Home / Quotes / Quote by Lynn Nottage

Quote by Lynn Nottage

“It's much easier to conjure characters strictly from your imagination than to have to think about whether you're representing people in a truthful way.”

Quote by Lynn Nottage

Author

Lynn Nottage, born on November 2, 1964, is an influential American playwright known for her profound themes and rich character development. Her works have won multiple Tony Awards and Pulitzer Prizes. more

You May Also Like

“When you begin a play, you're going to have to spend a lot of time with those characters, so those characters are going to have to be rich enough that you want to take a very long journey with them. That's how I begin thinking about what I want to write about and who I want to write about.”

Thinking Want Writing Long Enough Play Character Rich Journey Long Journey

Author:Lynn Nottage

“When the play is still evolving I try to be at rehearsal as often as possible, and part of that casting process. You find new things when the language is living in different people's mouths.”

People Trying Stills Different Play Language Process Mouths Evolve New Things Casting Different Peoples Rehearsal

Author:Lynn Nottage

“I think that when you're first shaping the play and trying to find a character, the initial actors that develop it end up imprinting on it - you hear their voices, you hear their rhythms. You can't help but to begin to write toward them during the rehearsal process.”

Thinking Writing Trying Firsts Ends Play Character Helping Actors Process Voice Rhythm Initials Rehearsal Imprinting

Author:Lynn Nottage

“I see the audience as the final collaborator. I think it's kind of bullshit when people say, "I'm not interested in the audience reaction." I'm like, "Then why do you do theater? You can write a book, then you don't have to see how the audience reacts." It's a living, breathing thing.”

People Thinking Writing Kind Book Audience Theater Finals Reactions Breathing Not Interested Bullshit Collaborators

Author:Lynn Nottage

“I'm interested in the moments where the audience is restless. I'm interested in the moments where they lean in and become incredibly engaged: the laughter, the silence. All of that is part of how I think about shaping and rewriting the play.”

Thinking Play Moments Silence Audience Laughter Engaged Restless Rewriting

Author:Lynn Nottage

“I want the audience, when they leave, to think of the characters on the stage in three dimensions. I want them to have empathy. I also want them to think about engaging more with where we are culturally.”

Thinking Want Character Three Audience Stage Empathy Dimensions Engaging Three Dimensions

Author:Lynn Nottage

“I love costumes in dance, I think it's very important. The clothes for dancing not only make you feel like somebody else, but it makes you move in a different way.”

Thinking Way Feels Important Different Moving Clothes Dancing Different Ways Costumes

Author:Blanca Li

“With dancers, we are all the time dancing with somebody else. It happens often that you meet a new dancer or you have a new partner. But what is true is that sometimes, when you dance with some people, there is not the right feeling.”

People Sometimes Feelings Happens Dancing Partners Dancer

Author:Blanca Li

“I work as a dancer, but I also work as a choreographer with couples that have a lot of tension between them, and as dancer and as a choreographer, being in this situation is very difficult. You see the energy doesn't flow, and it's very tense.”

Energy Difficult Situation Couple Flow Tension Dancer Tense Choreographers

Author:Blanca Li

“Dancing is like making love. It has to be a harmony; it has to be about two bodies. When one is like, "I am the good one," it doesn't work.”

Two Body Harmony Dancing Making Love

Author:Blanca Li