--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The theater is a baffling business, and a…" description: "\"The theater is a baffling business, and a shockingly wasteful one when you consider that people who have proven their worth, who have appeared in or be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/ilka-chase-15976_acting_the-theater-is-a-baffling-business-and-a_566081.jpg" --- # The theater is a baffling business, and a shockingly… ![“The theater is a baffling business, and a shockingly wasteful one when you consider that people who have proven their worth, who have appeared in or been responsible for successful plays, who have given outstanding performances, can still, in the full tide of their energy, be forced, through lack…” quote by Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/ilka-chase-15976_acting_the-theater-is-a-baffling-business-and-a_566081.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/ilka-chase-15976_acting_the-theater-is-a-baffling-business-and-a_566081.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/ilka-chase-15976_acting_the-theater-is-a-baffling-business-and-a_566081.jpg) > “The theater is a baffling business, and a shockingly wasteful one when you consider that people who have proven their worth, who have appeared in or been responsible for successful plays, who have given outstanding performances, can still, in the full tide of their energy, be forced, through lack of opportunity, to sit idle season after season, their enthusiasm, their morale, their very talent dwindling to slow gray death. Of finances we will not even speak; it is too sad a tale.” [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even talented performers can be sidelined by lack of opportunities, leading to wasted potential and demoralization. **In simple terms:** Good actors may sit idle without jobs, losing talent and morale. Key Takeaway Advocate for more opportunities to retain talent. Themes art career opportunity talent loss morale industry challenges Mood somber concerned hopeful Type analytical critical When to use this quote - casting decisions - theatre management - artist support programs - funding arts - career planning Key Concepts employment dynamics artistic fulfillment career sustainability Questions to Reflect On - How can theatres create more roles for skilled actors? - What systems prevent talent from being wasted? A Different Perspective Economic constraints also affect opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Enthusiasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiasm/) [Finance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finance/) [Morale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morale/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Outstanding performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outstanding-performance/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Seasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seasons/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Tides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tides/) [Wages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wages/) ## Related quotes > [Whoever plays well on a given day, that player wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-v-sindhu/whoever-plays-well-on-a-given-day-that-player-wins/) [P. V. Sindhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-v-sindhu/) > [Next to a good meal and possibly a long night's sleep the greatest morale builder ... is clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/next-to-a-good-meal-and-possibly-a-long-night-s-sleep-the-greatest/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [“For example, in English we would write Dear Staff, I would like to recognize Sarah’s outstanding performance. In Slang we would write Hey Homies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/for-example-in-english-we-would-write-dear-staff-i-would-like-to/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [I am honored to be selected as Canada's flag bearer for the closing ceremony of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Over the past 16…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-klassen/i-am-honored-to-be-selected-as-canada-s-flag-bearer-for-the-closing/) [Cindy Klassen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-klassen/) > [MAMMOOTTY has presented an outstanding performance in film'New Delhi'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satyajit-ray/mammootty-has-presented-an-outstanding-performance-in-film-new-delhi/) [Satyajit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satyajit-ray/) > [Don Knotts won five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor or Actress in a Series \[in Andy Griffith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-lynn/don-knotts-won-five-emmy-awards-for-outstanding-performance-in-a/) [Betty Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-lynn/) > [“In a seminal 1981 paper, the economist Sherwin Rosen worked out the mathematics behind these “winner-take-all” markets. One of his key insights was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/in-a-seminal-1981-paper-the-economist-sherwin-rosen-worked-out-the/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“I soon saw, however, that Creed's obsession with death was typical of most of the children. This came out in their play. "Let's play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/i-soon-saw-however-that-creed-s-obsession-with-death-was-typical-of/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) > [“Hearing a succession of mediocre singers does not add up to a single outstanding performance.” In other words, talent is not a commodity you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/hearing-a-succession-of-mediocre-singers-does-not-add-up-to-a-single/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [The magic behind every outstanding performance is always found in the smallest of details.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan/the-magic-behind-every-outstanding-performance-is-always-found-in-the/) [Gary Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan/) > [“The understatement rule means that a debilitating and painful chronic illness must be described as ‘a bit of a nuisance’; a truly horrific experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fox/the-understatement-rule-means-that-a-debilitating-and-painful-chronic/) [Kate Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fox/) > [“If everyone likes it, it's probably because it has been doing well. Most people seem to think that outstanding performance to dates presages outstanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-marks/if-everyone-likes-it-it-s-probably-because-it-has-been-doing-well/) [Howard Marks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-marks/) > [“Specialization, concentration and consistency is the key to outstanding performance... Love your zone!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/specialization-concentration-and-consistency-is-the-key-to/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Research shows that for jobs of all kinds, emotional intelligence is twice as important an ingredient of outstanding performance as cognitive ability and technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/research-shows-that-for-jobs-of-all-kinds-emotional-intelligence-is/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Congratulations for the outstanding performance! God bless!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-for-the-outstanding-performance-god-bless/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ilka Chase > [I suppose anyone who has ever written a travel book has had the experience of being accosted by a reader with blood in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/i-suppose-anyone-who-has-ever-written-a-travel-book-has-had-the/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [The very fact that we make such a to-do over golden weddings indicates our amazement at human endurance. The celebration is more in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/the-very-fact-that-we-make-such-a-to-do-over-golden-weddings/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [I've got a heart like a college prom. Each one I dance with seems the best of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/i-ve-got-a-heart-like-a-college-prom-each-one-i-dance-with-seems-the/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [George Moore unexpectedly pinched my behind. I felt rather honored that my behind should have drawn the attention of the great master of English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/george-moore-unexpectedly-pinched-my-behind-i-felt-rather-honored/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [All the humiliating, tragicomic, heartbreaking things happened to me in my girlhood, and nothing makes me happier than to realize I cannot possibly relive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/all-the-humiliating-tragicomic-heartbreaking-things-happened-to-me-in/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [It is usually when men are at their most religious that they behave with the least sense and the greatest cruelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/it-is-usually-when-men-are-at-their-most-religious-that-they-behave/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [Neither an assembly line nor a stock market nor an oil well did it, simply what came from one small skull and that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/neither-an-assembly-line-nor-a-stock-market-nor-an-oil-well-did-it/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [when men don't like another man everyone assumes he's no good and that the men know what they are talking about, yet when women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/when-men-don-t-like-another-man-everyone-assumes-he-s-no-good-and/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [Prolonged statistics are a lethal dose, which if it does not kill will certainly dispel your audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/prolonged-statistics-are-a-lethal-dose-which-if-it-does-not-kill-will/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [You can always spot a well informed man his views are the same as yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/you-can-always-spot-a-well-informed-man-his-views-are-the-same-as/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [It occurred to me that we live in a lunatic world where the only way to maintain peace is to have an enormous war-making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/it-occurred-to-me-that-we-live-in-a-lunatic-world-where-the-only-way/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [Democracy is not an easy form of government, because it is never final; it is a living, changing organism, with a continuous shifting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/democracy-is-not-an-easy-form-of-government-because-it-is-never-final/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [Very few people, thank God, look like the pictures of them which are published in the papers and the weekly magazines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/very-few-people-thank-god-look-like-the-pictures-of-them-which-are/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [To me travel is triple delight: anticipation, performance, and recollection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/to-me-travel-is-triple-delight-anticipation-performance-and/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [Next to a good meal and possibly a long night's sleep the greatest morale builder ... is clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/next-to-a-good-meal-and-possibly-a-long-night-s-sleep-the-greatest/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) [Explore all 41 Ilka Chase quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) ## More Acting 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The theater is a baffling business, and a shockingly wasteful one when you consider that people who have proven their worth, who have appeared in or been responsible for successful plays, who have given outstanding performances, can still, in the full tide of their energy, be forced, through lack of opportunity, to sit idle season after season, their enthusiasm, their morale, their very talent dwindling to slow gray death. 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