--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had done plays all my life. Many, many…" description: "\"I had done plays all my life. Many, many, many plays, off-Broadway plays.\" — Margo Martindale" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/margo-martindale-18521_all-my-life_i-had-done-plays-all-my-life-many-many-m_1896431.jpg" --- # I had done plays all my life. Many, many, many plays… ![“I had done plays all my life. Many, many, many plays, off-Broadway plays.” quote by Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/margo-martindale-18521_all-my-life_i-had-done-plays-all-my-life-many-many-m_1896431.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/margo-martindale-18521_all-my-life_i-had-done-plays-all-my-life-many-many-m_1896431.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/margo-martindale-18521_all-my-life_i-had-done-plays-all-my-life-many-many-m_1896431.jpg) > “I had done plays all my life. Many, many, many plays, off-Broadway plays.” [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She reflects on a lifelong career in theater, emphasizing experience and dedication to craft. **In simple terms:** She has spent her life acting in many plays. Key Takeaway Value long‑term practice. Themes career theatre dedication Mood reflective proud Type personal career When to use this quote - audition preparation - directing - teaching acting - writing scripts Key Concepts acting off‑Broadway experience Questions to Reflect On - How does sustained practice shape identity? - What other creative outlets could complement acting? A Different Perspective May overlook other artistic pursuits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [All my life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/all-my-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/) ## Related quotes > [I'd love to do theater. I've done so many plays in my life. I still think of that as my main thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-schilling/i-d-love-to-do-theater-i-ve-done-so-many-plays-in-my-life-i-still/) [Taylor Schilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-schilling/) > [By the time I started writing plays, Broadway was never an expectation, so it's never been central.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-greenberg/by-the-time-i-started-writing-plays-broadway-was-never-an-expectation/) [Richard Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-greenberg/) > [The commercial theatre may still be considered one of New York's primary tourist attractions, but . . . there is no longer an audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/the-commercial-theatre-may-still-be-considered-one-of-new-york-s/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [I've done a lot of Broadway plays, and I'm fortunate they've all been so successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-benjamin-hickey/i-ve-done-a-lot-of-broadway-plays-and-i-m-fortunate-they-ve-all-been/) [John Benjamin Hickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-benjamin-hickey/) > [I'd like to have one of my plays on Broadway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/del-shores/i-d-like-to-have-one-of-my-plays-on-broadway/) [Del Shores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/del-shores/) > [In school, when we lived in New Jersey, we went to Broadway a lot, so I saw a lot of Broadway plays, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordin-sparks/in-school-when-we-lived-in-new-jersey-we-went-to-broadway-a-lot-so-i/) [Jordin Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordin-sparks/) > [I was in 27 Broadway plays, and three of them got the Pulitzer Prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-van-patten/i-was-in-27-broadway-plays-and-three-of-them-got-the-pulitzer-prize/) [Dick Van Patten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-van-patten/) > [I've been blessed by doing classic plays on Broadway, which was one of my great dreams forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-ve-been-blessed-by-doing-classic-plays-on-broadway-which-was-one-of/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [When I got out of school, I just started doing plays of the off-off-Broadway route, and for many years, that's what I did, slowly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/when-i-got-out-of-school-i-just-started-doing-plays-of-the-off-off/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [One of the things I find very little of in America - and certainly not on Broadway - are plays with political attitudes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lindsay-hogg/one-of-the-things-i-find-very-little-of-in-america-and-certainly-not/) [Michael Lindsay-Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lindsay-hogg/) > [I ended up doing three very complicated off-Broadway plays that, in certain ways, were not successes in that they were received in a complicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-groff/i-ended-up-doing-three-very-complicated-off-broadway-plays-that-in/) [Jonathan Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-groff/) > [Performance art is going to be the future. Plays on Broadway are so restricted. But performance art is like haikus, just one line thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/performance-art-is-going-to-be-the-future-plays-on-broadway-are-so/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [After I left Yale, we were all doing these mad plays off - off Broadway. And I got back to that feeling I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigourney-weaver/after-i-left-yale-we-were-all-doing-these-mad-plays-off-off-broadway/) [Sigourney Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigourney-weaver/) > [“The only difference was, you could play the music again and again; a life plays only once.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-robinson/the-only-difference-was-you-could-play-the-music-again-and-again-a/) [Peter Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-robinson/) > [“Life plays out the same way, as we mature and grow year after year, month after month, and day after day. We are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-ruvalcaba/life-plays-out-the-same-way-as-we-mature-and-grow-year-after-year/) [Luis Ruvalcaba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-ruvalcaba/) ## More by Margo Martindale > [I'm gaga over Richard Jenkins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/i-m-gaga-over-richard-jenkins/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [I love television because it's the most alive, because you don't know how it's going to end. It's a living thing. Sometimes the writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/i-love-television-because-it-s-the-most-alive-because-you-don-t-know/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [And I love having the job to go to every week. With movies, there's a lot of downtime. I like working, and television really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/and-i-love-having-the-job-to-go-to-every-week-with-movies-there-s-a/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [In order for me to have fun, I have to be able to not be buttoned down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/in-order-for-me-to-have-fun-i-have-to-be-able-to-not-be-buttoned-down/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [My favorite thing to do is just sit outside on the stoop and talk with all my neighbors. I can go out with curlers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/my-favorite-thing-to-do-is-just-sit-outside-on-the-stoop-and-talk/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [I played an old woman in a wheelchair at 18.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/i-played-an-old-woman-in-a-wheelchair-at-18/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [Texas people are very open, because it's open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/texas-people-are-very-open-because-it-s-open/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [I loved Paris, Je T'aime. It's like my top favorite things I've ever done and I think it was a beautiful. I think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/i-loved-paris-je-t-aime-it-s-like-my-top-favorite-things-i-ve-ever/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [I love, love, love acting, so if you can just go in and play, who could ask for more?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/i-love-love-love-acting-so-if-you-can-just-go-in-and-play-who-could/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [I am just so grateful for every single day, and if I could just not think past today, I would be living the life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/i-am-just-so-grateful-for-every-single-day-and-if-i-could-just-not/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [So many actors who are really gifted and talented just don't get the opportunity. I happened to get that opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/so-many-actors-who-are-really-gifted-and-talented-just-don-t-get-the/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [I'm from East Texas, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/i-m-from-east-texas-yes/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [If you need things, you work harder to get them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/if-you-need-things-you-work-harder-to-get-them/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [I love just being at Lincoln Center - it's so New York! Those fountains!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/i-love-just-being-at-lincoln-center-it-s-so-new-york-those-fountains/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [I'm delighted with how my career unfolded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/i-m-delighted-with-how-my-career-unfolded/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) [Explore all 34 Margo Martindale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) ## More Actor 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/) > [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 once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [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/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [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/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had done plays all my life. 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