Fourteen out of 29.
That is how many thespians have chosen to participate in the spring play and a spring sport simultaneously, with overlaping games, meets, and rehearsals.
Athletic Director Matt Weis encourages students to be involved in as many activities as possible.
“We also try to work very hard for coaches and sponsors to communicate with each other, so students aren’t forced to choose between one or the other,” Weis said.
Athletes have little time to rest in between practice and rehearsal. On the nights when games and rehearsals overlap, they come straight to rehearsals when they get home.
“I know it makes for an extremely long day for the kids,” Director Tina Ostrander said. “We appreciate them being able to make it to rehearsal, even if it’s for a little bit.”
When cast members are gone for track meets or soccer games, Ostrander and other crew members, like Lucas Zieser, read lines for those who are gone.
“There have been times Lucas will also act for those who are gone,” Ostrander said. “It’s very helpful.”
Ethan Grawe (12) and Christian Timmerman (11) are two students that have bigger play roles that also are in a spring sport.
A typical day for Grawe includes conditioning at 6:30 a.m., going to school, attending soccer practice, showering, and then going to play practice. His day ends with eating supper after 10 p.m. Passion is the reason Grawe chose to be involved in both, despite the busy schedule. He can’t imagine missing out on another soccer season since he did not go out last year.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing soccer since I was young,” Grawe said. “I learned to love play and theatre in general. I don’t want to miss out on these opportunities while I still have them, so I figured why not feel really busy if I get to do two things I love to do.”
Timmerman’s schedule is similar to Grawe’s except Timmerman is on the track team.
“It’s always a long day when I have track and play, especially when I have morning track practice because I’ll go to work for a few hours after school,” Timmerman said. “I’m always going from one thing to the next, and I usually don’t get home until 10 p.m.”
With both being gone from play practices due to a meet or game, they have found their own ways to memorize their lines outside of practice.
“During my free time, I’ve been really fortunate to be able to work with my directors on my lines and different scenes,” Grawe said. “I’ll also read my lines most nights before bed because I think that’s when you retain the most information, and it’s always worked for me.”
After one rehearsal, Timmerman became extremely frustrated because he wasn’t remembering his lines and queues. Freshman Eli Shipley showed him a Quizlet, an online study guide which anyone can create, with all of his characters’ lines and queues.
“When I got home, I studied the Quizlet for three hours,” Timmerman said. “The Quizlet made it a lot easier for me to memorize my lines.”
Grawe, like Weis, encourages kids to be involved in the play as well as a spring sport.
“If you’re doing two things you love, you don’t mind being busy,” Grawe said. “In the end, it’s nice to see all the hard work pay off on stage and in a sport.”
