Unexpected Player Sightings

[JoePgh]

Last year during the basketball season, I attended a theatrical production on the Storrs campus at the Connecticut Repertory Theater. As I recall, it was a stage adaptation of the Jane Austen novel "Sense and Sensibility." I was extremely surprised when I recognized that one of the student ushers for that performance was a player on the UConn women's basketball team. The thought of posting that information, including the player's name, on this forum did cross my mind. But I quickly decided that while there is nothing remotely negative about a player being a student usher at a theater production, it is still personal information that the player did not choose to share, so it really isn't my right as a fan to share it on her behalf.

But I was very impressed with the fact that a member of the Huskies evidently had an interest in serious theater.

Then last week, I attended a production the the August Wilson play "The Piano Lesson" at the same theater. I was even more surprised to see a DIFFERENT Uconn women's basketball player serving as an usher at that performance.

Seeing two different players filling this role makes me wonder if there is some intentional connection between the WCBB team and the theater arts curriculum on the UConn campus. Maybe a player took a theater course and enjoyed it (and the students maybe got extra credit if they served as an usher and then wrote a review of the performance?), and then recommended the same course to another player? Or is this something that CD (perhaps) suggests to players as a way of broadening their horizons on campus beyond basketball?

I do recall reading that a long time ago, when another UConn basketball team was playing a game in New York, CD arranged for them all to see "The Color Purple" when it was playing on Broadway. Geno came along and afterwards commented to the players about how much concentration was required of the performers to give their absolute best performance 7 or 8 times a week. He suggested that was much harder than the effort he was asking of his players on the basketball court.

I wonder if having players serve as theater ushers on campus is another way of making the same point.

 

[TitleTown]

Last year during the basketball season, I attended a theatrical production on the Storrs campus at the Connecticut Repertory Theater. As I recall, it was a stage adaptation of the Jane Austen novel "Sense and Sensibility." I was extremely surprised when I recognized that one of the student ushers for that performance was a player on the UConn women's basketball team. The thought of posting that information, including the player's name, on this forum did cross my mind. But I quickly decided that while there is nothing remotely negative about a player being a student usher at a theater production, it is still personal information that the player did not choose to share, so it really isn't my right as a fan to share it on her behalf.

But I was very impressed with the fact that a member of the Huskies evidently had an interest in serious theater.

Then last week, I attended a production the the August Wilson play "The Piano Lesson" at the same theater. I was even more surprised to see a DIFFERENT Uconn women's basketball player serving as an usher at that performance.

Seeing two different players filling this role makes me wonder if there is some intentional connection between the WCBB team and the theater arts curriculum on the UConn campus. Maybe a player took a theater course and enjoyed it (and the students maybe got extra credit if they served as an usher and then wrote a review of the performance?), and then recommended the same course to another player? Or is this something that CD (perhaps) suggests to players as a way of broadening their horizons on campus beyond basketball?

I do recall reading that a long time ago, when another UConn basketball team was playing a game in New York, CD arranged for them all to see "The Color Purple" when it was playing on Broadway. Geno came along and afterwards commented to the players about how much concentration was required of the performers to give their absolute best performance 7 or 8 times a week. He suggested that was much harder than the effort he was asking of his players on the basketball court.

I wonder if having players serve as theater ushers on campus is another way of making the same point.

I think it may just be a part time job.

 

[DaddyChoc]

or Community Service (not the criminal type)

 

[cbraarj]

Kia has said she one day wants to be on Broadway.

 

[dbmill]

When I was a student at UConn, I took a class offered by the School of Fine Arts. As part of the class, you improve your grade by working a number of hours in the box office for the plays that were being put on. This could be something similar.

 

[BroadwayVa]

or Community Service (not the criminal type)

What is the point of going to College--if all you do is practice, study, play, travel --repeat and repeat and repeat--
So, I assume some of them will partake of that which is offered at UConn ---being an usher--is being just another student doing the Student thing. It's not ALL about money.

Speaking of extra Non BB activity--did you see the picture of 24 days until UCWBB first game?? Napheesa Collier--she is just fantastic looking--amazing--and a ToP uCWBB player.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Kia has said she one day wants to be on Broadway.

Hey I have a spare bedroom --she can come to BROADWAY anytime she wants =--I'll keep a light on for her.
Kidding aside (she is still welcome)--the town in daze gone by--had a large theater that brought in acts from every theater art form-and drew people from 50 miles around.

 

[bags27]

I do recall reading that a long time ago, when another UConn basketball team was playing a game in New York, CD arranged for them all to see "The Color Purple" when it was playing on Broadway. Geno came along and afterwards commented to the players about how much concentration was required of the performers to give their absolute best performance 7 or 8 times a week. He suggested that was much harder than the effort he was asking of his players on the basketball court.

I'm pretty sure I remember the crew going to a show last year when they played Maryland in the Maggie Dixon Classic. That was the toughest game UConn played last year, in my opinion, and perhaps they drew inspiration from the actors again!

Whatever the reason for their ushering at the CRT, it's terrific for every imaginable reason. Thanks so much for letting us know and for your sensitivity in not revealing whom you saw.

 

[j66kicker]

I'm pretty sure I remember the crew going to a show last year when they played Maryland in the Maggie Dixon Classic. That was the toughest game UConn played last year, in my opinion, and perhaps they drew inspiration from the actors again!

Whatever the reason for their ushering at the CRT, it's terrific for every imaginable reason. Thanks so much for letting us know and for your sensitivity in not revealing whom you saw.

I believe they went to see Book of Mormon, so we might be able to cross off the "cultural enrichment" theory. I'm chuckling thinking about the players drawing inspiration from that hilarious and extremely irreverent production in order to whack Brenda and the Terps

 

[DaddyChoc]

What is the point of going to College--if all you do is practice, study, play, travel --repeat and repeat and repeat--
So, I assume some of them will partake of that which is offered at UConn ---being an usher--is being just another student doing the Student thing. It's not ALL about money.

Speaking of extra Non BB activity--did you see the picture of 24 days until UCWBB first game?? Napheesa Collier--she is just fantastic looking--amazing--and a ToP uCWBB player.

nah I saw #23 Maya... and #22 Ashley Battle

Community Service doesn't have to involve something you DONT like. Just curious, what type of community service has they done, maybe that Gold Tournament when we saw the walking wounded?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

nah I saw #23 Maya... and #22 Ashley Battle

Community Service doesn't have to involve something you DONT like. Just curious, what type of community service has they done, maybe that Gold Tournament when we saw the walking wounded?

Just curious - how would you suspect ushering equating with their community service activities. I missed the connection. I don't doubt they do the community things (Arizona and Rutgers tweet about at least some of them) but it is usually visiting the sick, helping the poor and homeless, cleaning up an area, etc.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Just curious - how would you suspect ushering equating with their community service activities. I missed the connection. I don't doubt they do the community things (Arizona and Rutgers tweet about at least some of them) but it is usually visiting the sick, helping the poor and homeless, cleaning up an area, etc.

you don't think ushering could be some type of Community Service/Volunterring thingy?

I had plenty of kids "help out" under my watch. I had many folks call me say "DC can you sent about 4-5 teenagers down here to set-up tables and chair, collect tickets, and clean up after... help elderly people to their seats "Sure what time should they be there."

not getting paid to do anything within the community is "Communtiy Service" to me. I know you may be talking about adults but assisting others dont always have to be dirty work. Tutoring/Mentoring is also "community service". Helping over at the church is community service (not many sick, poor, homeless there)

check some of these High School recruits bios... they don't mention "trash" or cleaning up the area

what is your ETC?

(Edit, it should be GOLF... not Gold Tournament)

 

[BroadwayVa]

Just curious - how would you suspect ushering equating with their community service activities. I missed the connection. I don't doubt they do the community things (Arizona and Rutgers tweet about at least some of them) but it is usually visiting the sick, helping the poor and homeless, cleaning up an area, etc.

Geno and Team--don't do Community SERViCE--they do GiVE BACk
They do it early and often as individuals or as a team in total. Visiting the military hospitals in the DC area--cooking meals for an entire town that lost power during the winter--
Geno and Christine--do not believe in honking their own horns especially when helping out fellow CITiZEnS-- A concept taught in old time Catholic schools--
'hide your light as you do good works' God will know you did it--no one else needs to know.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Geno and Team--don't do Community SERViCE--they do GiVE BACk
They do it early and often as individuals or as a team in total. Visiting the military hospitals in the DC area--cooking meals for an entire town that lost power during the winter--
Geno and Christine--do not believe in honking their own horns especially when helping out fellow CITiZEnS-- A concept taught in old time Catholic schools--
'hide your light as you do good works' God will know you did it--no one else needs to know.

I did say "some of them". For many years we knew someone much more "inside" than we were, and I heard about things (at Rutgers) that were not advertised. However, certain "good deeds" include the advertisement, as it encourages others. If the team goes and serves food at a homeless shelter, to hear that they did so might encourage additional donations to the shelter (for example).

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

you don't think ushering could be some type of Community Service/Volunterring thingy?

I had plenty of kids "help out" under my watch. I had many folks call me say "DC can you sent about 4-5 teenagers down here to set-up tables and chair, collect tickets, and clean up after... help elderly people to their seats "Sure what time should they be there."

not getting paid to do anything within the community is "Communtiy Service" to me. I know you may be talking about adults but assisting others dont always have to be dirty work. Tutoring/Mentoring is also "community service". Helping over at the church is community service (not many sick, poor, homeless there)

check some of these High School recruits bios... they don't mention "trash" or cleaning up the area

what is your ETC?

(Edit, it should be GOLF... not Gold Tournament)

In the context of an individual student doing a volunteer task, for whatever reason, of course ushering would be possible.

I was taking the reference as part of the team doing "give back" work, and at least the advertised ones are quite often what you are calling "dirty work". As to my "etc.", as another example, the Rutgers team (or at least some of it) went some years ago to a local underfunded facility (YMCA?) where the activities director played for Vivian (Iowa or Cheney), and they ran a clinic, brought some "Rutgers" gear, including practical stuff like basketballs.

 

[UcMiami]

Being a theater major in college I hate to say it, but all starting arts curriculums seem to include some pretty 'easy' courses in terms of academic rigor, so seeing scholarship athletes taking those types of classes is not that surprising. And being in those courses does include credit or expectation for helping out on productions. It is like CD giving her students in whatever PE course she was teaching extra credit for attending early WCBB games in the field house.

And also taking those entry courses, you tend to become friends with some of the more serious arts students, so helping out at performances might also just be connecting with those friends.

(I doubt the usher jobs are paid for the student productions on campus.)

 

[BroadwayVa]

I did say "some of them". For many years we knew someone much more "inside" than we were, and I heard about things (at Rutgers) that were not advertised. However, certain "good deeds" include the advertisement, as it encourages others. If the team goes and serves food at a homeless shelter, to hear that they did so might encourage additional donations to the shelter (for example).

I wasn't disagreeing with you--I was adding to that which you said. I have no issues with which your wrote!
As to the uConn team working at shelters--it may encourage others--that's true.
But the flip side is---Uconn does not do good works (it hides it's light under a basket) for praise or some one saying --'aren't they nice'--it's about the good work not the headlines. For some people the only reward is---God knew they did good works--who else should matter???

Interesting you selected a homeless shelter---Uconn WBB does that regularly without fanfare--now that you know--you can go and do the same. (see Advertising works) Thanksgivings and Christmas are not the only times of need---have a good time --feeling good about what you do. Or as a local family here does---it opens it's doors and kitchen regularly--for local homeless.