--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best way to prepare for a night out…" description: "\"The best way to prepare for a night out with a Shakespearean tragedy is to do a bit of reading up in the afternoon, eat a light supper - perhaps Welsh ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/arthur-smith-11334_afternoon_the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out_2779845.jpg" --- # The best way to prepare for a night out with a… ![“The best way to prepare for a night out with a Shakespearean tragedy is to do a bit of reading up in the afternoon, eat a light supper - perhaps Welsh rarebit - and then arrive early to do some stretching exercises in the foyer before curtain-up.” quote by Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/arthur-smith-11334_afternoon_the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out_2779845.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/arthur-smith-11334_afternoon_the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out_2779845.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/arthur-smith-11334_afternoon_the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out_2779845.jpg) > “The best way to prepare for a night out with a Shakespearean tragedy is to do a bit of reading up in the afternoon, eat a light supper - perhaps Welsh rarebit - and then arrive early to do some stretching exercises in the foyer before curtain-up.” [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He suggests a ritual of light reading, a light meal, and stretching before a tragedy. **In simple terms:** Prepare physically and mentally for theater. Key Takeaway Create a pre‑show routine. Themes theatre preparation ritual Mood calm focused Type advice practical When to use this quote - performance - audience experience - stagecraft Key Concepts reading nutrition physical warm‑up Questions to Reflect On - How does your pre‑show routine affect you? - What alternative preparations help you focus? A Different Perspective Ritual may not suit all personalities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-way/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Foyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foyers/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Shakespearean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespearean/) [Stretching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stretching/) [Stretching Exercises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stretching-exercises/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welsh/) ## Related quotes > [Death is more certain than the morrow, than night following day, than winter following summer. Why is it then that we prepare for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/death-is-more-certain-than-the-morrow-than-night-following-day-than/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“It was exactly the sort of thing I needed to be reading that afternoon: a story where, no matter how bad things got, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-james/it-was-exactly-the-sort-of-thing-i-needed-to-be-reading-that/) [Heather James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-james/) > [“But at other times, I sit here reading in the afternoon, a myrtle in my buttonhole, and there are such beautiful passages in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/but-at-other-times-i-sit-here-reading-in-the-afternoon-a-myrtle-in-my/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [In Shakespearean tragedy the main source of the convulsion which produces suffering and death is never good: good contributes to this convulsion only from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-coyle-bradley/in-shakespearean-tragedy-the-main-source-of-the-convulsion-which/) [Andrew Coyle Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-coyle-bradley/) > [In approaching our subject it will be best, without attempting to shorten the path by referring to famous theories of the drama, to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-coyle-bradley/in-approaching-our-subject-it-will-be-best-without-attempting-to/) [Andrew Coyle Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-coyle-bradley/) > [“What, then, can Shakespearean tragedy, on this brief view, tell us about human time in an eternal world? It offers imagery of crisis, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/what-then-can-shakespearean-tragedy-on-this-brief-view-tell-us-about/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [If we are to include the outer and the inner struggle in a conception more definite than that of conflict in general, we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-bradley/if-we-are-to-include-the-outer-and-the-inner-struggle-in-a-conception/) [A. C. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-bradley/) > [A Shakespearean tragedy as so far considered may be called a story of exceptional calamity leading to the death of a man in high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-coyle-bradley/a-shakespearean-tragedy-as-so-far-considered-may-be-called-a-story-of/) [Andrew Coyle Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-coyle-bradley/) > [I do a variety of weight-lifting, elliptical glider, stretching exercises, push-ups. And I do the Canadian Air Force exercises almost every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/i-do-a-variety-of-weight-lifting-elliptical-glider-stretching/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [“Shin-shin-toitsu-do includes a wide variety of stretching exercises, breathing methods, forms of seated meditation and moving meditation, massage-like healing arts, techniques of auto-suggestion, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-e-davey/shin-shin-toitsu-do-includes-a-wide-variety-of-stretching-exercises/) [H.E. Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-e-davey/) > [Stretching exercises promote flexibility, so you move fluidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-austin/stretching-exercises-promote-flexibility-so-you-move-fluidly/) [Denise Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-austin/) > [I am lucky, I don't have aches and pains. I do Pilates regularly, which is a series of stretching exercises, and I recommend it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/i-am-lucky-i-don-t-have-aches-and-pains-i-do-pilates-regularly-which/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [The tiny space, the toilet, two hundred strangers just a few inches away, it's so exciting, the lack of room to maneuver, it helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-tiny-space-the-toilet-two-hundred-strangers-just-a-few-inches/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I wake up in the morning, I do a little stretching exercises, pick up the horn and play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-alpert/i-wake-up-in-the-morning-i-do-a-little-stretching-exercises-pick-up/) [Herb Alpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-alpert/) > [I love to read. I love to stretch. In the morning, I get up, and if I'm not in a hurry, I will lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-browne/i-love-to-read-i-love-to-stretch-in-the-morning-i-get-up-and-if-i-m/) [Jackson Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-browne/) ## More by Arthur Smith > [Acting in a stage play is like working the evening shift in an office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/acting-in-a-stage-play-is-like-working-the-evening-shift-in-an-office/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [I read 'Crime and Punishment' years ago and don't recall the details of it, but I do retain a strong sense of the creeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/i-read-crime-and-punishment-years-ago-and-don-t-recall-the-details-of/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [I've noticed that my resolutions involve me not doing stuff that I wasn't going to do anyway so here's something more positive. I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/i-ve-noticed-that-my-resolutions-involve-me-not-doing-stuff-that-i/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [A female friend who caught me watching Fashion TV reckons its audience is largely made up of slobbering men who are just taking a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/a-female-friend-who-caught-me-watching-fashion-tv-reckons-its/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [The moon puts on an elegant show, different every time in shape, colour and nuance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/the-moon-puts-on-an-elegant-show-different-every-time-in-shape-colour/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [The Romantic poets were the prototype ramblers, and I've often found myself following in their footsteps - although perhaps not all of their footsteps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/the-romantic-poets-were-the-prototype-ramblers-and-i-ve-often-found/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [Ninety-eight per cent of laughter is nothing to do with jokes, which do not deserve to bear the weight of all the funny stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/ninety-eight-per-cent-of-laughter-is-nothing-to-do-with-jokes-which/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [Sometimes it's good to do something that you've never done before, so yesterday, I went out to buy Elton John's new album.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/sometimes-it-s-good-to-do-something-that-you-ve-never-done-before-so/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [I find it hilarious that there are academics who try to analyse chemical changes in the brains of students while exposing them to gags.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/i-find-it-hilarious-that-there-are-academics-who-try-to-analyse/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [Sometimes it's bad to do something you've never done before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/sometimes-it-s-bad-to-do-something-you-ve-never-done-before/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [My sister-in-law believes that few narratives are so tightly constructed that you can't skip boring bits and still keep abreast of what's going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/my-sister-in-law-believes-that-few-narratives-are-so-tightly/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [The pun exists in a social and political void, caring nothing for the issues of its day, content merely to display itself in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/the-pun-exists-in-a-social-and-political-void-caring-nothing-for-the/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [I abhor nothing more than bumping into someone I know on the Tube.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/i-abhor-nothing-more-than-bumping-into-someone-i-know-on-the-tube/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [Only the pun remains. The pun, beloved of Shakespeare, children and tabloid headline-writers, is normally eschewed in the modern, sophisticated circles in which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/only-the-pun-remains-the-pun-beloved-of-shakespeare-children-and/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [An uninspiring canvas becomes a glamorous masterpiece when it is reattributed to a better-known artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/an-uninspiring-canvas-becomes-a-glamorous-masterpiece-when-it-is/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) [Explore all 60 Arthur Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) ## More Afternoon quotes > [I didn't grow up thinking of movies as film, or art, but as movies, something to do on a Saturday afternoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/i-didn-t-grow-up-thinking-of-movies-as-film-or-art-but-as-movies/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [My dental hygienist is cute. Every time I visit, I eat a whole package of Oreo cookies while waiting in the lobby. Sometimes she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/my-dental-hygienist-is-cute-every-time-i-visit-i-eat-a-whole-package/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Honestly, I'm living my fantasy. It's being with my family, preferably on a snowy afternoon with a fire going, cuddled up in blankets, playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-vieira/honestly-i-m-living-my-fantasy-it-s-being-with-my-family-preferably/) [Meredith Vieira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-vieira/) > [It was a very intense and stressful situation. There was playing in the Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/it-was-a-very-intense-and-stressful-situation-there-was-playing-in/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [Sunday afternoon is for papers and writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-haslam/sunday-afternoon-is-for-papers-and-writing/) [Nicholas Haslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-haslam/) > [I think that if most guys in America could somehow get their fave-rave poster girl in bed and have total license to do whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/i-think-that-if-most-guys-in-america-could-somehow-get-their-fave/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [At five in the afternoon. It was exactly five in the afternoon. A boy brought the white sheet at five in the afternoon. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-five-in-the-afternoon-it-was-exactly-five-in-the-afternoon-a-boy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The shadows in the early morning don't tell much. The shadows rest at that time. So it's useless to gaze very early in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/the-shadows-in-the-early-morning-don-t-tell-much-the-shadows-rest-at/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [“I discovered windows one afternoon and after that, nothing was ever the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-spollen/i-discovered-windows-one-afternoon-and-after-that-nothing-was-ever/) [Anne Spollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-spollen/) > [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon? And the day after that, and the next thirty years?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/what-ll-we-do-with-ourselves-this-afternoon-and-the-day-after-that/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Imagine you are walking down a leafy path…The sun is receding, and you are walking alone, caressed by the breezy light of the late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/imagine-you-are-walking-down-a-leafy-path-the-sun-is-receding-and-you/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [A good umpire is the umpire you don't even notice. He's there all afternoon but when the game is over, you don't even remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-johnson/a-good-umpire-is-the-umpire-you-don-t-even-notice-he-s-there-all/) Ban Johnson > [Sometimes in the afternoon sky the moon would pass white as a cloud, furtive, lusterless, like an actress who does not have to perform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/sometimes-in-the-afternoon-sky-the-moon-would-pass-white-as-a-cloud/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) Browse all 1,085 Afternoon quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The best way to prepare for a night out with a Shakespearean tragedy is to do a bit of reading up in the afternoon, eat a light supper - perhaps Welsh rarebit - and then arrive early to do some stretching exercises in the foyer before curtain-up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out-with-a-shakespearean-tragedy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afternoon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out-with-a-shakespearean-tragedy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/arthur-smith-11334_afternoon_the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out_2779845.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/arthur-smith-11334_afternoon_the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out_2779845.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/arthur-smith-11334_afternoon_the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out_2779845.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The best way to prepare for a night out with a Shakespearean tragedy is to do a bit of reading up in the…” — Arthur Smith", "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": "Arthur Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The best way to prepare for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out-with-a-shakespearean-tragedy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-night-out-with-a-shakespearean-tragedy/#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 } } ] } ```