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David Ives Biography

Playwright

David Ives, born on July 11, 1950, is a renowned American playwright known for his humor and wit. His works have won widespread acclaim for their clever dialogue and unique narrative style.

Related Quotes

“Ultimately one has to pity these poor souls who know every secret about writing, directing, designing, producing, and acting but are stuck in those miserable day jobs writing reviews. Will somebody help them, please?”

Knows Writing Soul Helping Jobs Poor Acting Secret Design Please Stuck Pity Miserable Reviews Day Jobs

Author:David Ives

“Learning to write for the theatre is learning to be a human being, because the theatre by its very nature makes you deal with other human beings.”

Writing Humans Human Beings Deals Theatre

Author:David Ives

“I've taught both screenwriting and playwriting, and playwriting is both much harder and much more rewarding. One can teach people how to tell a story in cinematic ways, but theater is a much more elusive craft.”

People Way Stories Teach Taught Harder Theater Theatre Crafts Elusive Screenwriting Cinematic Playwriting

Author:David Ives

“Writing a play, you start with less, so more is demanded of you. It's as if you have to not only write a symphony, but invent the instruments as well.”

Ifs Writing Wells Play Instruments Theatre Symphony

Author:David Ives

“Plays are always about intense relationships, whether they're intense love relationships or family relationships or existential relationships.”

Play Intense Existentialism Existential Love Relationship Family Relationship Intense Love Respectful Relationships

Author:David Ives

“All reviews should carry a Surgeon General's warning. The good ones turn your head, the bad ones break your heart.”

Should Heart Turns Break Crafts Reviews Warning Surgeons Break Your Heart

Author:David Ives

“I have been approached now and again about sitcoms, but, with very few exceptions, one simply needs to move to L.A. for at least a year or two these days if one wants to develop a series - which is what writing a pilot means. I've also been approached about writing episodes for sitcoms, but in order to do that one actually has to watch sitcoms. . . . Life's too short for television, and I don't what it on my actual gravestone, HE STARED AT A BOX FOR 10,000 HOURS.”

Ifs Want Needs Writing Years Mean Has Beens Two Moving Order Hours Watches Television Series Boxes Crafts These Days Exception Pilots Episodes Too Short Sitcom Gravestone Life's Too Short

Author:David Ives

“I admire pop songs that are perfect at three minutes.”

Song Three Perfect Minutes Pops Admire Pop Song

Author:David Ives

“I think everything should be in verse. 'The New York Times' should be in verse.”

Thinking Should New York Verses New York Times

Author:David Ives

“Lists are anti-democratic, discriminatory, elitist, and sometimes the print is too small.”

Sometimes Democratic Lists Print Elitist Elitism

Author:David Ives

“Necessarily, I'm always involved in casting, as any playwright is, because the whole process of putting on a play is a collaborative, organic effort on the part of a bunch of people trying to think alike.”

People Thinking Trying Play Whole Process Effort Involved Bunch Casting Playwright

Author:David Ives

“Verse comedy is interesting to me because of the challenge of writing in rhymed couplets, which is not a form that's usually amenable to English, yet to me it gives great possibility for comedy.”

Giving Writing Form Challenges Interesting Comedy Possibility Verses Amenable Couplets Comedy Writing

Author:David Ives

“With my plays, when the lights go down, at least the audience isn't thinking, 'Oh, God, two more hours of this.”

Thinking Two Play Light Hours Audience

Author:David Ives

About the Author

Born: July 11, 1950
Known for: Playwright
Quotes: 13

Books & Sources

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