--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My major contribution to the format was…" description: "\"My major contribution to the format was to suggest that I be able to step out of the plot and speak directly to the audience, and then be able to go ri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/george-burns-2737_able_my-major-contribution-to-the-format-was_2219859.png" --- # My major contribution to the format was to suggest that I… ![“My major contribution to the format was to suggest that I be able to step out of the plot and speak directly to the audience, and then be able to go right back into the action. That was an original idea of mine; I know it was because I originally stole it from Thornton Wilder's play Our Town.” quote by George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/george-burns-2737_able_my-major-contribution-to-the-format-was_2219859.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/george-burns-2737_able_my-major-contribution-to-the-format-was_2219859.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/george-burns-2737_able_my-major-contribution-to-the-format-was_2219859.png) > “My major contribution to the format was to suggest that I be able to step out of the plot and speak directly to the audience, and then be able to go right back into the action. That was an original idea of mine; I know it was because I originally stole it from Thornton Wilder's play Our Town.” [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Breaking the fourth wall lets a performer address the audience directly, then return to the story, creating a unique narrative flow. **In simple terms:** Direct audience address adds a fresh storytelling technique. Key Takeaway Use meta‑narrative to engage viewers. Themes theatre storytelling innovation Mood playful creative Type theatrical inspirational When to use this quote - stage productions - film - TV shows - live performances Key Concepts meta‑narrative audience engagement dramatic structure Questions to Reflect On - When is breaking the fourth wall effective? - How does it affect audience connection? A Different Perspective Risk of disrupting immersion if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) [Directly Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directly-audience-1516819/) [Format](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/format/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Majors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majors/) [Mines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mines/) [Original idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-idea/) [Original ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-ideas/) [Originals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originals/) [Our town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-town/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Plot Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot-speak-4949671/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Speak Directly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-directly-753451/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thornton-wilder-225091/) [Towns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/towns/) [Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilder/) ## Related quotes > [I want to speak directly to the audience, to say, 'I'm like you - I'm frustrated, I'm not an expert, I don't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/i-want-to-speak-directly-to-the-audience-to-say-i-m-like-you-i-m/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [What Mr. Kaufman and his team are after is less a portrait of any one person than one of the ethos of a place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-brantley/what-mr-kaufman-and-his-team-are-after-is-less-a-portrait-of-any-one/) [Ben Brantley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-brantley/) > [The digital space is booming, and people are finally realising its importance. It is an effective medium for emerging talent, allowing musicians to connect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonita-gandhi/the-digital-space-is-booming-and-people-are-finally-realising-its/) [Jonita Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonita-gandhi/) > [Perhaps storytellers don't need to care as much about the future as executives and investors do. After all, isn't it possible that technology will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landgraf/perhaps-storytellers-don-t-need-to-care-as-much-about-the-future-as/) [John Landgraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landgraf/) > [I think that what streamers have is a direct connection to their audience. Imagine if LeBron James or Michael Jordan could interact directly with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninja/i-think-that-what-streamers-have-is-a-direct-connection-to-their/) [Ninja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ninja/) > [“There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the survival, the only meaning. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-cameron/there-is-a-land-of-the-living-and-a-land-of-the-dead-and-the-bridge/) [Claire Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-cameron/) > [“There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love - the only survival, the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-kay/there-is-a-land-of-the-living-and-a-land-of-the-dead-and-the-bridge-3/) [Janet Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-kay/) > [He wrote himself into the role of Dolly. Dolly was hilariously funny and didn't know it. And that's what Thornton Wilder was. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-channing/he-wrote-himself-into-the-role-of-dolly-dolly-was-hilariously-funny/) [Carol Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-channing/) > [“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) WRITER AND…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/we-can-only-be-said-to-be-alive-in-those-moments-when-our-hearts-are-2/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [Like Thornton Wilder said, time is not a river, but rather a landscape that you step in and out of. I've always found that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/like-thornton-wilder-said-time-is-not-a-river-but-rather-a-landscape/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [“Gratitude does not always come naturally. You will not always feel grateful. But you can take the time each day to remember the benefits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/gratitude-does-not-always-come-naturally-you-will-not-always-feel/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [“Thornton Wilder’s one-act play “The Angel That Troubled the Waters,” based on John 5:1-4, dramatizes the power of the pool of Bethesda to heal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/thornton-wilder-s-one-act-play-the-angel-that-troubled-the-waters/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“We can never fully understand the hearts and minds of people . . . unless we can speak directly to them in their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rabinowitz/we-can-never-fully-understand-the-hearts-and-minds-of-people-unless/) [Alan Rabinowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rabinowitz/) > [I want to speak directly with a star, not her stylist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azzedine-alaia/i-want-to-speak-directly-with-a-star-not-her-stylist/) [Azzedine Alaia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azzedine-alaia/) > [Why is contemporary China short of works that speak directly? Because we writers cannot speak directly, or rather we can only speak in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murong-xuecun/why-is-contemporary-china-short-of-works-that-speak-directly-because/) [Murong Xuecun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murong-xuecun/) ## More by George Burns > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Being an actor is easy, just picture someone in a room and you outside waiting for your cue to go in. Elliot Gould's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/being-an-actor-is-easy-just-picture-someone-in-a-room-and-you-outside/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Sex can be fun after eighty, after ninety, and after lunch!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/sex-can-be-fun-after-eighty-after-ninety-and-after-lunch/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Too bad all the people who know how to run this country are busy running taxicabs or cutting hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/too-bad-all-the-people-who-know-how-to-run-this-country-are-busy/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [At my age flowers scare me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/at-my-age-flowers-scare-me/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don't have to respect anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/i-was-brought-up-to-respect-my-elders-so-now-i-don-t-have-to-respect/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [What actresses do today when they appear on the screen is what they did once upon a time for getting to appear on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/what-actresses-do-today-when-they-appear-on-the-screen-is-what-they/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [If you were married to Marilyn Monroe, you'd cheat with some ugly girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/if-you-were-married-to-marilyn-monroe-you-d-cheat-with-some-ugly-girl/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [I find you have to take each day as it comes and be thankful for who's left and whatever you can still do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/i-find-you-have-to-take-each-day-as-it-comes-and-be-thankful-for-who/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Take care not to wear stripes that are out of sync with your wrinkles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/take-care-not-to-wear-stripes-that-are-out-of-sync-with-your-wrinkles/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [ By \[age\] 93, I had shrunk quite a lot. My car was known as the Phantom Cadillac. People would see it whizzing by and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/by-age-93-i-had-shrunk-quite-a-lot-my-car-was-known-as-the-phantom/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [I drink coffee with my right hand, and I smoke with my left. But I talk with both hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/i-drink-coffee-with-my-right-hand-and-i-smoke-with-my-left-but-i-talk/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Nice to be here? At my age it's nice to be anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/nice-to-be-here-at-my-age-it-s-nice-to-be-anywhere/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Be sure to wear a good cologne, a nice aftershave lotion, and a strong underarm deodorant. And it might be a good idea to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/be-sure-to-wear-a-good-cologne-a-nice-aftershave-lotion-and-a-strong/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [My best advice: Fall in love with what you do for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/my-best-advice-fall-in-love-with-what-you-do-for-a-living/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) [Explore all 151 George Burns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My major contribution to the format was to suggest that I be able to step out of the plot and speak directly to the audience, and then be able to go right back into the action. 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