--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Plays are so much more special if they've…" description: "\"Plays are so much more special if they've never ever had a production, but I think you can really work on a play and make it better with each productio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/beth-henley-19402_actor_plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-v_1801325.png" --- # Plays are so much more special if they've never ever had a… ![“Plays are so much more special if they've never ever had a production, but I think you can really work on a play and make it better with each production.” quote by Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/beth-henley-19402_actor_plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-v_1801325.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/beth-henley-19402_actor_plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-v_1801325.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/beth-henley-19402_actor_plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-v_1801325.png) > “Plays are so much more special if they've never ever had a production, but I think you can really work on a play and make it better with each production.” [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Productions can improve a play, but its original magic lies in its untouched form. **In simple terms:** Original plays have a unique charm before staging. Key Takeaway Value both draft and performance. Themes theatre creativity iteration production Mood reflective enthusiastic Type artistic educational When to use this quote - workshop - off‑off‑Broadway - rehearsal process - audience feedback Key Concepts dramatic structure artistic evolution Questions to Reflect On - What makes a play special before staging? - How do productions add value? A Different Perspective Too many productions may dilute original intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Better Production](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-production-1059607/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-make-696492/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/) [Plays Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays-special-334455/) [Production Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/production-think-2033393/) [Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [It's just really exciting to have the ball in my hands. Not just on defense but to make plays on special teams also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erick-green/it-s-just-really-exciting-to-have-the-ball-in-my-hands-not-just-on/) [Erick Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erick-green/) > [Only run special plays for special players; find plays that fit your players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/only-run-special-plays-for-special-players-find-plays-that-fit-your/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [I tend to look at things from the supply side, looking for ways to make it less expensive to do more production. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-toomey/i-tend-to-look-at-things-from-the-supply-side-looking-for-ways-to/) [Pat Toomey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-toomey/) > [I never really think much about the size of a production because I think as an actor, once you're in it, it's all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-never-really-think-much-about-the-size-of-a-production-because-i/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [There are certain things that happen during the production of, I think, every film, that you didn't plan, and often it's better than what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/there-are-certain-things-that-happen-during-the-production-of-i-think/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [I know I can't do everything myself. So I know I specialize in my melodies and I do some of my demo work. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-taylor/i-know-i-can-t-do-everything-myself-so-i-know-i-specialize-in-my/) [Paul Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-taylor/) > [A nation cannot prosper if its members are not fully aware of the fact that what alone can improve their condition s is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/a-nation-cannot-prosper-if-its-members-are-not-fully-aware-of-the/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Being an actor, your focus is just on your craft and how to make it better, but production is a much bigger task -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raveena-tandon/being-an-actor-your-focus-is-just-on-your-craft-and-how-to-make-it/) [Raveena Tandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raveena-tandon/) > [I thought it was getting better and better, because the production values were increasing each time we did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/i-thought-it-was-getting-better-and-better-because-the-production/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [In my down time, I love to just play and make things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedella-marley/in-my-down-time-i-love-to-just-play-and-make-things/) [Cedella Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedella-marley/) > [What part soever you take upon you, play that as well as you can and make the best of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-part-soever-you-take-upon-you-play-that-as-well-as-you-can-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Play where you can make a difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piyush-pandey/play-where-you-can-make-a-difference/) [Piyush Pandey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piyush-pandey/) > [I like being able to play make believe as my job. I think I played make-believe growing up a little too long - probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-olsen/i-like-being-able-to-play-make-believe-as-my-job-i-think-i-played/) [Elizabeth Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-olsen/) > [When I play, I make love – it is the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/when-i-play-i-make-love-it-is-the-same-thing/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Always when I play I want to play well and make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willian/always-when-i-play-i-want-to-play-well-and-make-a-difference/) [Willian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willian/) ## More by Beth Henley > [The most glorious thing about working in the collaborative art is when you have somebody like Susan Kingsley or Kathy Bates who are better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/the-most-glorious-thing-about-working-in-the-collaborative-art-is/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [I tried to start a theatre in LA and failed miserably, but I was probably not meant to raise money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/i-tried-to-start-a-theatre-in-la-and-failed-miserably-but-i-was/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [But here's the thing: what you do as a screenwriter is you sell your copyright. As a novelist, as a poet, as a playwright,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/but-here-s-the-thing-what-you-do-as-a-screenwriter-is-you-sell-your/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [I love writing for the screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/i-love-writing-for-the-screen/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [I grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, really in suburbia, so my mother was in community theatre plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/i-grew-up-in-jackson-mississippi-really-in-suburbia-so-my-mother-was/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [I just loved being divorced from my own wretchedness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/i-just-loved-being-divorced-from-my-own-wretchedness/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [It's really interesting that whenever you do something that is so out of character, like having an emotional outburst, that you don't get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/it-s-really-interesting-that-whenever-you-do-something-that-is-so-out/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [My first few plays took place in the South and even The Lucky Spot was in the thirties but in Louisiana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/my-first-few-plays-took-place-in-the-south-and-even-the-lucky-spot/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [Then, when I was a senior in high school, I was kind of bereft and she put me in an acting class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/then-when-i-was-a-senior-in-high-school-i-was-kind-of-bereft-and-she/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [Part of that is that New York has proved to be too much fun for me to live and work; I love New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/part-of-that-is-that-new-york-has-proved-to-be-too-much-fun-for-me-to/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [That was always my inclination, to start on a new play before the other one gets done, because at least you'll have something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/that-was-always-my-inclination-to-start-on-a-new-play-before-the/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [ That's what I like about \[smoking\] . . . taking a drag off of death, Mmm! Gives me a sense of controlling my own… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/that-s-what-i-like-about-smoking-taking-a-drag-off-of-death-mmm-gives/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [You can't just go in there and open your mouth until the cast and director feel comfortable with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/you-can-t-just-go-in-there-and-open-your-mouth-until-the-cast-and/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [In movement class, you had to lie on the floor and get your alignment in to pass the class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/in-movement-class-you-had-to-lie-on-the-floor-and-get-your-alignment/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [Somehow I got to be one of five or six actors that the directors would use as guinea pigs at this directing colloquium, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/somehow-i-got-to-be-one-of-five-or-six-actors-that-the-directors/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) [Explore all 32 Beth Henley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) ## 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! 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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": "Plays are so much more special if they've never ever had a production, but I think you can really work on a play and make it better with each production.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Beth Henley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-ve-never-ever-had-a-production/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-ve-never-ever-had-a-production/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/beth-henley-19402_actor_plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-v_1801325.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/beth-henley-19402_actor_plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-v_1801325.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/beth-henley-19402_actor_plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-v_1801325.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Plays are so much more special if they've never ever had a production, but I think you can really work on a…” — Beth Henley", "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": "Beth Henley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Plays are so much more special...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-ve-never-ever-had-a-production/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/plays-are-so-much-more-special-if-they-ve-never-ever-had-a-production/#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 } } ] } ```