“Any play that makes an audience think out of the box, that makes connections to life and names our pain and by doing so makes our pain subject to thinking and the process of understanding, is doing something inherently political. By promoting understanding, by putting experience in context, by making connections between the normal and the rational, theatre is an act of anti-terrorism. It stimulates courage and a survival spirit. In that sense of political, there are a lot of serious plays doing their work in the world.” ThinkingWorldPlayPainPoliticalSpiritNamesProcessUnderstandingAudienceSubjectsSeriousNormalSurvivalConnectionsBoxesTerrorismTheatreRationalPromotingAnti Terrorism Author:John Lahr
“Most of the people dishing out judgment have no working experience of the theatre, have not written a professional play, a sketch, or even a joke; have never worked in a theatre, taken an acting class, or published any extended piece of work. They are creative virgins; everything they know about theatre is book-learned and second-hand.” PeopleKnowsBookPlayHandsActingClassCreativeTakenPiecesWrittenJudgmentJokesTheatreVirginsSecond HandActing Classes Author:John Lahr
“I go to the theatre expecting to have a good time. I want each play and performance to take me somewhere. Naturally, this doesn't always happen.” WantPlayHappensPerformancesTheatreGood TimesTake MeExpectingHaving A Good Time Author:John Lahr
“Angels in America' - which is composed of two three-hour plays, 'Millennium Approaches' and 'Perestroika' - proved to be a watershed drama, the most lyrical and ambitious augury of an era since Tennessee Williams's 'The Glass Menagerie.” TwoPlayAmericaThreeHoursDramaApproachAngelGlassesErasAmbitiousLyricalMillenniumTennesseeMenagerieWatershedsAngels In America Author:John Lahr
“Theatre is a game of hide-and-seek. For both the hiders and the seekers, the thrill is in the discovery. When the rules of the game are too vague or too complicated, however, the audience can lose its urge to play; the prize no longer seems quite worth the hunt.” PlaySeemsGamesLosesAudienceDiscoveryComplicatedTheatreUrgesPrizeVagueThrillHuntsSeekersHide And SeekRules Of The Game Author:John Lahr
“Tony Awards boost Broadway attendance and sell the shows on the road. They're the sugar to swat the fly. If you needed more explanation for the yearly ballyhoo, in the metropolitan areas where a Broadway show plays, the local economy is boosted by three and a half times the gross ticket sales. So when we're talking Tonys, we're talking moolah.” IfsPlayShowsThreeHalfTalkingEconomyNeededAreasSellsLocalsExplanationAwardsSugarTicketsBroadwayGrossBoostAttendanceMetropolitanBroadway ShowsHalf Time Author:John Lahr
