--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In theater, blood is ketchup; in…" description: "\"In theater, blood is ketchup; in performance, everything's real.\" — Marina Abramovic" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/marina-abramovic-1502_actor_in-theater-blood-is-ketchup-in-performan_2399747.jpg" --- # In theater, blood is ketchup; in performance, everything's… ![“In theater, blood is ketchup; in performance, everything's real.” quote by Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/marina-abramovic-1502_actor_in-theater-blood-is-ketchup-in-performan_2399747.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/marina-abramovic-1502_actor_in-theater-blood-is-ketchup-in-performan_2399747.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/marina-abramovic-1502_actor_in-theater-blood-is-ketchup-in-performan_2399747.jpg) > “In theater, blood is ketchup; in performance, everything's real.” [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art can be a visceral, raw expression, while theater often masks reality with illusion. **In simple terms:** Real art is raw; theater can be fake. Key Takeaway Value authenticity in creative work. Themes art authenticity illusion Mood provocative intense Type critical inspirational When to use this quote - theatre productions - visual art installations - live music - film making Key Concepts performance theory media studies Questions to Reflect On - What does “real” mean to you? - How do you balance truth and spectacle? A Different Perspective Audience expectations may limit raw expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [First of all, to do performance art, you really have to give 100 percent. I only know that I have to give 100 percent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/first-of-all-to-do-performance-art-you-really-have-to-give-100/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [All the aggressive actions I do to myself I would never dream of doing in my own life - I am not this kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/all-the-aggressive-actions-i-do-to-myself-i-would-never-dream-of/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Performance is there, and if you are not there in that moment it happened, it just stays in the memory. It's so immaterial and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/performance-is-there-and-if-you-are-not-there-in-that-moment-it/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Usually in theater, the visual repeats the verbal. The visual dwindles into decoration. But I think with my eyes. For me, the visual is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson/usually-in-theater-the-visual-repeats-the-verbal-the-visual-dwindles/) [Robert Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson/) > [Sometimes no matter how well you prepare, no matter how conservative your decision making, no matter how few Y chromosomes are along on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-houston/sometimes-no-matter-how-well-you-prepare-no-matter-how-conservative/) [Pam Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-houston/) > [Don't keep excessive amounts of anything. Those glass vases that come from florists. Those ketchup packets that come with take-out food. A house with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/don-t-keep-excessive-amounts-of-anything-those-glass-vases-that-come/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [They always give you three ketchup packets. When you go back up and ask for more, the guy handing them out always treats you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/they-always-give-you-three-ketchup-packets-when-you-go-back-up-and/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [I'm not a person who writes really abstract things with oblique references. I look at abstraction like I look at condiments. Give me some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/i-m-not-a-person-who-writes-really-abstract-things-with-oblique/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [My thoughts seem thick, ketchup stuck in a bottle. Like trying to feel someone's face while wearing goosedown mittens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/my-thoughts-seem-thick-ketchup-stuck-in-a-bottle-like-trying-to-feel/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [Ketchup is great on hamburgers, but if some gets on your shirt, that does not make your shirt also a hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-engvall/ketchup-is-great-on-hamburgers-but-if-some-gets-on-your-shirt-that/) [Bill Engvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-engvall/) > [Usually, turkey burger recipes result in something so lifeless and tasteless that drowning one in ketchup (that most perfect and delicious of condiments) doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-saffitz/usually-turkey-burger-recipes-result-in-something-so-lifeless-and/) [Claire Saffitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-saffitz/) > [“Hipster Chick personally brings it to the table, and there’s a phone number written in ketchup on his plate. He looks at her. Looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellen-burden/hipster-chick-personally-brings-it-to-the-table-and-there-s-a-phone/) Kellen Burden > [“a hot dog shop where ketchup was forbidden,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-wise/a-hot-dog-shop-where-ketchup-was-forbidden/) [A.R. Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-wise/) > [I am ketchup conscious, so I do carry ketchup around with me. The best one is the Heinz Organic Ketchup Opens a New Window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-holt/i-am-ketchup-conscious-so-i-do-carry-ketchup-around-with-me-the-best/) [Olivia Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-holt/) > [No matter how old you are, when the ketchup bottle farts, it's funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-old-you-are-when-the-ketchup-bottle-farts-it-s-funny/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Marina Abramovic > [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [I hate studios. A studio is a black hole. I never use a studio to work. It's very artificial to go to a studio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-hate-studios-a-studio-is-a-black-hole-i-never-use-a-studio-to-work/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [In my work I have complete control, but about my life, I don't want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/in-my-work-i-have-complete-control-but-about-my-life-i-don-t-want-to/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Performance is there, and if you are not there in that moment it happened, it just stays in the memory. It's so immaterial and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/performance-is-there-and-if-you-are-not-there-in-that-moment-it/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [I can explain my work to the cleaner or the president; it's all the same to me. I am very communist in this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-can-explain-my-work-to-the-cleaner-or-the-president-it-s-all-the/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [My memoirs are full of humor, I had to change jokes because it was a little too dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/my-memoirs-are-full-of-humor-i-had-to-change-jokes-because-it-was-a/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [To be in a magazine when you're 20 is okay, but when you do it when you're 65, it's much more fun!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/to-be-in-a-magazine-when-you-re-20-is-okay-but-when-you-do-it-when/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Most of the time, the artists are not supposed to wear the fashion. It is always seen as a vanity. But I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/most-of-the-time-the-artists-are-not-supposed-to-wear-the-fashion-it/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [You know, art is very emotional business. But mostly it becomes not emotional, the fabric of commodity. It becomes business. It becomes so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/you-know-art-is-very-emotional-business-but-mostly-it-becomes-not/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [I didn't give any instruction to the video, because it was a new medium. I didn't know what to tell him; it was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-didn-t-give-any-instruction-to-the-video-because-it-was-a-new/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [If I'm not nervous, I'm nervous. You never know how people are going to receive the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/if-i-m-not-nervous-i-m-nervous-you-never-know-how-people-are-going-to/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Today, our attention is less than the television advertisement. We're looking at six or seven problems constantly. We're living in the disturbed societies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/today-our-attention-is-less-than-the-television-advertisement-we-re/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Art comes from life, not from the studio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/art-comes-from-life-not-from-the-studio/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [All the aggressive actions I do to myself I would never dream of doing in my own life - I am not this kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/all-the-aggressive-actions-i-do-to-myself-i-would-never-dream-of/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [It's so easy to do things you like. But then, the thing is, when you're afraid of something, face it; go for it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/it-s-so-easy-to-do-things-you-like-but-then-the-thing-is-when-you-re/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) [Explore all 234 Marina Abramovic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) ## 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! 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