Arts Stories & Interviews | St. Louis | St. Louis Riverfront Times: Readers of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch know Benjamin Hochman as a sports columnist, and he’s also the author of four non-fiction books about sports. But this week, he adds a new line to his resume: playwright. Shakespeare in the Streets will present Hochman’s soccer-themed play, The Game’s Afoot, September 14 to 16 in downtown St. Louis. (See stlshakes.org/production/soccer for more information.) He recently explained how St. Louis’ infamous high school connections led to this collaboration — and why this play is for soccer lovers, not just theater fans.
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I think it’s really a testament to the writing of Shakespeare that his work can remain relevant so many years after he wrote it. It's truly timeless work that he’s created, and has had such a lasting impact on arts and culture around the world-they’ve survived because of their timelessness-the themes and ideas his work explores are universal in its value and application. It’s difficult to find a show that’s not derivative of Shakespeare's plays in some way, as much contemporary theater draws inspiration from or is directly based off of Shakespeare's shows. I really relate to this article on a personal level-my whole family is made up of big soccer fans, and both of my siblings play, my mom even coaches. I think that a soccer adaptation of Shakespeare would be excellent in modern day, as seen by the success of shows like Ted Lasso and Wrexham. This adaptation could bring Shakespeare to a more modern audience and I think this soccer adaptation would be very interesting for theater and soccer fans alike!
Theater and soccer are a combination that shouldn’t go together but, oddly, do. Both have the power to unite communities and make us all feel something together. Both make us laugh, cry and suffer. Good actors and soccer players emit fierce passion, rise to the occasion and allow themselves to be vulnerable in front of a captive audience. Soccer is a great vehicle for a playwright to accurately depict deep themes and issues. I imagine Benjamin Hochman will do just that with his play “The Games Afoot”. Is he a sports columnist? Yes. Was he much of a “Shakespeare guy” before this? No. Has he ever written a play before? I’ll have you know he has actually. Once. Benjamin Hochman carries a humble confidence in his answers to well asked questions and, quite frankly, I’d take a chance on him. It would be easy to write him off but being St. Louis born and bred as well as having written publicly about soccer all his life could just make him the man for the job.
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