---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I went to drama school but it was very…"
description: "\"I went to drama school but it was very hard to get work until I was made assistant stage manager.\" — Brian Blessed"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/brian-blessed-16167_assistants_i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-h_1805738.jpg"
---

#  I went to drama school but it was very hard to get work…

![“I went to drama school but it was very hard to get work until I was made assistant stage manager.” quote by Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/brian-blessed-16167_assistants_i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-h_1805738.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/brian-blessed-16167_assistants_i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-h_1805738.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/brian-blessed-16167_assistants_i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-h_1805738.jpg)

> “I went to drama school but it was very hard to get work until I was made assistant stage manager.”

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator struggled to find work after drama school until taking an entry‑level role.

**In simple terms:** Hard to get work without experience.

Key Takeaway

Start with supportive roles to build career.

Themes

career perseverance arts

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

professional

When to use this quote

- auditions
- stage crew jobs
- assistant positions

Key Concepts

industry entry networking

Questions to Reflect On

- Are you willing to accept lower‑pay work for experience?
- How can you leverage assistant roles for advancement?

A Different Perspective

Entry jobs may limit creative growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Drama school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama-school/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage Manager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-manager/) [Stage managers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-managers/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/)

## Related quotes

> [I dont know how it is now but the assistant stage manager had to understudy several parts. You had to be ready to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ford/i-dont-know-how-it-is-now-but-the-assistant-stage-manager-had-to/)

[Glenn Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ford/)

> [An acting assistant stage manager in a theater in Canterbury, a rep theater. A small wage but just enough to get by on, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-irons/an-acting-assistant-stage-manager-in-a-theater-in-canterbury-a-rep/)

[Jeremy Irons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-irons/)

> [My very first professional job was with a theatre company in 1965 and the first job they gave me was literally shovelling sh\*t. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/my-very-first-professional-job-was-with-a-theatre-company-in-1965-and/)

[Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/)

> [I dropped out in middle school. I dropped out in, towards the beginning of the ninth grade. And then I started studying -I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-dropped-out-in-middle-school-i-dropped-out-in-towards-the-beginning/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [I don't know how it is now but the assistant stage manager had to understudy several parts. You had to be ready to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ford/i-don-t-know-how-it-is-now-but-the-assistant-stage-manager-had-to/)

[Glenn Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ford/)

> [Whether you are a writer or an actor or a stage manager, you are trying to express the complications of life through a shared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hall/whether-you-are-a-writer-or-an-actor-or-a-stage-manager-you-are/)

[Lee Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hall/)

> [An interesting difference between new and experienced stage managers is that the new stage manager thinks of running the show as the most difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/an-interesting-difference-between-new-and-experienced-stage-managers/)

[Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/)

> [There is a kind of classlessness in the theater. The rehearsal pianist, the head carpenter, the stage manager, the star of the show-all are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kander/there-is-a-kind-of-classlessness-in-the-theater-the-rehearsal-pianist/)

John Kander

> [Pages were always supposed to be off-camera - we were supposed to be invisible. But I had a moment where I saw a kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sweeney/pages-were-always-supposed-to-be-off-camera-we-were-supposed-to-be/)

[Anne Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sweeney/)

> [We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/we-all-know-that-something-is-eternal-and-it-ain-t-houses-and-it-ain-2/)

[Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/)

> [I suppose it is submerged realities that give to dreams their curious air of hyper-reality. But perhaps there is something else as well, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-suppose-it-is-submerged-realities-that-give-to-dreams-their-curious/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I got a note from the stage manager one night that someone wanted to meet me. And it was Steven Spielberg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-reynolds/i-got-a-note-from-the-stage-manager-one-night-that-someone-wanted-to/)

[Corey Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-reynolds/)

> [There is no definitive list of the duties of a stage manager that is applicable to all theaters and staging environments. Regardless of specific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/there-is-no-definitive-list-of-the-duties-of-a-stage-manager-that-is/)

[Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/)

> [Listen to the stage manager and get on stage when they tell you to. No one has time for the rock star bullshit. None…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/listen-to-the-stage-manager-and-get-on-stage-when-they-tell-you-to-no/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [This whole creation is essentially subjective, and the dream is the theater where the dreamer is at once: scene, actor, prompter, stage manager, author,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-whole-creation-is-essentially-subjective-and-the-dream-is-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Brian Blessed

> [Ninety nine per cent of the time, for anyone who wins or makes money, it makes them happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/ninety-nine-per-cent-of-the-time-for-anyone-who-wins-or-makes-money/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [I fed my Yak on my spare Cadbury chocolate 21,0000ft up Everest. It was a blonde, very sweet female Yak. I made it my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-fed-my-yak-on-my-spare-cadbury-chocolate-21-0000ft-up-everest-it/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [My dad was opening fast bowler for Yorkshire's second team and I couldn't believe he could die. He wasn't going to get better for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/my-dad-was-opening-fast-bowler-for-yorkshire-s-second-team-and-i/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [My parents were so proud when I got a scholarship to go to theatre school - it was unheard of that a coal-miner's son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/my-parents-were-so-proud-when-i-got-a-scholarship-to-go-to-theatre/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [I wasn't good at examinations, but I went to a very good secondary school - Bolton-on-Dearne - with wonderful teachers, who taught me drama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-wasn-t-good-at-examinations-but-i-went-to-a-very-good-secondary/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [In the Arctic I met some Russian sailors on a submarine and they chorused, "Gordon's alive!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/in-the-arctic-i-met-some-russian-sailors-on-a-submarine-and-they/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [I'm a fully trained cosmonaut and have completed 800 hours training, which has made me the No. 1 civilian reserve ready to visit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-m-a-fully-trained-cosmonaut-and-have-completed-800-hours-training/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [My father was a coal hewer from Goldthorpe, a coal-mining village in South Yorkshire. He played for the Yorkshire second team as an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/my-father-was-a-coal-hewer-from-goldthorpe-a-coal-mining-village-in/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [I do everything I can for wild animals because they have such a bloody awful time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-do-everything-i-can-for-wild-animals-because-they-have-such-a/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [The greatest danger in life is not taking chances. There are so many negative people wanting to grind you down, but you can't let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/the-greatest-danger-in-life-is-not-taking-chances-there-are-so-many/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [My dream is to own a Hockney - I'm a Yorkshireman, and his vibrant colours are a good example of how the north-country people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/my-dream-is-to-own-a-hockney-i-m-a-yorkshireman-and-his-vibrant/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [I had to leave school at 14 because my father got injured in the mines and I had to support my family. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-had-to-leave-school-at-14-because-my-father-got-injured-in-the/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [Life is a re-discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/life-is-a-re-discovery/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [When I was a child, I wanted to... go into space! To go to Mars. I wanted to explore and explore and explore. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/when-i-was-a-child-i-wanted-to-go-into-space-to-go-to-mars-i-wanted/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [You can't call it an adventure unless it's tinged with danger. The greatest danger in life, though, is not taking the adventure at all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/you-can-t-call-it-an-adventure-unless-it-s-tinged-with-danger-the/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

[Explore all 40 Brian Blessed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

## More Assistants quotes

> [I'm a good assistant. That's why I don't have an assistant, because I'm so on it that no one can be as on it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-m-a-good-assistant-that-s-why-i-don-t-have-an-assistant-because-i-m/)

[Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/)

> [Since, however, it is immaterial whether the work is done by assistants or a machine, I decided to build a machine equivalent to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-however-it-is-immaterial-whether-the-work-is-done-by-assistants/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My dad's a prominent theatre director in Toronto, so I grew up in that world, directing and producing theater since I was a teenager.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gass-donnelly/my-dad-s-a-prominent-theatre-director-in-toronto-so-i-grew-up-in-that/)

[Ed Gass-Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gass-donnelly/)

> [To this day, I've never had an assistant. I really insist on doing everything myself because I value the role of the artist's hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-robleto/to-this-day-i-ve-never-had-an-assistant-i-really-insist-on-doing/)

[Dario Robleto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-robleto/)

> [ Well, that would be a title \[the busiest guy in Hollywood\] still reserved for Ryan Seacrest. I have one assistant; he has about nine.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/well-that-would-be-a-title-the-busiest-guy-in-hollywood-still/)

[Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/)

> [Everyone believed the Senate could not really be led. It used to take so long to rise up through seniority. In two years Lyndon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/everyone-believed-the-senate-could-not-really-be-led-it-used-to-take/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [I know that you observe Christmas Day as you learned it at home. I do not observe it. However, as assistant director of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilo-globocnik/i-know-that-you-observe-christmas-day-as-you-learned-it-at-home-i-do/)

Odilo Globocnik

> [Hollywood is a whole other level of crazy. I've never met so many assistants who have assistants. It's a stratified society on its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/hollywood-is-a-whole-other-level-of-crazy-i-ve-never-met-so-many/)

[Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/)

> [Photoshop is useful in many ways but must NEVER be used for the altering of photographs. My assistants and my agency do whatever Photoshop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photoshop-is-useful-in-many-ways-but-must-never-be-used-for-the/)

[Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/)

> [Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [The mind reels at the multiplication of books intended to justify the author's promotion from assistant to associate professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/the-mind-reels-at-the-multiplication-of-books-intended-to-justify-the/)

[C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/)

> [I was in Japan, and my assistant director had worked with Kurosawa. I used quite of number of Kurosawa's crew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boorman/i-was-in-japan-and-my-assistant-director-had-worked-with-kurosawa-i/)

[John Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boorman/)

> [It's one of the most beautiful memories of my life. Not everyone has a chance to meet Greta Garbo! I was so in awe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanna-cau/it-s-one-of-the-most-beautiful-memories-of-my-life-not-everyone-has-a/)

[Giovanna Cau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanna-cau/)

> [Think like a head coach, but act like an assistant coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-amaker/think-like-a-head-coach-but-act-like-an-assistant-coach/)

Tommy Amaker

> [I must have assistants who will solve their own problems and tell me later what they've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/i-must-have-assistants-who-will-solve-their-own-problems-and-tell-me/)

[George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/)

Browse all 322 Assistants quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I went to drama school but it was very hard to get work until I was made assistant stage manager.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Brian Blessed"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-hard-to-get-work-until-i-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Assistants"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-hard-to-get-work-until-i-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/brian-blessed-16167_assistants_i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-h_1805738.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/brian-blessed-16167_assistants_i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-h_1805738.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/brian-blessed-16167_assistants_i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-h_1805738.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I went to drama school but it was very hard to get work until I was made assistant stage manager.” — Brian Blessed",
                "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": "Brian Blessed",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I went to drama school but...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-hard-to-get-work-until-i-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-went-to-drama-school-but-it-was-very-hard-to-get-work-until-i-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
