PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers rookies went back to class for a team bonding experience at Point Park University.
Point Park’s Department of Theatre hosted an acting class for the Steelers in the Pittsburgh Playhouse as part of the 2024 Rookie Development Program.
“The rookie class had a great sense of camaraderie, and it was wonderful seeing them laugh and enjoy themselves outside of the high-pressure environment of training camp,” said professor Rich Keitel, M.F.A. “I was very impressed with their willingness to jump right in and try new theatre exercises with a great attitude.”
The high-energy class included a warmup, ice breakers, games and exercises designed to tap into each player’s creativity, the university said.
“The curriculum we created aimed to get the players to not only be open and vulnerable, think on their feet and have fun, but also aimed to pique their interest in other things, like acting and improvisation, to apply the skills they learned at Point Park on/off the field or later in life,” said part-time faculty member Cynthia Dallas.
“It was good to get out of my comfort zone and be with the guys, bonding over something different,” first-round pick Troy Fautanu said. “Everyone’s personalities came out as they played different characters and it was a fun experience.”
“A lot of this is about team bonding,” quarterback John Rhys Plumlee said. “The closer you are to your teammates, the better you perform. A lot of football is improv. If a play doesn’t go like you wanted it to, there is a lot of improv that goes with it.”
After the class, the rookies participated in a question-and-answer session with faculty to ask questions about the industry, Pittsburgh and more.
“Doing things like this only make you closer off the field and it helps when you get on the field,” said Fautanu. “It was a fun experience and I hope to come back and do it again sometime.”
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