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I'm interested in the theater because I'm interested in communication with audiences. Otherwise I would be in concert music.
Stephen Sondheim
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of audience engagement in theater as opposed to the more solitary nature of concert music.

Stephen Sondheim highlights his passion for theater as a medium for communication, suggesting that the interaction with an audience is a fundamental aspect of this art form. He contrasts this with concert music, which often lacks direct engagement, implying that the vibrancy and immediacy of live performances make theater uniquely compelling for him.

Themes

TheaterCommunicationAudienceArtEngagement

In practice

Example use cases

Using this quote during a discussion on the role of theater in society.

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Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night. Tonight there will be no morning star.
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After the Rodgers and Hammerstein revolution, songs became part of the story, as opposed to just entertainments in between comedy scenes.
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Musical comedies aren't written, they are rewritten.
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Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos.
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Careful the spell you cast, not just on children. Sometimes the spell may last Past what you can see And turn against you... Careful the tale you tell. That is the spell.
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