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Quote by Tony Kushner

“When I'm writing a new play, there's a period where I know I shouldn't be out in public much. I imagine most people who create go through something like this. You willfully loosen some of the inner straps that hold your core together.”

Quote by Tony Kushner

Author

Tony Kushner is an American playwright known for his profound social and political commentary and complex character development. His works often explore historical, moral, and identity issues, reflecting the diversity and complexity of American society. His most famous works include 'Angels in America' and 'Homebody/Kabul.' Kushner has received numerous awards for his outstanding contributions to theater, including the Pulitzer Prize. more

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“You have to have hope. It's irresponsible to give false hope, which I think a lot of playwrights are guilty of. But I also think it's irresponsible to simply be a nihilist, which quite a lot of playwrights, especially playwrights younger than me, have become guilty of.”

Thinking Giving Guilty Playwright Irresponsible Having Hope False Hope Nihilist

Author:Tony Kushner

“The kind of theater that I do is sort of ‘narrative realism,’ which I think in the broadest sense is legitimate to say is mainstream. I mean, in a certain sense, Suzan-Lori's plays have had mainstream levels of success. But Suzan-Lori is in some ways not a narrative realist.”

Thinking Way Kind Mean Play Certain Levels Theater Narrative Mainstream Realism Realist

Author:Tony Kushner

“The act of thinking and interpreting is so central to Judaism that it makes more sense that we've become people like Woody Allen - thinkers and talkers and drafters of law.”

People Thinking Law Thinker Judaism Woody Talkers Interpreting

Author:Tony Kushner

“When I teach writing, I always tell my students you should assume that the audience you're writing for is smarter than you. You can't write if you don't think they're on your side, because then you start to yell at them or preach down to them.”

Ifs Thinking Should Writing Sides Teach Audience Students Assuming Smarter Your Side

Author:Tony Kushner

“So I think I'll say the obvious thing: theater is ephemeral. When a production is done, it's gone forever. You can take pictures of it. You can make a film of it. But it's not the production. It's not the same thing.”

Thinking Done Film Gone Forever Theater Productions Obvious Ephemeral Obvious Things

Author:Tony Kushner

“I'm a sort of political person, and I feel that there's a kind of ineradicably political dimension to theater, to all theater, whether it's overtly political or not.”

Feels Kind Persons Political Theater Dimensions

Author:Tony Kushner

“The big influence on me was Robert Altman, who, especially in 'Nashville,' transformed my sense of dramatic structure and showed how you could handle overlapping stories.”

Stories Bigs Influence Structure Handle Dramatic Transformed Nashville Overlapping

Author:Tony Kushner

“The way you give love is the most profoundly human part of you. When people say it's ugly or a perversion or an abomination, they're attacking the center of your being.”

People Way Giving Humans Love Is Ugly Attacking Perversion Abomination

Author:Tony Kushner

“I write everything with fountain pens. I don't know why. I've done it since I was bar mitzvahed. I was given a fountain pen, a Parker fountain pen, and I loved it, and I've never liked writing anything with pencils or ball-points.”

Knows Writing Done Given Balls Bars Pens Fountain Pencils Bar Mitzvah Fountain Pens Ballpoint Pens

Author:Tony Kushner

“Who knows better than artists how much ugliness there is on the way to beauty, how many ghastly, mortifying missteps, how many days of granitic blockheadedness and dismaying ineptitude there is on the way to accomplishment, how partial all accomplishment is, how incomplete?”

Knows Way Artist Accomplishment Ugliness Incomplete Ghastly Ineptitude

Author:Tony Kushner