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George C. Wolfe Quotes

Playwright

George C. Wolfe is an American playwright known for his profound exploration of issues related to race, class, and gender. His works include 'Angels in America' and 'Jitney', which have won multiple awards, including the Tony Award.

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All Audience People Black Musical Easy President Surrender Archetype Art Authority

Famous George C. Wolfe Quotes

“Every play is rhythmic control. If you want an audience to go on a journey, it's rhythmic control. You're crafting when they lean in, when they push back, when they breathe, when they surrender. It takes you probably five to six minutes to build trust with an audience. A musical you can build trust in three notes. Boom, boom, boom, you're instantly seduced. So musicals have this easy potency, but generally, in my opinion, they waste them, because a musical is incredibly hard to do.”

Easy Opinion Audience Journey Musical Breathe Surrender

Author:George C. Wolfe

“Most musicals are informed by very rigid archetypes. If you get a very sophisticated mind writing them, you sense something else, but it's a folk-art form, really, at its best. At different times I've tried to push against it as much as I possibly could, but ultimately it is a folk-art form.”

Writing Mind Different Sophisticated Archetype

Author:George C. Wolfe

“It's very important for an audience to know where they are and why they are there in a musical. It allows them to relax and follow this form that operates in shorthand. So the economy of the form, in many respects, is why a lot of screenwriting is so sleek. Because the visuals are where the explosions happen.”

Important Audience Economy Musical Relax Screenwriting

Author:George C. Wolfe

“The hardest thing about a musical is making sure everybody is working on the same damn show. That is the monster.”

Musical

Author:George C. Wolfe

“I think musicals are a lowbrow, populist art form. And I don't mean lowbrow in a condescending way at all - they are designed to create delight, wonder, joy, surprise. And what becomes really interesting is when innovative or challenging or smart people take it and use the easy runway that the form allows to take people to another planet, or another place. Or subvert it in some way.”

People Thinking Mean Art Joy Easy Challenges Interesting Wonder Smart Surprise Innovative Really Interesting Smart People Populist Condescending

Author:George C. Wolfe

“I'm watching the show and I'm watching the audience watch the show. Because once you leave the rehearsal room, you have space and you can see it. You can watch them watch it. You can't see your work, really, until you're in the theater. You have no perspective. That's not part of my job, to go, "Oh my God, they're so brilliant." I'm not required to swoon.”

Audience Perspective Brilliant

Author:George C. Wolfe

“Any time there is a cultural breakthrough in which this culture transcends what it's supposed to be, there's a violent reaction. So we had a black president, and it's followed by an incredibly violent reaction. It happens over and over.”

Culture Black President Violent Breakthrough

Author:George C. Wolfe

“A friend of mine said that when Barack Obama was running for president, there was a whole generation of white kids who are used to looking up to a black person center stage speaking. And that's because of hip-hop. So there was no adjustment. A person of color in authority at times is very startling to people. But as time goes on, it becomes less startling.”

People Running Kids Black President Authority Barack

Author:George C. Wolfe

“I'm dancing to the music of the madness inside me.”

Madness Dancing Dance Dancer Just Dance Dance Music Inspirational Dance Music And Dance Short Dance Dancers Inspiration

Book:Two

Source: Two

“God created black people and black people created style.”

People Black Style Black People

Book:The Colored Museum

Source: The Colored Museum

“With music, you can create instant trust with an audience. You can hear three notes, and you surrender to it, whereas it takes you about ten minutes of language before people begin to trust you in a play.”

People Play Three Language Audience Minutes Ten Notes Surrender Instant

Author:George C. Wolfe

About the Author

Born: September 23, 1954
Known for: Playwright
Quotes: 11

Books & Sources

The Colored MuseumRelated source material

TwoRelated source material

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