Home / Quotes / Quote by Edward Albee

Quote by Edward Albee

“I know playwrights who like to kid themselves into saying that their characters are so well formed that they just take over. They determine the structure of the play. By which is meant, I suspect, only that the unconscious mind has done its work so thoroughly that the play just has to be filtered through the conscious mind. But there's work to be done - and discovery to be made.”

Quote by Edward Albee

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Work

Conversations with Edward Albee

This book features in-depth conversations with Edward Albee, delving into his thoughts on theater, writing, and life. The discussions provide insights into Albee's creative process and the evolution of his work. more

Author

American playwright, known for his unique dramatic style and profound exploration of modern family relationships. Edward Albee's works often involve complex interpersonal relationships and moral dilemmas, and his plays hold a significant place in 20th-century American theater. more

You May Also Like

“The characters' lives have gone on before the moment you chose to have the action of the play begin. And their lives are going to go on after you have lowered the final curtain on the play, unless you've killed them off.”

Play Moments Character Action Gone Goes On Finals Curtains

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“A play is a parenthesis that contains all the material you think has to be contained for the action of the play. Where do you end that? Where the characters seem to come to a pause... where they seem to want to stop - rather like, I would think, the construction of a piece of music.”

Thinking Want Ends Play Character Seems Action Pieces Materials Construction Pauses Parentheses

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“I suspect that the theme, the nature of the characters, and the method of getting from the beginning of the play to the end is already established in the unconscious.”

Ends Play Character Method Theme Unconscious Suspects

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“When one controls form, one doesn't do it with a stopwatch or a graph. One does it by sensing, again intuitively.”

Doe Form Sensing Graphs

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“Curiously enough, the only two plays that I've done very much revision on were the two adaptations - even though the shape of them was pretty much determined by the original work. With my own plays, the only changes, aside from taking a speech out here, putting one in there (if I thought I dwelled on a point a little too long or didn't make it explicit enough), are very minor; but even though they're very minor - having to do with the inability of actors or the unwillingness of the director to go along with me - I've always regretted them.”

Ifs Littles Long Two Done Enough Play Actors My Own Shapes Directors Speech Originals Determined Minors Inability Adaptation Explicit Revision

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“There are two things that a playwright can have. Success or failure. I imagine there are dangers in both. Certainly the danger of being faced with indifference or hostility is discouraging, and it may be that success - acceptance if it's too quick, too lightning-quick - can turn the heads of some people.”

People Ifs May Two Turns Imagine Danger Acceptance Indifference Two Things Lightning Hostility Playwright Discouraging Success Or Failure

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“If the playwright is strong enough to hold on to reasonable objectivity in the face of either hostility or praise, he'll do his work the way he was going to anyway.”

Ifs Way Enough Faces Strong Praise Reasonable Hostility Strong Enough Playwright Objectivity

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“This is a fundamental question, Mr. Mayor [ Rudy Giuliani ]. Is the president of the United States legitimate or not? Do you believe it? If you believe it, why doesn't your candidate state it.”

Ifs Believe States President United United States Fundamentals Candidates If You Believe Mayors Rudy

Author:Chris Matthews

“A couple of Donald Trump people, including his vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana, and of course, Dr. Ben Carson, have both come out in the last days, hours, practically, and said they believe President [Barack] Obama is a legitimately elected president of the United States.”

“I confirm that and Donald Trump now confirms that President Barack Obama is a legitimately elected president of the United States].”

States President United United States Trump Barack President Barack Obama

Author:Rudy Giuliani