Deborah Cox Quotes

There are staples to my show. I have to be conscious about switching things up because I know people who saw me last year will say, 'He did that last time.' But if certain things work, they work.

I don't do anything on stage that allows me to become a trained seal, where you're just doing the same thing over and over.

It's new and different every night. The charge you get from a good audience is like nothing else.

The minute you start assuming that the audience is very happy to see the same show again, you're dead.

You have a different crowd every night, so you should do a different show to suit them. I tailor the show to their mood.

You perform for a different audience each night. People who don't understand just think that you go out there every night and do the same thing, but you don't - you have to find out who they are and give it to them.

There used to be a lot of acts, which was good, because people don't want to see the same act every night. But, you don't want too many acts, you don't want to over-saturate it.

Genre-spanning is the effort to make the live show interesting. It's also a great way to challenge yourself as a writer.

I always give the audience a variety because I want to make sure they hear the favorites and all that.

I think that diversity in your performances is what keeps you alive as an actor. You have to keep constantly evolving and surprising the audience and showing them that you can do things they didn't expect you to do.

The only place to get better is to work in front of a crowd every night, that's when you'll find what really works and what doesn't.

When you're reinterpreting the same material eight shows a week, it's impossible to lock in the 'ideal' performance. Things that felt great in previews can feel forced three months in; jokes that got big laughs in the rehearsal room may suddenly fall flat in front of a paying audience.

If I don't try and bring variety in my appearances, I will get bored with films, so I can well imagine how bored the audience would get watching me.

Every night on stage it gets more and more comfortable. I think it really shows in the performances and just being able to revel in it and do it and live the dream I've thought about for so long.

I try not to limit myself. The actors that inspire me are the comedians and the people able to shape-shift into different roles and into different media. That ensures your longevity as an artist and prevents you from getting bored with yourself and, hopefully, prevents people from getting bored with you.

You know what the most amazing luxury problem in the world is? When you've got a bunch of hits you have to play. That means the show's going to have to be a little longer.

I appreciate all the kids who come up and enjoy my play at OU. But everybody giving me their opinions is where I draw the line. If it's someone who hasn't been there before, I really can't handle it. It's 'Slide more.' 'Don't take as many hits.' 'Get out of bounds.' I know they have my best interests at heart. I just have to remind myself of that.

I always kept the fans happy. They always saw a different Rey, whether it was a mask, a design, a color. I never gave them the same thing twice and always kept them on their feet. They were always excited to see what Rey was going to bring to the table.

The people you learn most from are the audiences, which is why I'm always best on my last night.

I've learnt that from stand-up - you should always worry that it's going to go badly, otherwise you're too laissez faire.

Getting onstage and trying out all of my material and what works well with audiences and what doesn't, what works well in different atmospheres, has been the best training.

We've gotten better as a live band. The songs have been allowed to grow with our audience. I don't think I would have done it any other way.

I studied structured improv, where you start from one position and see where it takes you. I like spontaneity. If you set yourself up to do the same thing every night, you may not connect as well to a different audience.

We never want the audience to get bored.

It's hard for me to play seated theaters because people tend to sit down and get a little bit complacent, so it's less energy. It's just very dry and dead. People start to feel like they're watching a movie. The environment when they walk into it, it's not standing room only, smoking and drinking and rock 'n' roll. So it's a little bit dangerous to do that.