--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each writer is born with a repertory…" description: "\"“Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head. Shakespeare has perhaps 20 players. … I have 10 or so, and that’s a lot. As you get older, y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/gore-vidal-466_actor_each-writer-is-born-with-a-repertory-com_441927.jpg" --- # Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head… ![“Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head. Shakespeare has perhaps 20 players. … I have 10 or so, and that’s a lot. As you get older, you become more skillful at casting them.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/gore-vidal-466_actor_each-writer-is-born-with-a-repertory-com_441927.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/gore-vidal-466_actor_each-writer-is-born-with-a-repertory-com_441927.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/gore-vidal-466_actor_each-writer-is-born-with-a-repertory-com_441927.jpg) > ““Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head. Shakespeare has perhaps 20 players. … I have 10 or so, and that’s a lot. As you get older, you become more skillful at casting them.”” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer’s mind contains a cast of characters that grows and refines with experience, allowing richer storytelling. **In simple terms:** Writers have internal character collections that improve over time. Key Takeaway Cultivate and organize your mental characters. Themes creativity writing growth Mood reflective inspirational Type literary educational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - teaching - improvisation - role‑playing games Key Concepts character development mental repertoire skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - How do you expand your mental cast? - What techniques help you recall and use characters? A Different Perspective Limited by personal experience; may lack diverse perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Repertory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repertory/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/each-writer-is-born-with-a-repertory-company-in-his-head/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [For two years I was a member of a repertory company in Los Angeles, doing mostly original material, plays written by the director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-norton/for-two-years-i-was-a-member-of-a-repertory-company-in-los-angeles/) [Judy Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-norton/) > [When I was beginning, a young actor could go from repertory company to repertory company. I did that and loved it. I was also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blythe-danner/when-i-was-beginning-a-young-actor-could-go-from-repertory-company-to/) [Blythe Danner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blythe-danner/) > [Animation functions like a repertory company. It requires a stable group of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-minkoff/animation-functions-like-a-repertory-company-it-requires-a-stable/) [Rob Minkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-minkoff/) > [Having that college-town atmosphere with a live repertory company available was a real gift. I found myself gravitating toward the theater from about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/having-that-college-town-atmosphere-with-a-live-repertory-company/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [I started at Howard in the drama department. At the same time, I was a fledgling member of the Black Repertory Company in Washington,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-whitfield/i-started-at-howard-in-the-drama-department-at-the-same-time-i-was-a/) [Lynn Whitfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-whitfield/) > [I was in the movies. I danced, I sang, I learned to work in front of a camera. It was like being in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wagner/i-was-in-the-movies-i-danced-i-sang-i-learned-to-work-in-front-of-a/) [Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wagner/) > [I wrote 'The Room', 'The Birthday Party', and 'The Dumb Waiter' in 1957, I was acting all the time in a repertory company, doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-pinter/i-wrote-the-room-the-birthday-party-and-the-dumb-waiter-in-1957-i-was/) [Harold Pinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-pinter/) > [I also try to surround myself with people I love - make a family out of the company. So I tend to use the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/i-also-try-to-surround-myself-with-people-i-love-make-a-family-out-of/) [Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/) > [When I left Cambridge, I applied to regional repertory theaters in the U.K. and got accepted by one of them... And here I am,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/when-i-left-cambridge-i-applied-to-regional-repertory-theaters-in-the/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Every great dance company, even when it seems poised in perfect balance, needs constant renewal of both repertory and performers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/every-great-dance-company-even-when-it-seems-poised-in-perfect/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [It's important that we have the traditional operas and the repertory, but we should also have something new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson/it-s-important-that-we-have-the-traditional-operas-and-the-repertory/) [Robert Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson/) > [Repertory theater is all about being part of the whole, one of the many colors in this vast palette.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/repertory-theater-is-all-about-being-part-of-the-whole-one-of-the/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Ballet in September used to be dead as a dodo. Now, with City Ballet's ingenious decision to give us four weeks of repertory in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/ballet-in-september-used-to-be-dead-as-a-dodo-now-with-city-ballet-s/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [I was a repertory actor, which meant that I did a play every week. I was a different character every week; for a year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-was-a-repertory-actor-which-meant-that-i-did-a-play-every-week-i/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## 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. 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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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