Comparative Interviews of Athlete and Artistic Performer
Preparing for the interviews:
I had decided to choose Nathan and Dean because of their vast differences in their chosen craft
and interests.
Athlete:
Performer:
Nathan
Dean
Countryside High School Football Player
Gibbs High School Thespian Lead
What sport are you known for playing?
When did you realize you had the skill set to succeed?
Answer: Football for sure, I've played a few other sports along the way but football has been the only one that really stuck.
Answer: When I was in middle school, I was in the show choir and as part of show choir we did musical theatre. In musical theatre I was in my fair lady and Oklahoma and it was truly the first time I had larger roles that I did well in. People from the high school programs would recruit people from the middle school shows and that is when Gibbs Drama representatives showed interest.
What do you do to prepare mentally and emotionally for your peak performance?
Answer: I think about all the training I've done and I tell myself I'm ready for this. I like to listen to music to get me hype for the game.
Do you have any superstitions or rituals associated with rehearsals or shows?
Do you consider your sport a "performance" in any way?
Answer: I didn't really have any before show rituals besides rehearsing and being well prepared.
Answer: Yes, because people are watching and have expectations of the team having success.
Do you consider your art form related to "sport" in any way?
How do you deal with failure after working so hard for success?
Answer: Some roles had physically demanding aspects but for most of what I was participating in, I didn't have to do much for it physically. The art of acting really does involve sport with physical
Answer: Practice more, you can't let yourself get down because then your performance in the game will just get worse. Getting in your head about it won't
help, you have to get back up and fight harder.
aspect and through practicing
How does your success in the
What are some of the physical demands of your sport?
arts translate into success off the stage?
Answer: The drama program signed us up for focused classes that helped to develop character and instill good work ethic in us. There was one instructor I would never forget because she told us that's the confidence that a person has in their day to day life will make them a better actor or actress because the belief they had in themselves would promote a better performance. It became more than just theatre classes it was a guide for life.
Answer: You have got to work out, run, and eat right. Being in shape is incredibly important because it prepares your body to be the best that it can for the game. Practice itself is a big physical demand because we practice for a few