I don't see the theater as an establishment. The National Theatre has always seemed to me a people's theater. It was never meant to reinforce the values of the government of the day, nor does it, nor should it.
A ground plan is important in terms of its rigor. If your plan is soggy and weak, your production will be soggy and weak.
A fan once stopped me outside a theatre and gave me as a gift a signed photograph of Sir Laurence Olivier. It was strange, but nice, too.
Telly and films has been my thing, not necessarily by choice, and if the right piece of theatre came along, I would jump at it.
I trained in the theatre.
Shakespeare has way too many lines. My ideal theatre piece is about 40 minutes long with no interval.
I feel like doing theatre helps my on-camera work and my on-camera work kind of helps my theatre work. So I love to be able to bounce through the mediums.
There's little money in theatre.
I am a nationalist... my native soil is the theatre.
I found Viola Desmond was the first woman whose case was taken up in the courts, and it wasn't that she tried to sue them for throwing her out of the theatre; it was that they took the law and used it to arrest her. That was really shocking to me. We had no laws in Canada actually requiring segregation, like they did in the United States. But here we had people using the law - the amusements tax act - to enforce segregation, and our courts allowed them to do that.
Money's never an issue. I can go and work for a small studio theatre somewhere if it's a play I really care about, or do TV or a big commercial West End show.
Everyone has their own taste: some like theatre, some don't, some like opera, some don't, some like pantomimes, and some don't.
The idea with theatre is to come to an environment that you enjoy.
All theatre has truth, from Theatre in Education to panto to Shakespeare.
I've been doing theatre since I was 5 years old.
I had great faith in Irish actors, that they'd be hip to the whole theatre thing, and they are. I had no illusions of coming over here as some kind of big shot. It's been a learning experience for me too.
I grew up in a community of theatre, and I always loved musicals. From a young age, the first present I ever wanted was a video camera. For me it was a great outlet to be creative.
Theatre is expensive to go to. I certainly felt when I was growing up that theatre wasn't for us. Theatre still has that stigma to it. A lot of people feel intimidated and underrepresented in theatre.
I grew up wanting to be a writer for theatre.
Since I was a child I've loved going to the opera, theatre and ballet.
Frankly I don't listen to lyrics (a problem in that I apparently work in musical theatre) I just want a good tune that doesn't require the use of too much grey matter.
I find it difficult to fully enjoy musical theatre songs if I don't know the storyline of the show they are from as well as the context.
I got the O.B.E because I represent England outside of England more...but thinking of me as an actor, I haven't done all the classical theatre, all the great roles. Think of Helen Mirren and me. Helen, who I adore, is a friend - should be Dame. I am the rebel, the revolutionary on the side.
Chicago is a great place because you can experience theatre, film, television, anything and everything, so for an actor it's exciting. The doors are kind of open.
I began playing Branson during the 1992 season and was a little amazed. There were about 30 celebrity theatres there and more are being added all the time.
