--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the things on a very practical…" description: "\"One of the things on a very practical level as an actor or actress is that when you do a play, you do the entire story every time you do it. You have e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/annette-bening-3058_audience_one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-le_135608.jpg" --- # One of the things on a very practical level as an actor or… ![“One of the things on a very practical level as an actor or actress is that when you do a play, you do the entire story every time you do it. You have eight shows a week. You have a rehearsal process of four to five to six weeks. And then once you're in performance, everybody else goes away and…” quote by Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/annette-bening-3058_audience_one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-le_135608.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/annette-bening-3058_audience_one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-le_135608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/annette-bening-3058_audience_one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-le_135608.jpg) > “One of the things on a very practical level as an actor or actress is that when you do a play, you do the entire story every time you do it. You have eight shows a week. You have a rehearsal process of four to five to six weeks. And then once you're in performance, everybody else goes away and you're there with your fellow actors and the audience and the material and your life becomes about that. And you go through the story from the beginning to the end every time you do it and depending on how long you do it, that's where the craft comes in.” [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An actor must repeatedly live the whole narrative, immersing fully each performance, which hones craft through constant renewal. **In simple terms:** Actors repeatedly experience the full story, deepening skill. Key Takeaway Embrace each performance as a fresh rehearsal. Themes craft repetition immersion discipline Mood focused intense Type professional reflective When to use this quote - theatre productions - weekly performances - long runs Key Concepts method acting continuous improvement Questions to Reflect On - How does repetition affect creative growth? - What strategies sustain energy over many shows? A Different Perspective The intensity can cause burnout without balance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Rehearsal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rehearsal/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) ## Related quotes > [One of the hardest things about directing is just to be patient and remind yourself that you've been in Week 1 of a rehearsal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-metcalf/one-of-the-hardest-things-about-directing-is-just-to-be-patient-and/) [Laurie Metcalf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-metcalf/) > [Theater will always be my first love. The time and dedication that goes into the rehearsal process with the cast and crew is something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-parker-jones/theater-will-always-be-my-first-love-the-time-and-dedication-that/) April Parker Jones > [I really miss the rehearsal process of theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurtwood-smith/i-really-miss-the-rehearsal-process-of-theater/) [Kurtwood Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurtwood-smith/) > [The rehearsal process is the most important thing to me, so working with colleagues who are effusive, thoughtful, young and vivacious is really inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-phillips/the-rehearsal-process-is-the-most-important-thing-to-me-so-working/) [Susanna Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-phillips/) > [I love the rehearsal process in the theatre, and the visceral sense of contact and communication with a live audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-nelson/i-love-the-rehearsal-process-in-the-theatre-and-the-visceral-sense-of/) [Judd Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-nelson/) > [Everything in The Room, we did it the same way the big studios do it. The only difference is the budget and the actors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-wiseau/everything-in-the-room-we-did-it-the-same-way-the-big-studios-do-it/) [Tommy Wiseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-wiseau/) > [The rehearsal process is the biggest gift you can give to the director and to yourself as an actor because it allows you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gracey/the-rehearsal-process-is-the-biggest-gift-you-can-give-to-the/) [Michael Gracey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gracey/) > [During the rehearsal process I got thrown off the horse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/during-the-rehearsal-process-i-got-thrown-off-the-horse/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [Certainly from the rehearsal process with Elizabeth I think it was very clear. Well let me start again. We were initially supposed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-beals/certainly-from-the-rehearsal-process-with-elizabeth-i-think-it-was/) [Jennifer Beals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-beals/) > [I've done a lot of television, and there's no rehearsal process - you have to come to the set with your guns blazing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-turner/i-ve-done-a-lot-of-television-and-there-s-no-rehearsal-process-you/) [Bree Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-turner/) > [I love the long-form rehearsal process with theater, brick by brick, to build another life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vik-sahay/i-love-the-long-form-rehearsal-process-with-theater-brick-by-brick-to/) Vik Sahay > [I generally enjoy the rehearsal process because that's where you can share your ideas, get your thoughts and feelings out and see whether or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-generally-enjoy-the-rehearsal-process-because-that-s-where-you-can/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [It's exciting to do something like this because usually what happens in theater is that, after the first or second reading of a play,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/treat-williams/it-s-exciting-to-do-something-like-this-because-usually-what-happens/) [Treat Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/treat-williams/) > [I truly love the rehearsal process, those eight hours a day! I really love actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/i-truly-love-the-rehearsal-process-those-eight-hours-a-day-i-really/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [If I think back to every rehearsal process for every play I've ever worked on, there's just so much crying at home. I barely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/if-i-think-back-to-every-rehearsal-process-for-every-play-i-ve-ever/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) ## More by Annette Bening > [I never thought my private life would be newsworthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-never-thought-my-private-life-would-be-newsworthy/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I do have to take care of myself, not only because I'm in the movies, just for mental health reasons. I exercise for me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-do-have-to-take-care-of-myself-not-only-because-i-m-in-the-movies/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [We all get lost along the way, but hopefully we figure out some sort of path. It helps if you can imagine the process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/we-all-get-lost-along-the-way-but-hopefully-we-figure-out-some-sort/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [We want to be seen for who we really are, and each person has his own complex story and reasons for doing what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/we-want-to-be-seen-for-who-we-really-are-and-each-person-has-his-own/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I don't see myself as competing with other actresses. I mean, I went through a time when I was in New York, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-don-t-see-myself-as-competing-with-other-actresses-i-mean-i-went/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I'm lucky: almost all my family has lived to be very old. I have one grandfather who lived to be 100.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-m-lucky-almost-all-my-family-has-lived-to-be-very-old-i-have-one/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [It's always tricky to watch yourself, always. When I first had to watch myself, it was really hard because I'd done quite a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/it-s-always-tricky-to-watch-yourself-always-when-i-first-had-to-watch/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [To me, I didn't think of acting as being a young thing only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/to-me-i-didn-t-think-of-acting-as-being-a-young-thing-only/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I act, but I am a mother first and wife second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-act-but-i-am-a-mother-first-and-wife-second/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [Why I love acting is that it's totally subjective and I like that. I like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/why-i-love-acting-is-that-it-s-totally-subjective-and-i-like-that-i/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [Somebody said something really smart: It's like you end up being the defense attorney for your role. Your job is to defend their point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/somebody-said-something-really-smart-it-s-like-you-end-up-being-the/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [Anybody who has children and children who are well feels a sense of responsibility towards parents and kids and families that are struggling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/anybody-who-has-children-and-children-who-are-well-feels-a-sense-of/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I just want to be educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-just-want-to-be-educated/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I remember hearing someone say that good acting is more about taking off a mask than putting one on, and in movie acting, certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-remember-hearing-someone-say-that-good-acting-is-more-about-taking/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [Our children see us a certain way, and we want to be seen by them in a certain way. I certainly want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/our-children-see-us-a-certain-way-and-we-want-to-be-seen-by-them-in-a/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) [Explore all 141 Annette Bening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the things on a very practical level as an actor or actress is that when you do a play, you do the entire story every time you do it. You have eight shows a week. You have a rehearsal process of four to five to six weeks. And then once you're in performance, everybody else goes away and you're there with your fellow actors and the audience and the material and your life becomes about that. And you go through the story from the beginning to the end every time you do it and depending on how long you do it, that's where the craft comes in.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annette Bening" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-level-as-an-actor-or-actress-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-level-as-an-actor-or-actress-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/annette-bening-3058_audience_one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-le_135608.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/annette-bening-3058_audience_one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-le_135608.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/annette-bening-3058_audience_one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-le_135608.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the things on a very practical level as an actor or actress is that when you do a play, you do the…” — Annette Bening", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Annette Bening", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One of the things on a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-level-as-an-actor-or-actress-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-level-as-an-actor-or-actress-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```