We imagined ourselves living in castles atop mountains with a butler named Zazu as kids. We pranced around in our dress-up gowns, with a tiara decorating our scruffy little heads and a wand that lit up at every touch. We strutted around the house and acted like no one told us what to do, not even mommy and daddy. Growing up, that passionate stuck with some and not with others. Today, theatre kids embody that passion.
These Theatre Quotes Will Hold a Special Place in Your Heart.
1. For something bigger
“Love art in yourself, not yourself in art.” – Constantin Stanislavski
“That one is really important to me because it reminds me that I am in service to the art, and that I am doing not for myself, but for something bigger than that.” – Alessia Salimbene, University of Florida senior, B.F.A. Acting
2. The healing powers of theatre
“I realized truly what the theatre is all about, which is that it’s a prayer circle. It’s just a big circle: we tell stories, and maybe we heal a heart or two, and we put something positive into the world, and we just do it—you know, we just create our circle with actors and collaborators and friends who take part in this art form.” – Jennifer Tepper, The Untold Stories of Broadway Part 1
“Well I’m not a religious person, so theatre is my religion. So this idea that theatre is a prayer circle is really cool. Because for me theatre does heal. Because for me theatre does heal. I love doing theatre because for two hours I can take someone away from their life, into a new world.” – Alessia Salimbene, UF senior, B.F.A. Acting
3. When you need a little reminder…
“I told the universe (and anyone who would listen) that I was committed to living a creative life not in order to save the world, not as an act of protest, not to become famous, not to gain entrance to the canon, not to challenge the system, not to show the bastards, not to prove to my family that I was worthy, not as a form of deep therapeutic emotional catharsis…but simply because I liked it.” – Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
“I like [this] quote because in an industry like the one I chose, I have to remind myself why I am doing it. People often question why I studied this and tell me that it’s hard, sometimes even impossible. I tend to doubt myself, but then I remember about the quote and remind myself I don’t have to give explanation or simply say the truth ‘because I like it.’” – Candy Rodriguez, UF Class of 2017 grad, theatre major, dance minor
4. Born to be wild
“You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.” – Isadora Duncan
“I use it to also remind myself that no one can or is going to stop me. If I am wild enough to want it, no one can tame me.” –Candy Rodriguez, UF Class of 2017 grad, theatre major, dance minor
5. You only have 86, 400 seconds in a day
“No day but today.” – RENT
“Life is short and for all I know I could get in a car crash or get struck by lightning or anything that could happen to make today my last day on earth.” – Eddie Datz, UF junior, BFA Acting
6. Don’t live with regrets
“Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.” – RENT
“Living with would’ve, could’ve, should’ve doesn’t get anywhere. We must learn from our mistakes and then move on.” – Eddie Datz, UF junior, B.F.A. Acting
7. Find yourself in whatever you do
“Acting is not about being someone different. It’s finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.” – Meryl Streep
“The Streep quote illustrates just how personal theatre is; it’s just as much about finding and learning about ourselves as the character.” – Jarod Atchley, UF sophomore, B.F.A. Acting
8. When you need a little taste of the 19th century…
“That pleasure which is at once the most pure, the most elevating and the most intense, is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the beautiful.” – Edgar Allan Poe, The Heresy of the Didactic
“Art is the source of the greatest pleasure and satisfaction, that nothing can compare to the effects that art can have on an individual.” – Jarod Atchley, UF sophomore, BFA Acting
9. Know your past, so it can’t come back to bite you
“You cannot be an artist until you are civilized. You cannot be civilized until you learn. To be civilized is to know where you belong in the continuum of your art and your world. To surmount the past, you must know the past.” – John Logan, Red
“Art is not only about building a fictional world but also learning about and exploring our own world and history.” – Jarod Atchley, UF sophomore, B.F.A. Acting
10. Find the imperfections perfect
“We exist—all of us, for all time—in a state of perpetual dissonance … We long for the raw truth of emotion, but can only endure it with the cool lie of reason … We seek to capture the ephemeral, the miraculous, and put it onto canvas, stopping time but, like an entomologist pinning a butterfly, it dies when we try … We’re foolish that way, we human beings … We try to make the red black.” – John Logan, Red
“[This quote] may not be quite so inspirational at first, as it states that art is imperfect and has limitations, but I think it illustrates that even in its imperfection, art is a way for us to pursue something higher than ourselves and offers us something to aspire to.” – Jarod Atchley, UF sophomore, B.F.A. Acting
11. Make the magic in your life happen
“Make it work.” – Tim Gunn, Project Runway
Tim Gunn’s iconic ‘make it work’ applies to everything in the theatre. [It’s] a reminder that while we have a job to do, at the end of the day, we’re all human and just trying to make something magic happen.” – Courtney Rogers, UF junior, B.F.A. Theatrical Design and Production
12. Don’t stress
“When in doubt a safety pin can fix almost anything.”
“[This quote is] good to keep tension from rising during tech week which can be notorious for the amount of stress put on everyone involved.” –Courtney Rogers, UF junior, B.F.A. Theatrical Design and Production
13. Embrace your little spark and run with it
“You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.” – Robin Williams
“The first quote reminds me not to take life too seriously, it’s all for the love of what you do and the love of those around you.” – Josh Andrews, UF junior, musical theatre
14. You can change the world
“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” – Robin Williams, Dead Poet’s Society
“The second one speaks directly about theatre to me. It says that we have the power to change the world, we just have to want to first.” – Josh Andrews, UF junior, musical theatre
15. Step out of your comfort zone
“If you don’t feel stupid, you’re not doing it right!” – Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Squad: Perfect Cover
“This quote more than any has given me drive to make bold choices in my performances and not apologize for them. It reminds me that not everything you do on stage is going to be in your comfort zone, but if you’re going to do it, do it so big that you get embarrassed.” – Richie Rosado, UF senior, musical theatre
