In the theaters and performing spaces of 1920s and 1930s Berlin, creativity and artistry were exploding in exciting new ways.
Cabaret theaters were the cutting edge of culture at the time, bringing song and dance together with satire and parody. Performers in the cabarets were stars, and one of the most luminous was Paul O’Montis. His celebrity made him famous throughout Germany.
As a gay man, it also made him a target for the increasingly powerful Nazi party.
"He was someone (who Joseph) Goebbels could not stand; he just hated him. Literally, as soon as they came to power, they sought him out," said Casey Hayes, a music professor at Franklin College. "He had fled overnight to Vienna, and they chased him, got him and drug him back and beat him to death."
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O’Montis’ story, and those of countless other LBGTQ artists living in Germany at the time, has been buried by history. Hayes hopes to change that.
One year from now, Hayes will travel to Austria to immerse himself in the life and death of O’Montis, as well as the music he made and the artistic community he was part of. Hayes has been named a Fulbright scholar, one of the highest academic honors given in the U.S.
His research will focus on the “Rosa Vien,” or Pink Vienna, in which LBGT artists living in Germany were displaced and fled as the Nazi party rose to power. Hayes will tell that story through the eyes of O’Montis.
Winning the award and being able to tell this story is deeply impactful for Hayes, continuing a line of research that he has dedicated his life to.
"There are so many of those stories out there," he said. "By finding and bringing to light these stories that had not been told, it helps to keep it relevant to the 21st century. It emboldens me to dig these stories up and give them the light of day to teach them to the kids."
Hayes is only the fourth Franklin College faculty member to be awarded a Fulbright grant. The announcement is being celebrated by the entire campus community, said Kerry Prather, acting president of the college.
"Not only has Dr. Hayes breathed life into our music program and recruited many students to the campus, but he also continues his scholarly pursuits, as evidenced by this fascinating and impressive research," Prather said in a statement. "He embodies the very set of qualities—teacher, enthusiast, mentor and scholar—that make so many Franklin College professors stand out among their peers."
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar program is the country’s primary international educational exchange opportunity. Participants are chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential. Those chosen have the chance to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns, according to the Fulbright website.
His assignment will be at the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, or the Austrian Academy of Sciences, in Vienna. Hayes will be teaching a course on early LGBTQ civil rights in the U.S. and Austria.
But his main focus will be on researching O’Montis and the role Vienna played as a sanctuary for LGBTQ artists from the cabaret.
"When the Nazi party rose to power, all of these gay and lesbian cabaret performers need to literally get out of dodge. They went to either New York or Vienna," Hayes said. "This research takes a look at that historic connection through the eyes of one of their performers."
Hayes has been a music professor at Franklin College since 2009, where he is chair of the music department and director of choral activities. He is also the artistic director of Quarryland Men’s Chorus, based in Bloomington. Formerly, he was the music director of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, and chair of the creative arts department at the Hewitt School, a private school in New York.
His focus of research throughout his academic career has been on historic LGBTQ rights, particularly during the Weimar Republic era of Germany, which lasted from 1919 to 1933.
Some of his previous work includes the story of Billy Rosen, a cabaret performer who died in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
"He was so prolific and so beloved. Everyone knew him, and yet no one knows him now," Hayes said. "I fell upon that story maybe four or five years ago, and started my research there. In the process, (I) started learning about so many other men, and that’s how I fell upon Paul O’Montis."
Hayes will spend time researching accounts and music written by O’Montis while at the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, as well as at the Austrian National Library, which has invited him to be a guest researcher and have complete access to materials he needs, including music and lyrics written as the LGBTQ community coalesced after fleeing from Germany.
"The music (O’Montis) created and performed is just outstanding. It’s such a snapshot into this period of time," Hayes said. "I teach courses here on the Holocaust. As different generations of kids go by, they know Hitler. They know the key figures. And really, at a point, the Holocaust has to be continually made to be alive."
When Hayes applied for the Fulbright grant, he was confident that his research base and portfolio was strong. But he was still surprised when he learned he had been awarded the grant.
He will be in Austria from February to mid-July 2021. His hope with his research is writing a book about what he learns, as well as bringing a new perspective to students.
And he hopes his recognition helps spotlight the incredible research and work being done by other Franklin College professors.
"On a broader scope, I’d like to think my colleagues here and get a light shown on them as well," Hayes said. "We have an amazing faculty here, and people take us for granted."
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Casey Hayes
Home: Franklin
Occupation: Associate professor of music, music department chair and director of choral activities at Franklin College
Family: Spouse, Joseph R. Morris; two dogs, Reggie and Franklin
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education and choral conducting from Butler University; doctorate in music education from the Steinhardt School of Education, New York University
Memberships: Franklin College Gold Quill Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society; the Indiana Delta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity; artistic director of Quarryland Men’s Chorus of Bloomington
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