the Kultura Blog

If I could only get a hundred pesos for every person who looks in disbelief whenever I tell them I’m into basketball and theater, I might have enough money right now to buy my own car.

…

Well, maybe not a car. But I’d really have a lot of money already.

Really! I can’t quite get why my friends from theater can’t seem to get it in their minds that I am an avid basketball fan. The same goes for my basketball friends, who can’t quite picture me on stage.

In fact, just this afternoon, an old friend, whom I was in a number of theatrical productions with some years back, was wondering why she saw one of those whiteboard/clipboards for basketball on my desk. When I told her I was the assistant coach for the women’s basketball team, she told me she never knew I was into basketball. Women’s basketball at that. She said that it was believable that I was into women. But basketball? She went as far as saying that the only reason I was in the coaching staff because I wanted to see legs. Oh, come on. Why would I resort to something like that?

Personally, I really can’t believe that any guy in the Philippines - basketball-crazy country that it is - has not picked up a basketball his whole life. You take a trip out of town and on the way, you are bound to spot at least fifteen basketball rings. It doesn’t matter if you have to play on the streets… heck it doesn’t matter if the street is INCLINED (I saw a rim by a street in Banaue… an inclined street), basketball is everywhere, and I pity the father whose son has never taken a shot (it doesn’t have to go in).

Which brings me to the real meat of this post. Are theater and basketball really mutually exclusive? Is it really impossible for someone to have a passion for both these activities? How hard is it to conceive the idea that someone who excels in basketball can also excel in theatre?

We’ve had a pop culture reference to this possibility, with the lead guy in Disney’s High School Musical providing the character. He is supposedly the star player in his high school basketball team and he crosses borders… somewhat… by auditioning and getting the part in their yearly musical presentation. Not that I think that highly about that movie but it goes to show you that some people have thought about that possibility.

And just to take it one step further, I would like to think that basketball and theater both operate on similar principles.

You see, a basketball team is comprised of a coach, and his players. Sometimes you have an assistant coach and most of the time you have the team manager. You’ll also have trainers, ballboys and other personnel who help the team as it plays in tournaments.

A play production would be composed of the director and his cast. Sometimes he takes on an assistant director or a stage manager, and the play always has to have a producer.You also have the production crew, tech people, make-up, and many other people that help in setting up the production.

In basketball, each coach has a set of plays. These plays are designed to make execution by the players on the court more efficient. In the NBA, coaches like Gregg Popovich of the Finals-bound San Antonio Spurs and Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz team he beat have playbooks that span hundreds of pages. These playbooks contain signals and moves for the players to indicate where they should be at certain points in time.

Theater directors have their scripts and stage directions, which dictate the movement of the actors on stage. Sometimes, a director may have a hundred stage directions in order to have full control over the movement of his actors. Scripts are one of the basic elements of theater. Without them, there would be no play. I must inform those brazen enough to read this that a script does not necessarily have to have dialogue. Stage direction is sufficient, provided that it is a silent play and has a purpose.

Basketball has a heirarchy. You have your LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Chauncey Billups, Steve Nash, and all the other superstars who are the focal point of their teams. You also have the support stars who can play well but are not good enough to lead their team. Then you have the role players - those who fill a specific need in their team: three point shooters, perimeter defenders, shot blockers, energy guys, towel wavers (Jack Haley of the second three-peat Bulls filled this role) are some of the roles played by bench players.

The stage also provides a heirarchy of sorts. You will always have your lead (or leads). Then you have your supporting cast, and you have your bit players. And just as there is no small role in theater, there are also no small roles in basketball.

Theater provides you with climaxes, monologues, and a whole lot of drama. Basketball provides you with crunch time, players taking over games, and a whole lot of drama as well.

Before a game, the team goes through rigorous training, a lot of practices, and a whole lot of pep talks to prepare for the games ahead. Before the play dates, the production goes through workshops, rehearsals, and probably the same amount of pep talks to get everything right for the shows.

Concentration and focus play a very important role in basketball. A team, yes all twelve players, have to play the game for the full forty-eight minutes. A lapse in focus or concentration for even just one minute could spell winning and losing at the final buzzer.

The same goes for a play. All the actors, and the prod, tech, and other crew involved, have to be in the play for the whole duration. As an actor, you can’t slip in and out of the play, especially if you’re on stage. We hear the phrase “stay in character” a lot when we’re in productions. A simple slip up for even just a second - not showing the right emotion, not reacting the right way - could be the difference between a good and a bad performance.

Lastly, whichever activity you’re in, be it in theater or basketball, or both in my case, you always have to have passion for it. You can’t be a good actor, director, or production crew, if you don’t have passion for the stage. As an actor, you have to want to be on stage, delivering lines from some playwright, moving about in sometimes ridiculous costumes, and taking the bow at the end of each show. As a director, you have to have the fire to deliver your message to the world through the medium of the script and the stage. As a production crew member, you have to want to put up a very good show each and every trip.

Basketball requires no less. You have to have the passion for the game. The NBA has been saying that a lot of people “Love This Game.” Those are the ones who enjoy playing basketball. As a player, you have to have passion for the game to allow yourself to undergo intense training, numerous hours at the gym, and the possibility of having to deal with a serious injury. As a coach, you have to love the game so badly in order to be willing to teach your philosophy to a bunch of players who may not all get it. As a trainer, crew member, or ballboy, you have to want to be a part of the game so much in order to endure all the different obstacles that may arise.

Theater and basketball aren’t all that far off. And it’s a surprise to me that people can’t imagine someone like me playing basketball. Or that I do theater.

Then again, maybe they can’t picture ME playing basketball or doing plays. Do I exude an aura of just being a basketball addict or a theater junkie? Maybe it shows something about my not being easy to read as a person. Maybe I exude a mysterious aura that makes people believe only what they see and where they see me. I really hope not, because these two are on the top list of my passions in life. I wouldn’t know where I’d be if not for these huge parts of my life.