CMU School of Drama


Monday, April 24, 2017

Turning the NFL draft into grand theater, with Philadelphia as the stage

www.philly.com: "Standing on those steps and seeing that this is such a heroic moment, this is a culmination for these [draft picks], we set out on, 'Could we create a theater? Could we build a theater here?' " said Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's senior vice president of events.

"We know it's going to be complicated. We know it's going to be audacious. But this is what we have to do, and the Parkway itself was natural. It's a home to so many iconic events over the years."

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Until Snapchat began to include it in its national snap stories, I did not even know that the NFL draft was so popular or hosted the way it is. Even on Snapchat, I was confused as to why it was structured in the way that it is and I had automatically assumed that it was some hall of fame event, not a draft. As the sports novice that I am, I still am not quite sure as to how sports drafts work and especially unsure of why they have to be so elaborate. To me it feels as though the draft is just another way for the NFL to increase its profitability by combining its sports appeal with the entertainment industry. This idea is only enforced by the article, as the author goes into long lengths to discuss the ways in which the NFL draft has turned into a theatrical performance.

I do feel as though this article could have used more pictures. For example, it spends an entire section discussing a staircase’s steps and how to set up the stage a certain way, but a non-Philadelphia native or resident would have trouble understanding what is meant by that.