Quotes About Theater

I think the best dramatic actors know how to tap into their character's humor.

'Newsies' is definitely aerobic! The boys have to do a lot more than I do in the show, but for 'King of New York,' the big Act Two tap number, I have to be warmed up or I will hurt myself.

I think the first role I ever played was the Magic Carpet in 'Aladdin Jr.' I did a lot of tap dancing and not a lot of dialogue. But I loved it so much, and I loved the way people responded to the characters.

I've always sung. I was really into musical theater when I was growing up. As a kid, I listened to Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone, actually, on cassette tapes.

I am just an actor - all I do is I memorise someone else's words and tart around.

Any show that has a completely gay ensemble has the very difficult task of trying to represent the community.

Theater is structured. You're plugged into a system. It's relentless. You're expected to do certain things every day. You have your tasks.

You do develop a taste as an actress: Chekhov, Ayckbourn: it's the combination of comedy and human drama. I would never want to do anything without comedy.

One of the first things I was taught as an actor was, 'Don't judge the character.'

I believe kids shouldn't be taught Shakespeare. They should experience it first by seeing a great production.

I worked at the Northlight Theater in Skokie, and the Mercury Theater on South Port. I actually did a show there for three years, called 'Over the Tavern.'

I did 12 shows in 13 weeks at a summer theater in Maine where we were paid $35 a week. After taxes and $25 for room and board, I had enough money for a pack of cigarettes and a bowl of lobster bisque.

I never wanted to work in fashion. At age 12 or 13, I wanted to design for showgirls - for the theater! And I was crazy for the Hollywood of the 1950s: Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Jones. They were my idea of glamour - and Sylvie Vartan, the French singer.

I started backstage, making the tea, looking after the actors, doing stage management for two years.

There are a few roles I want to play, but mostly I just want to keep doing a play every now and then, watch kids grow and eat cookies and drink tea.

All they teach you in drama school is how to do stage fights and be a pain in rehearsals.

I've definitely had crazy acting teachers.

I come from classical theater training and when I went to college it was a bunch of kids that were hand-picked from around the world. I was around such brilliant young minds and incredible artists with incredible teachers.

I came from a really musical family. I studied classical piano because my grandparents were piano teachers, but started doing musical theater at age nine in Fresno, California, and went to a performing arts high school. That was my life.

I was never on the side of the teachers at school. Even though I put all the work into getting the main role in the end-of-year musical when I was 11, they didn't give it me, even though they knew I should have had it. That sort of drove me into am dram and getting the main part in another production. And I did.

I think my best teacher and my best study was theater in general. It taught me a lot of patience and a lot of hard work, and I think that theater teaches you that you've got to know your stuff because you only get one chance.

There are schools teaching 'stage decoration' as a subject, and they actually call it that. I say: 'Burn those schools!'

I know I have this kind of teaching element in me, but I don't want to become a 'teacher of theater' because that would formalize something that I'd much rather keep casual.

I've loved musical theater ever since I was a kid. My mother's a pianist, and my grandfather was an amateur theater director and stand-up comic. And I was an only child. And I loved attention. So from an early age, my family was teaching old musical songs.