Richard Schiff Quotes

The great thing about stage is that you have a live audience.

The great thing about the stage is that you have a structured month-long rehearsal period where you're going in every day. You have to have lots of run-throughs with theater because there are no second takes in front of a live audience.

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.

In theater, there's a lot of work to do to build the characters. It's a great experience.

Some gigs will go great. I figure you do a gig, and as many as can get there will get there.

With a play, for me, there's no time to sit back on it. You're living on your instincts. And every night there are subtle changes and adjustments, because what's in front of you is a living, breathing audience.

I think if I were to go back on stage I might be in great danger of acting.

Not everyone can be as successful a performer as myself, who gave 10 great performances the first time I ever did comedy, and then toiled in obscurity for years.

From the time that I was in high school, my life really revolved around live theater, so it almost feels genetic.

If I have to, I'll go and direct theater and talk till the cows come home.

When it is good, theatre takes a lot of beating both to watch and perform.

In theater, the show must go on, so you train yourself to be able to nail it every single time because that's what the audience deserves, and that's the magic of live theater.

I did comedies for 10 years and I learned a great deal.

My stand-up is quite good now, people say. It's just like a big conversation each time. Every gig is a rehearsal.

I began to work the stage and get the audience into it. I also learned how to have fun out there. It is something I will never forget.

I think theater is a great training ground; I think it's a great opportunity to play.

Even great actors shine brighter in the right atmosphere.

In a play, the director is God, and I'm a great arguer. Rather boringly so, I think, about trying different things.

I would love to do more on the stage; having actual contact with the audience is great. You can give them a good seeing to!

I like working on stage because there's something very immediate about it, that interaction with an audience where you immediately hear their reaction, or feel them, whether they're with you.

When you're doing a play you get to go full speed ahead, all night, in front of an audience. It's a roller-coaster ride, responding to other actors, it feeds you.

Directors are denied a great pleasure, which is that of being on stage.

My favorite is doing the television show, as a variety show, every week. If the show wasn't that great one week, we could always come back and apologize, you know?

I want to do stage again, because there just aren't words for how great it is. People say that all the time, 'There's nothing like live theater, blah blah,' but it's really true. I see a show and I know how they feel, and it feels great.

When preparing for a concert, I do lots of training. I work with a choreographer to create great moves and then I have to keep my voice strong with lessons.