STUDENT VOICE

Jack Ireland ‘22 assumes a thoughtful stance on the sideline.

Juggling Football and Theater

“[They] aren’t so different after all.”

By Jack Ireland ’22

Last fall, I was on the varsity football team and in the musical. The path to make this happen wasn’t easy, but it turns out that football and theater aren’t so different after all.

Rewind to fall 2018, when I was a freshman. Coach Stephen Lewis sent out the activities form: “Choose one activity you plan to participate in in the fall.” One? Not a chance was I going to choose only football or only Ampersand, the joint theater group of St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s. I had no idea how I was going to make it work or whom I needed to talk to, but it was going to happen.

I still remember the first time I told Mr. Horner I was going to miss football practice to audition for the musical, “Into the Woods.” It was hot and humid, and I was scared out of my mind to talk to this teacher I’d never met before. I told him my situation and prepared to hear the letters “N-O.” Instead, I received a “Y-E-S.” He and the other coaches were supportive and encouraging, and we quickly worked out when I was to be at practice or at rehearsal. That was a major relief.

Now, my confrontation at the musical was a very different story. You can imagine the look on the director’s face when I listed JV football as a conflict on my audition sheet. Yikes. At first, she thought I was confused, then she was confused, and then I heard the encouraging words: “We’ll see.” A few days later, I received an email with the cast list. I scrolled, searching frantically for my name. There I was. I made it, though as a smaller role. That didn’t matter. I was in. And I was in for the long haul.

As the fall progressed, I got increasingly frustrated that I was so behind in the musical, but couldn’t spend more time rehearsing, as I was needed on the field. I missed many more rehearsals than I did football practices. I didn’t know the music or the dances, as I wasn’t there when they were being taught. The times I did go to rehearsal, my scenes weren’t even being run. Sometimes, I had to run between campuses to get to where I needed to be.

I also began to feel isolated from my team and the cast, as I wasn’t fully a part of either one. There were many times where I wanted to quit either activity and just focus on one. Because I

felt so isolated, I began to dislike football and wanted to be at theater full time. I knew I was capable of being a lead role, but football was the wall between me and stardom. I was in too deep to quit, though. It came together in the end, with an undefeated JV season and a fantastic showing of the musical. I could breathe.

Somehow I found myself buckled in for sophomore year as well. With one fall season of football and theater and a spring season of lacrosse and Shakespeare under my belt, I was more adept at tackling the obstacles of the coming year, as were my football coaches and the director of the musical. I enjoyed football that year, and we went undefeated again, with another great showing of the musical, “Once Upon a Mattress.”

I’m convinced that junior year would have proceeded the same way if it weren’t for COVID.

Since freshman year, I’ve continued to participate in both football and Ampersand in the same season. This untraveled road has taught me a multitude of personal skills and life lessons, many of which overlap on the stage and the field.

No. 1: We should never turn our backs on what’s in front of us. On the field, Coach Clarke Miller always tells us to keep facing forward so we can use our hands and find someone else to block. If we turn our back to our man, we take ourselves out of the play.

The same goes on stage. If we turn our back to the audience, they miss a whole dimension of our performance: facial expressions, hand gestures and clarity of speech. That also takes us out of the play. We face forward and use our own skills to harness whatever challenges come our way, whether that be a different color jersey or our grandma sitting in the front row.

No. 2: Stay engaged or, as my teammate Trent Hendrick ’22 would say, “Lock in.” By the time we hit show week, many of us have done the same dance and have heard the same song countless times but, if we don’t stay engaged, we might miss our cue or take the focus away from what’s happening on stage. During football, every drive is played until the whistle. If we let go of our block too early, that defender may end up making the play. We always need to give 100% to everything we do and stay engaged with the task at hand.

No. 3: Watch yourself to correct your mistakes. That’s the reason we watch game film during our Monday and Tuesday football practices, and we record our dance numbers for the musical. We get to catch our mistakes and review them. By the time a show or a game comes, each of us has worked to eliminate our mistakes. We can’t stop ourselves from still making some, but we can stop ourselves from making the same one twice.

Finally, No. 4: Work as a team. Coach Clelland often repeats his mantra about football, “It’s the only team sport where everyone on the field has a job to do, and if done right, the play succeeds.” If one man fails to do his job, the team suffers as a result. Theater is the same way. If one actor misses a line or misses a cue, the whole show falls apart then and there. Encourage your teammates. Celebrate their victories, but teach their shortcomings. What’s easy for us may be difficult for another, so pick them up when they fall.

Now in senior year, my struggles have been worth fighting for. I was finally cast as a principal role in this year’s musical, “Godspell,” and blocked a punt for a safety in the game against Trinity Episcopal School. For once, I felt fully embraced by both groups: my football team and the musical cast. I love seeing my castmates cheer on our football team and was enthralled to see my team pack the house on opening night. I couldn’t have made it to this point without the help of my coaches, my director, Musical Director Greg Vick and my supportive peers.

Jack Ireland ‘22 performs in a one-act play.

Ireland plays a lead role in “Godspell.”