Richard McCabe Quotes

Why do you act? You act for an audience. In the theatre, you're in their presence. Film stars don't know what it is to have an audience.

There's something about being in a house with an audience, and having that immediate feedback. I started acting because of that energy; it's what feeds me on stage and informs my choices.

So what's so enticing about doing a play is that you get to do that thing that got you into acting in the first place... There's a real attraction to being able to play, to just play. And that's something that theater affords you.

I have, I think to do a play a year is very good if you can afford the time and the energy because it's difficult to do, it's really the actors medium of course, because you're really out there and nobody's yelling cut so, yeah I have.

If you're not doing something right, you can feel it on stage, and if it isn't going well, the audience will tell you. A teacher can teach you sense memory and this and that, but until you get in front of an audience, you don't really feel it.

For me, there's nothing more valuable as an actor, or better way to learn, than getting to perform in front of a live audience, no matter where you are. Whether it's on Broadway, in Florida, or doing a tour.

I think there is no better training than being onstage because here's the thing: the theater requires you to act with your whole body. I think acting with your whole body gives you a root, and you can build from there.

In theatre there is a certain discipline that you have to follow, and you have to be experienced to be performing in front of a live audience. It is satisfying to me.

In theater acting, you leave that night and what it was is what it was.

As rewarding as a good film role can be, there is just nothing like getting up on a stage and taking an audience for a ride.

There is only so much you can do if you're pulling weight and there's nobody there to play off of. You can't have those beautiful moments with new actors who are so worried about everything else but the moment.

The art of acting consists in keeping people from coughing.

I still feel I belong to the theatre. There is nothing more challenging and exciting for an actor than performing before a live audience. The stage is the real testing ground for an actor.

The art of acting is to pitch good. You do the pitching and hope that the other person catches the ball and does some good pitching back to you.

It is hard sometimes to see how other actors are working when you are working with them.

Onstage, there's no hiding; you either can or can't act. There's no second take.

In a drama, you don't make a fool of yourself.

People prefer doing films. That is not the case with me. I don't do theatre because I have to but because it makes me feel alive. I enjoy the whole process of rehearsing, though repetition can make it tedious.

I think the wonderful thing about doing theater is that it's more of an actor's medium. I think that film is more of a director's medium. You can't edit something out on stage. It's there.

Actors are always looking for the eyes of the other actors because you need help and you need connection.

You learn more discipline in the theatre than you do in movies or TV. You're on stage every night and you have to sustain your energy level tor several hours.

An actor's most important responsibility is to know lines well.

One of the exciting and enjoyable aspects of acting is being in the environment with another actor.

I love the theater. I love being on stage; I love the live audience. I also love dressing up and all of the make-believe.

The best actors do not let the wheels show.