Quotes from Joe Mantello

I was probably the only 10-year-old who adored Sandy Dennis.

If I hadn't gone into the theater, I would be a painter.

I want to do something very surprising next. I don't know what that is - something that has a high degree of risk.

I think good actors - good, collaborative actors who see themselves as leaders in a given production - can and should offer ideas that have nothing to do with wanting to direct themselves.

I'm able to think more clearly when I don't have clutter and stuff around.

I have a concentrated period of work for about five months, and then I take a bunch of time off. That's just the way I work.

I think the audiences in Chicago are really open. They're engaged and eager, and they don't feel cynical to me. Sometimes in New York, there's a sense of, 'Prove it to me; prove this is worth my time.' I never felt that in Chicago.

I think, as written, 'Assassins' simply acknowledges the very human need to be acknowledged. As director, I've got to put aside any particular biases or prejudices that, as a moral human being, this is not an appropriate or acceptable way to get what you want.

I was always the person in our class who was fascinated by new plays. I would go to the library all the time as new plays would come out.

My associate director, Lisa Leguillou, is remarkable: flying around, visiting all the companies. She is truly the unsung hero of 'Wicked'. She has been by my side from day one, and she is invaluable. I frankly don't know how she does it.

Is it perfect? Absolutely not! But there was an audience for 'Wicked,' and our producers were smart enough to reach that audience.

I think that from day one, when it became clear that 'Wicked' was going to have a life, that we have set a standard for ourselves that we are never going to shortchange the audience; that every person that we put into that musical is going to be held to the highest standards; and that nobody is going to be coasting.

I become involved with things that speak to me and move me and make me laugh and frighten me.

The way I feel about rehearsals is that the best idea wins.

I know there are different kinds of actors, but I tend to have less effective relationships with actors who have a very private process - who really need to do lots of internal work, so that I become merely a witness until they're ready to share.

I get to be in a room with other actors, but I never, or very rarely, get the chance to be in a room with another director.

My first real job as a director was working with Robbie Baitz on his play 'Three Hotels.' It was an incredible collaboration.

I am a very fortunate man, and I don't take it for granted.

I'm friendly with Laurence Luckinbill. He's a great man.

I'm tenacious. I work hard. I like people that I collaborate with to work as hard as I am.

One of my favorite experiences was '9 to 5,' for one reason: Dolly Parton. I learned what it means to really work hard and do it with a sense of humor about yourself. Every day was joyful.

Theater isn't there to provide answers. Only possibilities. I just ask the questions. But I believe hope comes from the fact that there is a potential for redemption. At the core, that's what matters in the theater I'm attracted to. Do we dare to hope? Do we allow ourselves to hope?

Jayne Houdyshell and I - when I was 17 years old - did summer stock together at the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, IL. She was the leading lady of the company, and I was an intern.

My preference is for people who come to rehearsal and get into the ring. I like a muscular actor who's playful.