According to Will Slusher, Ishy was “thrown around” a bit during the Spring 2001 production of Hair, and at some point a leg came off. The duck was repaired, but since then has been notoriously unstable, prone to doing “nosedives off the tech table.” One of these resulted in another broken leg, at which point Mary Elizabeth Robinson, a techie and nursing student, promptly performed “emergency surgery.”
Ishy is a white plastic duck, who traditionally has at least one cameo in every show First Year Players puts on. For a while his precise origins were a mystery, but former FYP alum Tracy Simpson recalls when Ishy first came about!
“I was involved with FYP from 1992-1995 in a variety of roles including vocal director, caterer, and social staff. I am 99.999999% certain that Ishmael’s debut was in Spring 1994, in Sweet Charity. In the last scene, Charity and Oscar are walking in the park, and he breaks off their engagement by pushing her into the lake. The duck prop helped establish that there was, in fact, a pond.
“Naturally, FYP being FYP, someone brought the duck to a party and many shenanigans ensued… I’m almost certain that it was my roommate (and FYP assistant producer/social chair/caterer) Tiffany Ricardo who christened him Ishmael, and many of us lobbied (successfully!) for his inclusion in Fall 1994’s Jesus Christ Superstar (the temple scene). I’m pretty sure he’s made a cameo in every show since.”