--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The nice thing about the theatre is you…" description: "\"The nice thing about the theatre is you can always change it. With a movie, once it's there, you're stuck with it.\" — James Lapine" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/james-lapine-15216_always_the-nice-thing-about-the-theatre-is-you_1327447.jpg" --- # The nice thing about the theatre is you can always change… ![“The nice thing about the theatre is you can always change it. With a movie, once it's there, you're stuck with it.” quote by James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/james-lapine-15216_always_the-nice-thing-about-the-theatre-is-you_1327447.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/james-lapine-15216_always_the-nice-thing-about-the-theatre-is-you_1327447.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/james-lapine-15216_always_the-nice-thing-about-the-theatre-is-you_1327447.jpg) > “The nice thing about the theatre is you can always change it. With a movie, once it's there, you're stuck with it.” [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Theatre allows continual revision, unlike film which is fixed once completed. **In simple terms:** Theatre can be changed; film cannot. Key Takeaway Value the flexibility of live performance. Themes theatre flexibility creativity Mood analytical enthusiastic Type creative philosophical When to use this quote - stage productions - script workshops - live improvisation Key Concepts dramatic structure audience interaction Questions to Reflect On - Why is flexibility important to you as a creator? - How does permanence affect artistic impact? A Different Perspective Film offers permanence that some audiences prefer. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-movie-297272/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Movie Stuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-stuck-4443290/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Theatre Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre-change-362195/) ## Related quotes > [When I make a new movie, I always get stuck with, "That's not an Oliver Stone film." But I don't know what to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/when-i-make-a-new-movie-i-always-get-stuck-with-that-s-not-an-oliver/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) > [I think a movie released is better than a movie stuck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-sadh/i-think-a-movie-released-is-better-than-a-movie-stuck/) [Amit Sadh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-sadh/) > [The mission of the theatre, after all, is to change, to raise the consciousness of people to their human possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/the-mission-of-the-theatre-after-all-is-to-change-to-raise-the/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [In the theatre you can change things ever so slightly; it's an organic thing. Whereas in film you only have that chance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/in-the-theatre-you-can-change-things-ever-so-slightly-it-s-an-organic/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [You weren't going to the theatre to change the world, but you had a chance to affect the world, the thinking and the feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-earl-jones/you-weren-t-going-to-the-theatre-to-change-the-world-but-you-had-a/) [James Earl Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-earl-jones/) > [There's some kind of actors that can radically change who they are from movie to movie. I've never really been that kind of actor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/there-s-some-kind-of-actors-that-can-radically-change-who-they-are/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [Aristotle said time is a measure of change, and this movie is about changing in time, through time, while remaining the same person. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/aristotle-said-time-is-a-measure-of-change-and-this-movie-is-about/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [When you are in every scene of a movie - which I must say I really much prefer - you have more control over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-gyllenhaal/when-you-are-in-every-scene-of-a-movie-which-i-must-say-i-really-much/) [Maggie Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-gyllenhaal/) > [Stop yelling at the movie, you ain’t never gonna change it like that. Go change the movie in the projector. You are the projector.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/stop-yelling-at-the-movie-you-ain-t-never-gonna-change-it-like-that/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [I'm a playwright by trade, and in theater, writers have complete control over everything. Nobody can change a word without your permission. I've had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lindsay-abaire/i-m-a-playwright-by-trade-and-in-theater-writers-have-complete/) [David Lindsay-Abaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lindsay-abaire/) > [ I feel like it'll change after the movie \[Star Wars\] comes out, if it does. It's really the other way around, surprisingly, as far… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/i-feel-like-it-ll-change-after-the-movie-star-wars-comes-out-if-it/) [Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/) > [DAY: I have a good job, a lovely apartment, I go out with very nice men to the best places, the finest restaurants, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-day/day-i-have-a-good-job-a-lovely-apartment-i-go-out-with-very-nice-men/) [Doris Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-day/) > [I went through a really good-looking phase from birth to 9. And then things went crazy. I don't know what happened, but between 9…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-milioti/i-went-through-a-really-good-looking-phase-from-birth-to-9-and-then/) [Cristin Milioti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-milioti/) > [I watched the movie 'What We Do in the Shadows' in a packed theater when it first came out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-dacosta/i-watched-the-movie-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-in-a-packed-theater/) [Nia DaCosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-dacosta/) > [You will see a 3-D movie in a movie theater for the shared experience of it - or for a date, and so on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stringer/you-will-see-a-3-d-movie-in-a-movie-theater-for-the-shared-experience/) [Howard Stringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stringer/) ## More by James Lapine > [I am an off-Broadway, nonprofit kind of guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-am-an-off-broadway-nonprofit-kind-of-guy/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [Most musicals are real crowd pleasers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/most-musicals-are-real-crowd-pleasers/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [Fairy tales, which teach a moral lesson, are about ourselves. Myth deals with forces greater than ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/fairy-tales-which-teach-a-moral-lesson-are-about-ourselves-myth-deals/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I really enjoyed writing the adaptation of 'Into The Woods.' I thought it was wonderful to not be the director, frankly. I really enjoyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-really-enjoyed-writing-the-adaptation-of-into-the-woods-i-thought/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I'm a hippie child of the '60s. What drives me crazy about mass media entertainment is that it's so often devoid of any ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-m-a-hippie-child-of-the-60s-what-drives-me-crazy-about-mass-media/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I'm a very laid-back person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-m-a-very-laid-back-person/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I'm never so into the three-act movie thing. I know that's the form that people talk about, but it seems to me, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-m-never-so-into-the-three-act-movie-thing-i-know-that-s-the-form/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I just don't really think of career. I've never been driven by career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-just-don-t-really-think-of-career-i-ve-never-been-driven-by-career/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [Good musicals, a strange world, seem so easy. People say, 'Ohhh, it's magic.' Nothing's magic. A thing doesn't jell. Adapt. Change the rhythm. Shorten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/good-musicals-a-strange-world-seem-so-easy-people-say-ohhh-it-s-magic/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I did 'Impromptu,' which was a thrill and a horror all at once - my first movie and having to do it in Paris,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-did-impromptu-which-was-a-thrill-and-a-horror-all-at-once-my-first/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I designed a theater magazine that was full of plays and essays about the theater, and then I worked at a theater school. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-designed-a-theater-magazine-that-was-full-of-plays-and-essays-about/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I love the visual aspect of the theater. But I like what people have to say, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-love-the-visual-aspect-of-the-theater-but-i-like-what-people-have/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I've grown more and more appreciative of good writing, and I now really hope I can become a better and better writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-ve-grown-more-and-more-appreciative-of-good-writing-and-i-now/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [If you're like me and nosy, you're always eavesdropping on other people's conversations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/if-you-re-like-me-and-nosy-you-re-always-eavesdropping-on-other/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [The music is the emotional substance of the show; the book just sets it up. Nobody goes to a musical to hear the book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/the-music-is-the-emotional-substance-of-the-show-the-book-just-sets/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) [Explore all 43 James Lapine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [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 have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) [Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The nice thing about the theatre is you can always change it. 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