--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know, this isn't theatre like it used…" description: "\"You know, this isn't theatre like it used to be.\" — Katherine Dunham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/katherine-dunham-18609_know_you-know-this-isn-t-theatre-like-it-used_296359.jpg" --- # You know, this isn't theatre like it used to be. ![“You know, this isn't theatre like it used to be.” quote by Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/katherine-dunham-18609_know_you-know-this-isn-t-theatre-like-it-used_296359.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/katherine-dunham-18609_know_you-know-this-isn-t-theatre-like-it-used_296359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/katherine-dunham-18609_know_you-know-this-isn-t-theatre-like-it-used_296359.jpg) > “You know, this isn't theatre like it used to be.” [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Theatrical art has lost its authenticity and depth over time. **In simple terms:** Theatre today lacks its former essence. Key Takeaway Seek genuine artistic expression. Themes art authenticity culture Mood critical nostalgic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - modern productions - educational curricula - community theater - cultural preservation Key Concepts theatrical evolution artistic decay Questions to Reflect On - What defines true theatre? - How can we revive depth in performance? A Different Perspective Nostalgia may romanticize the past. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Isn Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isn-theatre-2839651/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-isn-392000/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-used-595808/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Theatre Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre-like-929736/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [I like to go to really bad movies, during their sixth week, and there's only one other person in the theatre, and I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-galifianakis/i-like-to-go-to-really-bad-movies-during-their-sixth-week-and-there-s/) [Zach Galifianakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-galifianakis/) > [I have learnt a lot about theatre, and I would like to know the same about film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/essie-davis/i-have-learnt-a-lot-about-theatre-and-i-would-like-to-know-the-same/) [Essie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/essie-davis/) > [I come from theatre and I like the audition process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-krishna-acharya/i-come-from-theatre-and-i-like-the-audition-process/) [Vijay Krishna Acharya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-krishna-acharya/) > [For me, it’s like playing the same instrument but in a different context. 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I like plays in which the audience is addressed by the actors. I don't like seeing people talking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-meades/i-don-t-like-the-theatre-i-like-plays-in-which-the-audience-is/) [Jonathan Meades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-meades/) > [And people are so het up about the fact I'm in the theatre - it's like, 'Ooh these telly names, can they be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-page/and-people-are-so-het-up-about-the-fact-i-m-in-the-theatre-it-s-like/) [Joanna Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-page/) > [Theatre is like an actor's nectar, like how cinema is a director's medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-fazal/theatre-is-like-an-actor-s-nectar-like-how-cinema-is-a-director-s/) [Ali Fazal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-fazal/) > [For me, making films is like being on vacation, it's a nice walk. But theatre is like mountaineering. You never know whether you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-huppert/for-me-making-films-is-like-being-on-vacation-it-s-a-nice-walk-but/) [Isabelle Huppert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-huppert/) > [I often make the analogy with tennis. Every match the rules are the same, but no game is ever the same. Theatre is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/i-often-make-the-analogy-with-tennis-every-match-the-rules-are-the/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) ## More by Katherine Dunham > [If you dance, you dance because you have to. Every dancer hurts, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/if-you-dance-you-dance-because-you-have-to-every-dancer-hurts-you-know/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [The older I grow the more I see the influence of my family on my life. I didn't always see it. It was up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/the-older-i-grow-the-more-i-see-the-influence-of-my-family-on-my-life/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [I really think that aside from admiring my talent you really admire me as a person and as a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/i-really-think-that-aside-from-admiring-my-talent-you-really-admire/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [We had maybe the greatest success of any company that I know of in Paris, and after two or three years I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/we-had-maybe-the-greatest-success-of-any-company-that-i-know-of-in/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [Aside from a few master teachers that we have had over the years, this has been a completely local talent development. But people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/aside-from-a-few-master-teachers-that-we-have-had-over-the-years-this/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [We don't intend to always keep this necessarily African oriented. Originally I had hoped to have African American Indian of this area, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/we-don-t-intend-to-always-keep-this-necessarily-african-oriented/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [You dance because you have to. Dance is an essential part of life that has always been with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/you-dance-because-you-have-to-dance-is-an-essential-part-of-life-that/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [I have actually five honorary degrees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/i-have-actually-five-honorary-degrees/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [When you have faith in something, it’s your reason to be alive and to fight for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/when-you-have-faith-in-something-it-s-your-reason-to-be-alive-and-to/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [We have a group of friends of the museum who try to raise, if they can, periodically something to help us. Of course, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/we-have-a-group-of-friends-of-the-museum-who-try-to-raise-if-they-can/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [I had certain physical limitations that made me change the choreography for myself or made me more interested in choreography only rather than dancing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/i-had-certain-physical-limitations-that-made-me-change-the/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [For the kind of thing that we were showing, the budget was sufficient. As we were speaking of in Haiti, we had not done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/for-the-kind-of-thing-that-we-were-showing-the-budget-was-sufficient/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [I don't think Ed Sullivan had anything to do with Carib Song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/i-don-t-think-ed-sullivan-had-anything-to-do-with-carib-song/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [We weren't pushing Black is beautiful. We just showed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/we-weren-t-pushing-black-is-beautiful-we-just-showed-it/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [I always believed that if you set out to be successful, then you already were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/i-always-believed-that-if-you-set-out-to-be-successful-then-you/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) [Explore all 34 Katherine Dunham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) ## More Know 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/) > [“To know someone, to be known. That matters more than he'd ever thought it would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/to-know-someone-to-be-known-that-matters-more-than-he-d-ever-thought/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [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/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [Don't get too attached to someone you know you can't be together with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-get-too-attached-to-someone-you-know-you-can-t-be-together-with/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [I know what you're thinking... and you oughtta be ashamed of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-preston/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-and-you-oughtta-be-ashamed-of-yourself/) [Robert Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-preston/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [“Take your time to find and understand what you don’t know and in the end, you shall know that it is not all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/take-your-time-to-find-and-understand-what-you-don-t-know-and-in-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. 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