A good actor always sets you straight. If you've written a false moment and thought it was probably pretty great, the actor's gonna show you when he gets to that moment. They're the great test of the validity of the material.
Sam ShepardRead
The wonderful thing about writing for theatre is you can go anywhere you want with the language. There are no limits. With film, they frown on language - it's always 'Too many words.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing for theatre allows for limitless expression through language, unlike film, where dialogue is often curtailed.
This quote by Sam Shepard emphasizes the freedom and creativity inherent in writing for theatre. He contrasts it with the constraints often imposed in film, where an overabundance of language is discouraged. Theatre writers can explore their thoughts and emotions more freely through dialogue, unleashing their artistic vision without the limitations that filmmakers face regarding language.
Themes
TheatreWritingLanguageCreativityArtistic Expression
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a workshop for aspiring playwrights to inspire them to embrace their creative freedom.
More from Sam Shepard
All quotes →I stay away from heavy-handed stuff, the good guy and the bad guy. It just doesn't interest me; all it does is create more fences between people, I think.
Sam ShepardRead
I hate endings. Just detest them. Beginnings are definitely the most exciting, middles are perplexing and endings are a disaster. … The temptation towards resolution, towards wrapping up the package, seems to me a terrible trap. Why not be more honest with the moment? The most authentic endings are the ones which are already revolving towards another beginning. That’s genius.
Sam ShepardRead
There are places where writing is acting and acting is writing. I'm not so interested in the divisions. I'm interested in the way things cross over.
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Democracy's a very fragile thing. You have to take care of democracy. As soon as you stop being responsible to it and allow it to turn into scare tactics, it's no longer democracy, is it? It's something else. It may be an inch away from totalitarianism.
Sam ShepardRead
On stage, you're not limited at all because you're free in language: language is the source of the imagination. You can travel farther in language than you can in any film.
Sam ShepardRead
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