---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We talk about theatre museums filled with…"
description: "\"We talk about theatre museums filled with old costumes and things. What we also need is a theatre museum of the old routines on videotape. We are only ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/jim-dale-31545_costumes_we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-wit_1875615.png"
---

#  We talk about theatre museums filled with old costumes and…

![“We talk about theatre museums filled with old costumes and things. What we also need is a theatre museum of the old routines on videotape. We are only the custodians of those techniques, and they should be preserved.” quote by Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/jim-dale-31545_costumes_we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-wit_1875615.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/jim-dale-31545_costumes_we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-wit_1875615.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/jim-dale-31545_costumes_we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-wit_1875615.png)

> “We talk about theatre museums filled with old costumes and things. What we also need is a theatre museum of the old routines on videotape. We are only the custodians of those techniques, and they should be preserved.”

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

## About This Quote

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

He argues for preserving not just physical costumes but also the recorded performance techniques and routines that define theatre history

**In simple terms:** Preserve both the visual and procedural heritage of theatre

Key Takeaway

Document and archive performance practices for future generations

Themes

theatre preservation history technique

Mood

thoughtful pragmatic

Type

advocacy educational

When to use this quote

- museum curation
- theatre training
- digital archiving

Key Concepts

cultural heritage archival methods education

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we ensure authenticity in archived performances?
- What role should technology play in preserving theatre?

A Different Perspective

Live performance is fleeting; recordings may not capture nuance

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Costumes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/costumes/) [Custodians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/custodians/) [Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filled/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums/) [Need Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-theatre-575851/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Old Costumes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-costumes-2617467/) [Old Routines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-routines-2101814/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Theatre Museum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre-museum-2617468/) [Theatre Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre-museums-2617466/)

## Related quotes

> [“Gourville claims that for new entrants to stand a chance, they can’t just be better, they must be nine times better. Why such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/gourville-claims-that-for-new-entrants-to-stand-a-chance-they-can-t/)

[Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/)

> [First there was the theatre of people and animals, then of people and the devil. Now we need the theatre of people and people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/first-there-was-the-theatre-of-people-and-animals-then-of-people-and/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [In comedy you feel you need to go back to the theatre every now and again, you feel you need to go back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathew-baynton/in-comedy-you-feel-you-need-to-go-back-to-the-theatre-every-now-and/)

[Mathew Baynton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathew-baynton/)

> [I need theatre for my equilibrium, because in theatre the actors don't care so much about image, about celebrity - you are more independent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clotilde-hesme/i-need-theatre-for-my-equilibrium-because-in-theatre-the-actors-don-t-2/)

[Clotilde Hesme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clotilde-hesme/)

> [I need theatre for my equilibrium because in theatre, the actors don't care so much about image, about celebrity; you are more independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clotilde-hesme/i-need-theatre-for-my-equilibrium-because-in-theatre-the-actors-don-t/)

[Clotilde Hesme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clotilde-hesme/)

> [I believe we should be good custodians of the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/i-believe-we-should-be-good-custodians-of-the-earth/)

[Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/)

> [Universities are the custodians not only of the many cultures of man, but of the rational process itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/universities-are-the-custodians-not-only-of-the-many-cultures-of-man/)

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

> [The vitality of thought is in adventure. Idea's won't keep. Something must be done about them. When the idea is new, its custodians have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-vitality-of-thought-is-in-adventure-idea-s-won-t-keep-something/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [No one else has access to the world you carry around within yourself; you are its custodian and entrance. No one else can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/no-one-else-has-access-to-the-world-you-carry-around-within-yourself/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [Comrades ! You have voluntarily accepted a mission that is the noblest that the human mind can conceive of. For the fulfillment of such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhas-chandra-bose/comrades-you-have-voluntarily-accepted-a-mission-that-is-the-noblest/)

[Subhas Chandra Bose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhas-chandra-bose/)

> [ I hope \["reanimated the papacy"\] means that the new interest in the pope evokes a new interest in the Church's teaching, of which the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/i-hope-reanimated-the-papacy-means-that-the-new-interest-in-the-pope/)

[George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/)

> [It is impossible to wait and weigh, in golden scales, the sentiments of prejudice and superstition that have gathered round the priests who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/it-is-impossible-to-wait-and-weigh-in-golden-scales-the-sentiments-of/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [You are the treasure custodian, cleaning the moon for me, scouring the sky so the stars would shine bright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-loeb/you-are-the-treasure-custodian-cleaning-the-moon-for-me-scouring-the/)

[Lisa Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-loeb/)

> [Justice! Custodian of the world! But since the world errs, justice must be custodian of the world's errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ugo-betti/justice-custodian-of-the-world-but-since-the-world-errs-justice-must/)

[Ugo Betti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ugo-betti/)

> [Perhaps we have failed as human beings. Perhaps we have embarrassed ourselves to the natural world. We have been rigorous and willful in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/perhaps-we-have-failed-as-human-beings-perhaps-we-have-embarrassed/)

[Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/)

## More by Jim Dale

> [I was always the clown in school. I had a personal put down sense of humor. I wasn't vindictive. I didn't make fun of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/i-was-always-the-clown-in-school-i-had-a-personal-put-down-sense-of/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [I only travel to good material, a good director and a good company. I won't work in another country for a year any longer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/i-only-travel-to-good-material-a-good-director-and-a-good-company-i/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [I'd get more applause than some because I was just seventeen. If they didn't clap at the end of my act I would limp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/i-d-get-more-applause-than-some-because-i-was-just-seventeen-if-they/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [I'm still a kid inside, and adventure is adventure wherever you find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/i-m-still-a-kid-inside-and-adventure-is-adventure-wherever-you-find-it/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [When I was nine, we'd take a bus to the seaside. Coming back, we'd take turns entertaining, singing songs and the like. I tried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/when-i-was-nine-we-d-take-a-bus-to-the-seaside-coming-back-we-d-take/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [Good acting is consistency of performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/good-acting-is-consistency-of-performance/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [It's a little like casting out hundreds of fishing lines into the audience. You start getting little bites, then more, then you hook a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/it-s-a-little-like-casting-out-hundreds-of-fishing-lines-into-the/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [The joy about the recording is that you are your own boss. You don't have a director telling you how to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/the-joy-about-the-recording-is-that-you-are-your-own-boss-you-don-t/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [You've got to love the villain if you have to play him. You've got to find something that you can live with in yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/you-ve-got-to-love-the-villain-if-you-have-to-play-him-you-ve-got-to/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [You cannot learn anything from success, you only learn from failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/you-cannot-learn-anything-from-success-you-only-learn-from-failure/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [I feel if some kid has sat down and felt I'm important enough to write two pages of words to and take up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/i-feel-if-some-kid-has-sat-down-and-felt-i-m-important-enough-to/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [A career in the theatre demands so much commitment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/a-career-in-the-theatre-demands-so-much-commitment/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [There is no spray can called 'Instant Stardom,' only talent can keep you at the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/there-is-no-spray-can-called-instant-stardom-only-talent-can-keep-you/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [I remember certain people in the audience laughing and I wanted to ask: 'What are you laughing at? This isn't funny.' Now I realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/i-remember-certain-people-in-the-audience-laughing-and-i-wanted-to/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

> [I'd rather get a good clean laugh with good material, than an easy laugh by swearing or shocking. That's not clever or comedic, anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/i-d-rather-get-a-good-clean-laugh-with-good-material-than-an-easy/)

[Jim Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

[Explore all 16 Jim Dale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/)

## More Costumes quotes

> [So, did the costume come with a condom, or is that sold separately?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/so-did-the-costume-come-with-a-condom-or-is-that-sold-separately/)

[Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/)

> [Meanwhile someone is shining my head to get it dry to attach my top-hat to my head with toupee tape. I get into microphone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/meanwhile-someone-is-shining-my-head-to-get-it-dry-to-attach-my-top/)

[Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/)

> [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/)

[Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/)

> [Merlin' was awesome, but the costumes would drive you insane. Every day, you'd get into chain mail and wear 30 pounds of that stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-macken/merlin-was-awesome-but-the-costumes-would-drive-you-insane-every-day/)

[Eoin Macken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-macken/)

> [When the Strokes first started playing gigs, instead of getting into a costume for the shows, we talked about how we should dress every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/when-the-strokes-first-started-playing-gigs-instead-of-getting-into-a/)

[Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/)

> [I've always worked closely with the designers and whoever's making the costumes. Comfort is the last thing you want on your mind when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-yamaguchi/i-ve-always-worked-closely-with-the-designers-and-whoever-s-making/)

[Kristi Yamaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-yamaguchi/)

> [ Shigure Sohma: \[got Tohru a maid costume for White Day\] I can't wait to for her to call me master while wearing this. Hatsuharu… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuki-takaya/shigure-sohma-got-tohru-a-maid-costume-for-white-day-i-can-t-wait-to/)

[Natsuki Takaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuki-takaya/)

> [I always use the analogy that when you go to a jeans store and put on a new pair of jeans, it's a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-always-use-the-analogy-that-when-you-go-to-a-jeans-store-and-put-on/)

[Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/)

> [I am out in public and using the phone. I am in a phone booth, got the phone in my hand and a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-engvall/i-am-out-in-public-and-using-the-phone-i-am-in-a-phone-booth-got-the/)

[Bill Engvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-engvall/)

> [...and there I suddenly found my articulate self in a dazzling land of smiling, jostling people wearing and not wearing all sorts of costumes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-grant/and-there-i-suddenly-found-my-articulate-self-in-a-dazzling-land-of/)

[Cary Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-grant/)

> [I'm an actor, so I like costumes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-m-an-actor-so-i-like-costumes/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [My parents are actors as well, so I grew up around that world. It was always a very romantic, mythical world. They did a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-fox/my-parents-are-actors-as-well-so-i-grew-up-around-that-world-it-was/)

[Phoebe Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-fox/)

> [Singing is an incredible expression and something that is important to me, but where I feel comfortable with how much I reveal about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-larson/singing-is-an-incredible-expression-and-something-that-is-important/)

[Brie Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-larson/)

> [Someone once bought me loads of clothes from a charity shop - and sent them to me in a black bin liner. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-shaw/someone-once-bought-me-loads-of-clothes-from-a-charity-shop-and-sent/)

[Suzanne Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-shaw/)

> [When I was young, I would get my tailor to replicate Madhuri Dixit's costumes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallika-sherawat/when-i-was-young-i-would-get-my-tailor-to-replicate-madhuri-dixit-s/)

[Mallika Sherawat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallika-sherawat/)

[Browse all 655 Costumes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/costumes/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We talk about theatre museums filled with old costumes and things. What we also need is a theatre museum of the old routines on videotape. We are only the custodians of those techniques, and they should be preserved.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jim Dale"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-with-old-costumes-and-things/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Costumes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-with-old-costumes-and-things/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/jim-dale-31545_costumes_we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-wit_1875615.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/jim-dale-31545_costumes_we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-wit_1875615.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/jim-dale-31545_costumes_we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-wit_1875615.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We talk about theatre museums filled with old costumes and things. What we also need is a theatre museum of…” — Jim Dale",
                "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": "Jim Dale",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dale/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We talk about theatre museums filled...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-with-old-costumes-and-things/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dale/we-talk-about-theatre-museums-filled-with-old-costumes-and-things/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
