{"id":2555,"date":"2017-02-21T00:38:03","date_gmt":"2017-02-21T00:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=2555"},"modified":"2017-09-25T03:38:45","modified_gmt":"2017-09-25T03:38:45","slug":"5-ways-theatre-and-sports-collide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/5-ways-theatre-and-sports-collide\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways Theatre and Sports Collide"},"content":{"rendered":"

5 Ways Theatre and Sports Collide<\/h3>\n \"\"<\/a><\/span>

Written by\u00a0Ashleigh Gardner<\/p>\n

February 16, 2017<\/p>\n<\/font>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Rarely do theatre people and sports fans meet in the same place…unless it\u2019s the DMV. The theatre community is highly aware of the value that\u2019s placed on the sports industry, particularly when it comes to school programs and ticket sales. But why leave theatre in the dust when it\u2019s <\/span>so much <\/span><\/i>like football? Baseball? Basketball? We\u2019ve got 5 reasons why theatre is just as nail-biting as an NFL playoff game.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Drama, conflict, comedy.<\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/span><\/div>

Sports, just like theatre, has copious amounts of drama, conflict, and comedy. A penalty is given after a player pulls the facemask of the other team\u2019s quarterback. The star point guard\u2019s knee gives out. The baseball player with a penchant for Beyonce does the moves to \u201cSingle Ladies\u201d on third base. <\/span>Hamilton<\/span><\/i>\u2019s story shares all these elements with a sports broadcast or live game, so why not trade that Coca-Cola for a cast album, or vice versa?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

4.\u00a0Power play.<\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/span><\/div>

The struggle for power is real in sports and theatre. In sports, batting, throwing, and kicking around a ball is a grab for power. If your team has the ball — they\u2019ve got the world in their hands. In theatre, the power play happens onstage between characters and situations, and the way it plays out depends on their willingness to sacrifice something or endure a long road ahead. That 50 yard dash looks a lot more similar to Hamlet\u2019s race for the throne, doesn\u2019t it?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

3. Community event.<\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/span><\/div>

When a bunch of fans rally around their favorite team, it\u2019s a lot like patrons gathering to see the latest new play by the nation\u2019s leading playwright: they\u2019re there together for the same reason. They\u2019re <\/span>excited <\/span><\/i>for the same reason. And even though warring factions in sport may not like to speak to each other, they value the importance of the game the same way that theatre-goers value the importance of the performance they\u2019re about to see.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

2. Respite from the everyday.<\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/span><\/div>

Everybody gets bogged down by work, school, and life in general, so it\u2019s no wonder theatre people and sports people alike gravitate toward their favorite hobby for some stress relief. Sports provide fans with a focus that is strategic and energized, and theatre gives patrons a source of creative catharsis and spectacle.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

1. Team effort.<\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/span><\/div>

It\u2019s no secret that it takes a village to put on a show, and sports teams have an entire staff behind them that supports every facet of the team\u2019s needs: physical therapists, waterboys, strategists. In theatre, we\u2019ve got stage managers, costume runners, rigging stage hands, and sound and light board operators behind the scenes. And at the end of the day, we\u2019re all family.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the next time somebody says, “Theatre is boring!” cite the reasons above, and let them know why it’s just as valuable as sports!<\/p>\n

Below is a clip from the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s\u00a0The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)\u00a0<\/em>— Shakespeare’s histories depicted as a football game.<\/p>\n
\r\n