Theater Practice Quotes

Theater is like going to the gym for actors.

All directors are different. Certainly, the directors that I respond to the most are guys that figure it out by doing it, not by thinking or studying. Also, the kind of actor that I think I am - I learned about theater doing theater, not studying theater. I think that traditional school can be great, but also it can stifle original thought.

I would advise young aspiring theater artists to do as many shows as possible. It doesn't matter if it's in the basement of a church, in school, or in community theater. Do them wherever you can; big parts or small, it doesn't matter.

I don't like being away from theater that long. The muscles get atrophied if you don't exercise them.

Good actors never use the script unless it's amazing writing. All the good actors I've worked with, they all say whatever they want to say.

I like to pick out a certain part of each show I'm in and I watch it when I'm not onstage or in my dressing room. I'll go down to the stage and watch that part of the show each night.

You know, to an extent, Method acting feels occasionally lazy.

I mean, a lot of time rehearsals are taken up with other things other than preparing a character.

I think my advice to other actors would be to get in classes. Get out in front of people. Put up scenes in front of your peers.

I'm a big fan of rehearsal. I'm famous for pulling the cast together, not so much to formally rehearse, but just to run the lines. My theory of acting is that it takes all your attention just to stay in the moment, and keep your attention on the other person, and get him to do what you want him to do.

Some actors come to the set ready to do their parts a certain way.

I certainly am not a great believer in over-rehearsing between actors, and certainly not doing the dialogue too much.

I think that sometimes in theater, I don't prepare much beyond going to the rehearsals.

We have a particular philosophy in the casting room that we don't really tell the actors - the actors tell us.

The virtue of dress rehearsals is that they are a free show for a select group of artists and friends of the author, and where for one unique evening the audience is almost expurgated of idiots.