--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I love that moment just before the…" description: "\"I love that moment just before the curtain goes up, whether I'm sitting in the audience or standing backstage. It's full of expectation. It's a thrill ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/joel-grey-7578_audience_i-love-that-moment-just-before-the-curta_815379.jpg" --- # I love that moment just before the curtain goes up… ![“I love that moment just before the curtain goes up, whether I'm sitting in the audience or standing backstage. It's full of expectation. It's a thrill that's unequaled anywhere.” quote by Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/joel-grey-7578_audience_i-love-that-moment-just-before-the-curta_815379.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/joel-grey-7578_audience_i-love-that-moment-just-before-the-curta_815379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/joel-grey-7578_audience_i-love-that-moment-just-before-the-curta_815379.jpg) > “I love that moment just before the curtain goes up, whether I'm sitting in the audience or standing backstage. It's full of expectation. It's a thrill that's unequaled anywhere.” [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The anticipation before a performance, whether as audience or performer, creates an unmatched thrill. **In simple terms:** The pre‑show moment is filled with excitement and expectation. Key Takeaway Embrace the excitement of upcoming events. Themes anticipation performance thrill Mood excited reflective Type artistic motivational When to use this quote - stage preparation - audience experience - event planning Key Concepts psychology theatre Questions to Reflect On - How does anticipation affect your performance? - What rituals heighten your pre‑event excitement? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Backstage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backstage/) [Backstage Expectation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backstage-expectation-313719/) [Expectation Thrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectation-thrill-313720/) [I love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Standing Backstage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing-backstage-313721/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) ## Related quotes > [My dad would take me downtown, and I'd stand backstage and watch him in the vaudeville pit band. I was 6 or 7. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/my-dad-would-take-me-downtown-and-i-d-stand-backstage-and-watch-him/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [My dad was a theater actor, so I would follow him backstage. And my mom was a casting director. The moment I heard the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-slater/my-dad-was-a-theater-actor-so-i-would-follow-him-backstage-and-my-mom/) [Christian Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-slater/) > [We have amazing people that help us backstage, and Arn Anderson is someone I always like to look to. He's a legend in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/we-have-amazing-people-that-help-us-backstage-and-arn-anderson-is/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [I was doing theater in my high school, and I started writing sort of silly songs on the piano backstage in summer theater. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-was-doing-theater-in-my-high-school-and-i-started-writing-sort-of/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [ I think what you see \[in Salome the play backstage\] is an artist having this fit of temperament. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/i-think-what-you-see-in-salome-the-play-backstage-is-an-artist-having/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [I'm lucky in the sense that I can write wherever I am - on the bus, in the hotel room, backstage, sitting at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/passenger/i-m-lucky-in-the-sense-that-i-can-write-wherever-i-am-on-the-bus-in/) [Passenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/passenger/) > [“Get this into your head right from the start. Make backstage kids your best friends. Do not take all the glory. It is lonely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-goldin/get-this-into-your-head-right-from-the-start-make-backstage-kids-your/) [Lisa Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-goldin/) > [“She was the backstage director who worked so hard to make the star shine and without whom there could be no show. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-lawson-timmer/she-was-the-backstage-director-who-worked-so-hard-to-make-the-star/) [Julie Lawson Timmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-lawson-timmer/) > [We need to diversify the people who are backstage and producing and marketing these shows. It's the limitations of these people that are holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/we-need-to-diversify-the-people-who-are-backstage-and-producing-and/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [I spent 25 years clearly understanding that I'm not gonna meet Bono or the Edge. But then it happened at the Grammys when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristian-bush/i-spent-25-years-clearly-understanding-that-i-m-not-gonna-meet-bono/) [Kristian Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristian-bush/) > [Woodstock - I didn't see anybody play, except when I was standing backstage waiting to go on, because it was so muddy. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-slick/woodstock-i-didn-t-see-anybody-play-except-when-i-was-standing/) [Grace Slick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-slick/) > [In 2011, I had a big chip on my shoulder, and I felt like I had a lot to prove every time I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyson-kidd/in-2011-i-had-a-big-chip-on-my-shoulder-and-i-felt-like-i-had-a-lot/) [Tyson Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyson-kidd/) > [I certainly know that on our first tour of America in 1968, David Crosby came to see us backstage at the Fillmore East in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-hayward/i-certainly-know-that-on-our-first-tour-of-america-in-1968-david/) [Justin Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-hayward/) > [One of my earliest memories is being backstage at 'Bran Nue Dae' in Darwin when I was about eight. It's such a fun, happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-sebbens/one-of-my-earliest-memories-is-being-backstage-at-bran-nue-dae-in/) [Shari Sebbens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-sebbens/) > [“Sometimes I fantasize backstage about how people do their laundry. Woolite? Mixed-color loads? Do they fold? Do they press? Do they Shout it out?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/sometimes-i-fantasize-backstage-about-how-people-do-their-laundry/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) ## More by Joel Grey > [I'm crazy about surprises. I love chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-m-crazy-about-surprises-i-love-chance/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [I saw Lee J. Cobb in 'Death of a Salesman' when I was about 15, and I couldn't get up from my seat in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-saw-lee-j-cobb-in-death-of-a-salesman-when-i-was-about-15-and-i/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [The fundamental job of the actor is to tell about the human condition, to be a voice for the truest ideas and deepest emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/the-fundamental-job-of-the-actor-is-to-tell-about-the-human-condition/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [My daughter, Jennifer Grey, was in 'Dirty Dancing,' which was shot in the Catskill Mountains, where the great old Jewish entertainers used to appear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/my-daughter-jennifer-grey-was-in-dirty-dancing-which-was-shot-in-the/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [I loved being in the theater. It was a place of enormous excitement and happiness and safety and respect and dignity. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-loved-being-in-the-theater-it-was-a-place-of-enormous-excitement/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [I'm very slow. I'm a slow learner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-m-very-slow-i-m-a-slow-learner/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [That's what people forget about, is that when things are very, very powerful in a sad way, they have that possibility of also being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/that-s-what-people-forget-about-is-that-when-things-are-very-very/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > ['Cabaret' was the most commercial success that I've been involved in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/cabaret-was-the-most-commercial-success-that-i-ve-been-involved-in/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [I don't want to do material that I don't like. I've always stuck to that policy. If that means being out of work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-don-t-want-to-do-material-that-i-don-t-like-i-ve-always-stuck-to/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [My dad would take me downtown, and I'd stand backstage and watch him in the vaudeville pit band. I was 6 or 7. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/my-dad-would-take-me-downtown-and-i-d-stand-backstage-and-watch-him/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [If you don't tell the whole truth about yourself, life is a ridiculous exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/if-you-don-t-tell-the-whole-truth-about-yourself-life-is-a-ridiculous/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [Often, entertainment goes deeper, in terms of ideas, than the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/often-entertainment-goes-deeper-in-terms-of-ideas-than-the-newspapers/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [Larry Hagman and I are very old friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/larry-hagman-and-i-are-very-old-friends/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [My father was a musician and wanted me to study piano. I had no interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/my-father-was-a-musician-and-wanted-me-to-study-piano-i-had-no/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [You are either visual or you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/you-are-either-visual-or-you-re-not/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) [Explore all 90 Joel Grey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. 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My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I love that moment just before the curtain goes up, whether I'm sitting in the audience or standing backstage. It's full of expectation. 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