Best Theatre Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 31

“A play has two authors, the playwright and the actor.”

Source: In search of theater

“Farce is tragedy played at a thousand revolutions per minute.”

Minutes Revolution Thousand Tragedy Theater Theatre Rebellious Farce

“There is no more reason for a room on a stage to be a reproduction of an actual room than for an actor who plays the part of Napoleon to be Napoleon, or for an actor who plays Death in the old morality play to be dead.”

Reason Play Actors Rooms Stage Morality Theatre Reproduction

Book:The Dramatic Imagination: Reflections and Speculations on the Art of the Theatre, Reissue

Source: The Dramatic Imagination: Reflections and Speculations on the Art of the Theatre, Reissue

“A ground plan is important in terms of its rigor. If your plan is soggy and weak, your production will be soggy and weak.”

Ifs Important Term Plans Weak Productions Theatre Rigor

Author:David G. Hays

“I want everyone to feel as much as possible as if they inhabit the same space. They more fluid the relationship between actor and audience, the better.”

Ifs Want Feels Actors Space Audience Theatre Fluid Actors And Audience

Author:Christine Jones

“If I weren't a theatre designer, I wouldn't be any other kind of designer. Design is interesting to me as it relates to narrative: the design has to support the narrative. Storytelling is the most important thing.”

Ifs Kind Important Interesting Support Design Important Things Theatre Storytelling Relate Narrative Designer

Author:Christine Jones

“I have a large personal collection of pictures. For every project, I choose images. Usually I don't do this until I've done an extensive script breakdown and distilled the text down to poetic form. I have to plant enough seeds so that there will be vibration.”

Done Enough Form Projects Plant Scripts Seeds Theatre Collections Poetic Vibrations Breakdown

Author:Christine Jones

“A stage set should not make a pretty picture of its own. The empty stage should look formal and pleasing, but should seem to be waiting for the action to complete it; it should not hold definite significance in itself.”

Should Looks Seems Action Waiting Stage Empty Theatre Significance Formal Definite Pretty Picture Empty Stage

Book:Shakespearian Production

Source: Shakespearian Production

“A play is a painting that moves. Instead of it holding still, and you are looking at it, you hold still and it scrolls by.”

Stills Play Moving Painting Theatre

Author:Patricia Zipprodt

“In Shakespeare, keep it simple. Don't over-inflect. The speech needs to be naturalistic and simple and accessible as much as possible.”

Needs Simple Speech Theatre Keep It Simple

Author:Ralph Fiennes

“The pit of a theatre is the one place where the tears of virtuous and wicked men alike are mingled.”

Men Tears Theater Theatre Wicked Virtuous Pits Wicked Man

Book:Selected Writings

Source: Selected Writings

“Mankind's common instinct for reality has always held the world to be essentially a theatre for heroism. In heroism, we feel, life's supreme mystery is hidden. We tolerate no one who has no capacity whatever for it in any direction. On the other hand, no matter what a man's frailties otherwise may be, if he be willing to risk death, and still more if he suffer it heroically, in the service he has chosen, the fact consecrates him forever.”

Source: The Varieties of Religious Experience

“Art is no longer snobbish or cowardly. It teaches peasants to use tractors, gives lyrics to young soldiers, designs textiles for factory women's dresses, writes burlesque for factory theatres, does a hundred other useful tasks. Art is as usueful as bread.”

Giving Writing Doe Art Use Young Teach Design Quiet Art Is Hundred Tasks Dresses Soldier Theatre Bread Factories Peasants Cowardly Tractors Textiles Snobbish Burlesque

Author:Azar Nafisi

“There were wonderful moments when I was singing for the first time in the Olympia Theatre and I was pregnant with my son, which was very, very strange for a singer.”

Firsts Moments Wonderful Strange Son Singing First Time Theatre Singers My Son Pregnancy Pregnant Were Pregnant Wonderful Moments

Author:Nana Mouskouri

“It is my view that there is no sensible military use for nuclear weapons, whether "strategic" weapons, "tactical" weapons, "theatre" weapons, weapons at sea or weapons in space.”

Use Space Views Sea Military Weapons Theatre Nuclear Sensible Nuclear Weapons Strategic Tactical

Author:Noel Gayler

“Every time I listened to Lux Radio Theatre, I wanted to vomit.”

Wanted Time Radio Theatre Firefighter

Author:Dick York

“The Rising was mainly a piece of streat theatre designed by poets for dramatic effect. For better or worse, it became part of the founding myth which states need - but which they should move on from after a time. Major John MacBride, in a cameo performance in which he left Jacobs Mill, as he had entered it, immaculately dressed down to the white spats, told his colleagues Next time lads, don't shut yourself up behind four walls. It was good advice.”

“In the theatre, words are eighty to eighty-five percent of the importance of what is happening to you for your comprehension. In film, words are about twenty percent. It's a different figure, but it's almost an opposite ratio. For the words are only a little bit of embroidery, a little bit of lacework.”

Littles Different Film Bits Five Figures Little Bit Happenings Percent Opposites Importance Twenties Theatre Eighty Comprehension Ratios Embroidery

Author:Nicholas Ray

“I was interested in opera and it seemed to me that the only possible theatre for contemporary opera would be television. So I started working towards a kind of television kind of opera.”

Kind Would Be Television Theatre Contemporary Opera

Author:Robert Ashley

“I believe in the immortality of the Theatre, it is a most joyous place to hide, for all those who have secretly put their childhood in their pockets and run off and away with it, to play on to the end of their days.”

Believe Ends Play Running I Believe Childhood I Believe In Theatre Immortality Pockets Joyous

Author:Max Reinhardt

“We know that the wildest and most moving dramas are played not in the theatre but in the hearts of ordinary men and women.”

Knows Men Heart Moving Drama Ordinary Men And Women Theatre Ordinary Man

Book:Two Essays on Analytical Psychology

Source: Two Essays on Analytical Psychology

“I was never the class clown or anything like that. When I was growing up and doing theatre in Seattle I was always doing very dramatic work... Now I can’t get a dramatic role to save my life!”

I Can Class Roles Growing Up Growing Theatre Dramatic Clown Seattle

Author:Anna Faris

“Getting the call to be in The Goblet of Fire was like being welcomed into the most exclusive upper circle of some elite actors' club. You sit on set with the cream of the National Theatre and the RSC, all clutching wands or wearing witches' hats.”

Actors Fire Clubs Theatre Circles Hats Witch Elites Cream Exclusive Wands

Author:David Tennant

“But, you see, the theatre is not always art in America.”

Art America Theatre

Author:Beatrice Wood

“Theatre has so many competitors, it's no longer enough to see and hear a play. You want to be able to touch and smell it, too.”

Want Enough Play Able Smell Theatre Competitors

Author:Lucien Bourjeily

“I get bored at the theatre a lot because I notice that there's not always a connection between the actors. They may be technically proficient, but they're not surprising each other. I'm thrilled by actors who make choices that are surprising.”

May Choices Actors Connections Theatre Bored Surprising

Author:Lusia Strus

“Theatre is how I first encountered art on any level.”

Firsts Art Levels Theatre

Author:Patrick Marber

“I did an A Level in Theatre Studies and had a really inspirational teacher, and then I just went on to university.”

Levels Study Teacher University Theatre Inspirational Teacher

Author:Jessica Raine

“Theatre remains the only thing I understand. It is in the community of theatre that I have my being. In spite of jealousies and fears, emotional conflicts and human tensions; in spite of the penalty of success and the dread of failure; in spite of tears and feverish gaiety this is the only life I know. It is the life I love.”

Knows Humans Community Tears Emotional Conflict Remains Theatre Tension Spite Dread Penalties Gaiety

Author:Robert Helpmann

“I hate the word 'production'...it's a ceremony, it's a ritual...you should go out of the theatre stronger and more human than when you went in.”

Inspirational Should Humans Hate Directors I Hate Productions Theatre Ritual Ceremony Humane

Author:Ariane Mnouchkine

“We don't really have a movie industry; we have a trailer industry. The movie guys make five minutes worth of stuff to get people in the theatre, and eighty-five minutes of filler.”

People Guy Stuff Five Minutes Industry Theatre Five Minutes Eighty Trailers Movie Industry Fillers

Book:Chicken pox for the soul

Source: Chicken pox for the soul

“I had loved poetry and the theatre. Now I loved adventure more.”

Adventure Theatre

Author:Sara Sheridan

“Secret Cinema has created a new way of experiencing film. The fusion of film and theatre allows for a much more powerful experience and adds an incredibly unique dimension for the audience. It certainly did for me. I was blown away”

Way Film Powerful Secret Audience Unique Add Theatre Cinema Dimensions New Ways Fusion Blown Away

Author:Kevin Spacey

“From the viewpoint of analytic psychology, the theatre, aside from any aesthetic value, may be considered as an institution for the treatment of the mass complex.”

May Values Psychology Mass Institutions Complexes Theatre Treatment Aesthetic Viewpoints Analytics

Book:Psychology of the Unconscious

Source: Psychology of the Unconscious

“As in a theatre, the eyes of men, after a well-graced actor leaves the stage, are idly bent on him that enters next.”

Men Wells Eye Next Actors Stage Theatre Bent

Author:William Shakespeare

“It was very natural for me to want to disappear into the theatre, I am really very shy.”

Want Natural Disappear Theatre Shy Shyness Exhibitionist

Author:Nicole Kidman

“I was truly thrilled when Alex-Zsolt played for my tribute concert titled, 'A Tribute to Richard M. Sherman.' This special concert event was held at Disney's Historic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Alex was great and he played my songs very musically and in supercalifragilisticexpialidocious style!”

Song Special Style Events Hollywood Theatre Concerts Historic Alex Tribute

Author:Richard M. Sherman

“The play is on top of me all the time, and I am constantly thinking about it. Even when I leave the theatre, I'll mumble the lines to myself or think about the way the character walks or holds himself.”

Thinking Way Play Character Lines Walks Theatre Constantly Thinking

Author:Donald Pleasence

“A theatre, a literature, an artistic expression that does not speak for its own time has no relevance.”

Doe Literature Speak Expression Theatre Artistic Relevance Artistic Expression

Author:Dario Fo

“It doesn’t make sense, it’s not logical, it’s not a safe profession or a smart profession if you wanna make money or have a living or have a family. So the fact that we keep doing [theatre] means we’re getting something from it that is almost childlike in its innocence.”

Ifs Mean Facts Safe Smart Profession Theatre Making Money Innocence Make Sense Logical Childlike

Author:Santino Fontana

“When you come into the theatre, you have to be willing to say, 'We're all here to undergo a communion, to find out what the hell is going on in this world.' If you're not willing to say that, what you get is entertainment instead of art, and poor entertainment at that.”

Ifs World Art Poor Hell This World Willing Entertainment Theatre Communion

Book:Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama

Source: Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama

“I went to the Glasgow Youth Theatre and they just let me in. But I was so shy that I was there for about six weeks without actually introducing myself.”

Week Youth Six Let Me Theatre Shy Introducing Glasgow Youth Theatre

Author:Bill Forsyth

“Chess and theatre often lead to madness.”

Madness Theatre Chess

Author:Fernando Arrabal

“I prefer theatre but TV keeps you well known.”

Wells Known Tvs Theatre Well Known Recycling

Author:Richard Briers

“My parents used to take me to a lot of theatre when I was young.”

Young Used Parent Theatre Take Me

Author:Lexa Doig

“Create an atmosphere in which anything is possible.”

Theatre Atmosphere Anything Is Possible

Author:Thomas Raymond Kelly

“Lost In Space fans are going to get organized, because we'll see them showing up in all the theatres.”

Lost Space Fans Theatre Organized Showing Up

Author:Mark Goddard

“A good movie can take you out of your dull funk and the hopelessness that so often goes with slipping into a theatre; a good movie can make you feel alive again, in contact, not just lost in another city. Good movies make you care, make you believe in possibilities again.”

Feels Believe Care Lost Cities Alive Possibility Theatre Contact Dull Hopelessness Good Movie Slipping Funk Films And Movies

Author:Pauline Kael

“THEATRE HAS THE POWER TO MOVE, INSPIRE, TRANSFORM AND EDUCATE IN WAYS THAT NO OTHER ART FORM CAN. THEATRE REFLECTS BOTH THE EXTRAORDINARY DIVERSITY OF CULTURES AND OUR SHARED HUMAN CONDITION, IN ALL ITS VULNERABILITY AND STRENGTH.”

Way Humans Art Moving Form Culture Conditions Inspire Diversity Extraordinary Theatre Vulnerability Educate Human Condition

Author:Irina Bokova

“A young Brit girl with no theatre experience decided to take on an iconic American role on Broadway. Maybe I should have thought that through?”

Should Young Girl Roles Decided Should Have Theatre Broadway Iconic Brits

Author:Emilia Clarke

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Theatre Quotes